Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A pattern of drumbeats characterized by four basic beats and alternating left-handed and right-handed strokes on the successive primary beats.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The sound of a drum (especially a snare drum) beaten rapidly and continuously.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun music A percussive exercise (one of 26 drum rudiments) which involves playing four even strokes in the order ‘right left right right’ or ‘left right left left’

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the sound of a drum (especially a snare drum) beaten rapidly and continuously

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably imitative.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Imitative.

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Examples

  • The paradiddle is another important snare drum rudiment that will help one get a handle on the sticks.

    ParaMonday « Fairegarden 2009

  • I never sat in a room and tried to copy records or practice a paradiddle.

    ɘloЯ 2010

  • I am very familiar with the paradiddle after having taught many beginning percussionsists how to play one!

    ParaMonday « Fairegarden 2009

  • The basic paradiddle is played by the hands with the following repeating pattern:

    ParaMonday « Fairegarden 2009

  • Or if one starts with the left hand the paradiddle looks like this:

    ParaMonday « Fairegarden 2009

  •   I take a deep breath and try again, spitting out a right-handed flam paradiddle-diddle, then a sound from the drum like wiping out on my bicycle, and my sticks come to rest with a buzz.

    Moe Tucker 2008

  •   She uses fat marching sticks, her hands arthritic, weightless flam paradiddle-diddles tossed off left and right, her accelerando poised and controlled.

    Moe Tucker 2008

  • I take a deep breath and try again, spitting out a right-handed flam paradiddle-diddle, then a sound from the drum like wiping out on my bicycle, and my sticks come to rest with a buzz.

    Moe Tucker 2008

  •   I'm fine with left-handed flam paradiddle-diddles because I'm right-handed, but Mrs. Karash expects me to alternate left and right, and to accelerando, until I'm playing flam paradiddle-diddles fast like syncopated rolls.

    Moe Tucker 2008

  •   Finally, I get the flam paradiddle-diddles going and I begin my accelerando.

    Moe Tucker 2008

Comments

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  • One of the basic patterns (rudiments) of drumming, consisting of four even strokes played in the order ‘left right left left’ or ‘right left right right’.

    So called (I am told) because you can think "pa-ra-did-dle" as you're learning to play one.

    February 14, 2007

  • Interesting c_b!

    September 27, 2007