speed test

[David Francis]

Yes I'm in the UK. Brian Stone has been writing material for the grades for years - I played some of his pieces when I was at school! I've been taking students through the grade material for about 14 years.

The Guildhall and Trinity Guildhall books are just about the only place I've ever seen the drag paradiddle written this way, and I think they are also the only place I've come across the "drag and stroke."

I'm sure Brian is a good drummer and educator with good intentions but it seems a little odd that Trinity are so stubborn about this, when there seems to be no evidence to support their position. It doesn't make that much difference to an exam candidate as they don't have to perform these to a click in the exam. It does however worry me that students might be misled by incorrectly named and non-standard rudiments, hence my C major analogy above.

My advice is just to grin and bear it, and explain to the students the real version of a drag paradiddle. You can support your own position by making reference to the PAS, Vic Firth education team, Alan Dawson, Charles Wilcoxon, John Pratt, Buddy Rich, every Rudimental text ever written etc etc etc

[percusski]

great stuff David, grin and bear it seems to be the only option as they seem to be adamantly holding firm...like others have said on here, is there any real world value to examples like this? Many of the grading syllabuses I come across are packed full of unmusical and unnecessarily fiddly parts jumbled together, probably due to a lack of imagination of the composer, and sadly too often the people teaching the stuff depend too heavily on the material to supplement their own lack of knowledge or ideas...i'm sure you know what I mean.
Anyway unsurprisingly Brian has replied that there are no videos available...don't know about you guys but If I was challenged on the validity of material I had written there would be a video of it up immediately, oh well.

[percusski]

So the latest update, my student turned up, the examiner was a non drummer, only a tiny portable cd player (apparently virtually inaudible under drums)...anyway he got 75% which is classified as a merit.
Interestingly he was asked to play the infamous drag paradiddle example...I'd imagine the examiner wouldn't have known if it was correct or otherwise....anyway all good in the end!

[electrizer]

Interestingly he was asked to play the infamous drag paradiddle example...

Good for him! Did he pull the paradiddle off?

[percusski]

ha ha yes slowly