disConnect is a pattern for fitting 6-note combinations in order to draw attention to the nuances of finishing out the rudiment and starting it again. Paradiddle-diddles and double paradiddles especially need to be finished strong, but very often the quality and clarity of the final doublestroke are sacrificed for a focus on accents and the beginning of the next repetition of the rudiment. There are many possibilities for what you can fit into this one, but written variations included here are: Doubles, Double Paradiddles, Shirley Murphies, Flam 3–2–1, Flam Paradiddle-diddle, Paradiddle-diddle, Singles, Slurred Six-Stroke Roll, Slurred Ruff, and Swiss Army Triplet.
Meticuloso
Meticuloso is a high school drumline audition étude, written to test the application of fundamentals in a musical context. While the vocabulary will provide the listener with an excellent cross-section of the student’s capabilities, the breadth of the noted tempo range allows students to interpret the piece however they will best shine. There should be no pressure to strive for speed: only an emphasis on maintaining commitment to the chosen tempo. Everyone—from your hot shot snares who want to prove they’re the best to your rookies just trying their best to honor the spaces—has their work cut out for them on this one. You gotta be meticulous… or… Meticuloso!
Waltz
Sloppy Jessee
Sloppy Jessee was written for the 2015 Weber State Indoor Percussion snare line, initially to work on two-accent paradiddles. The rudiment does not appear in music especially often, but this will still be a beneficial exercise to work on for the control over doublestroke quality and accent-tap contrast it can facilitate. The challenge added by the second accent is that each hand must upstroke quickly after playing a low doublestroke. This challenge is like what appears in paradiddle-diddles; however, paradiddle-diddles have a longer space between the doublestroke and the following accent.
So a figure that looks fairly trivial on paper ends up looking (and sounding) sloppy in practice, because the demand for an open and legato second accent interferes with the demand for a low and well-timed doublestroke. Having the control to realize a quality doublestroke, an aggressive upstroke, and then a relaxed and legato accent (without doing unnecessary work or adding unnecessary tension to your grip) will pay off across a range of rudimental contexts.
Painkillers
Ready to reef some fast beats? Painkillers presents three variations for pushing your speed and relaxation at the same time, with fours, paradiddles, and singlestroke rolls. The demand eases up as the exercise goes on, but you should not take that as an excuse to lose quality or precision. The pattern is inspired by the drumming of Scott Travis on the ripping opener of Judas Priest's 1990 Painkiller album.
