The" Diddle" Exercise

Well, I was just sitting here thinking about what drumming exercise to post. I couldn't think of a more appropriate exercise than the "Diddle" exercise. So, with that said........I would like to say that this exercise is one the the core drumming exercises a percussionist can learn. There are many variations of this old drumming exercise, but the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) method works!

First off, what is a "Diddle?"

It is nothing more than 2 consecutive notes played rapidly one after the other on the same hand.


Simple exercise. Use alternating R then L sticking pattern. DO NOT accent the diddles! Alot of drummers have the tendency to accent the diddles. This is incorrect for exercise purposes! Try to play the "diddles" at the same volume at the same level as the other notes. If you wanna have some fun at accenting this: Try accenting the diddles in this exercise as an ADDITIONAL excercise to your daily routine. Exaggerating the diddles.


Give this a shot. Start out slowly - then build up speed! ALWAYS practice with a metronome......

If you get bored with this drumming exercise, or just wanna add some flare to this, try adding some "spida" movements or tosses to the check pattern.

HAVE FUN MAN!