Triple Paradiddle
R L R L R L R R L R L R L R L L
Practice tempo
What it teaches
Extends the alternating run to six strokes before the diddle — the specific skill is keeping a full six-note alternating run dynamically flat with none of the notes creeping louder or faster, since the ear catches an uneven 'single stroke roll' section inside a paradiddle far more easily than the double paradiddle's shorter four-note run.
The common mistake
The middle strokes of the six-note run (notes three and four) tend to self-accent as the hands settle into a rhythm, breaking the flat dynamic the alternating section needs before the diddle; the correction is practicing the six alternating strokes alone, without the diddle, until they're dynamically flat, then reattaching the diddle.
Tempo progression
Start at 56 BPM with the six-note alternating run played dead flat in volume before the diddle. Add 6-8 BPM once ten reps in a row show no accidental accents mid-pattern; most players keep it clean through 110-130 BPM, since this six-note run is the longest sustained flat stretch in the whole paradiddle family.
Where it shows up
Used where a sticking pattern needs to travel further across the kit or drumline before resolving — a longer, rarer cousin of the double paradiddle favored in advanced rudimental solos and some hybrid drum corps phrases.