MOVING AROUND THE DRUMS

The first variation we can use will be to change drums on each 1/4 note pulse while doing a paradiddle (although this does present a more difficult cross sticking problem)

What I mean, when playing 1/8th note pattern we will move drums on count of 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 .So we will do 1+ on snare, 2+ on tom, 3+ on tom and 4+ on floor tom for example. EX 4

We will do 1e+a on snare, 2e+a on tom, 3e+a on tom, 4e+a on flr tom for example. EX 5

MORE COMPLEX IDEAS AROUND THE DRUMS

Within the 1/8th note format we can still do a few more combos.
What we are doing here is following the feel of the rudiment, hence the paradiddle is split up as per its unique sticking pattern. EX 6

These exercises are just a small taste of what you can do in this relatively simple feel of 1/8th note. By keeping the combos strong and accurate you can make these fills sound better than their simplicity allows. Once you have gained a good level of fluidity with these of course you should experiment with other sound on your kit and see what sounds and rhythms you can come up with.

Make sure you do follow the bar and the count to its exact start and finish to keep these and other drum fills you do in proper time.

Now we look at some 1/16th patterns EX 7.

Now lets look at the paradiddle, this is the best of them all as the sticking pattern makes for some great sounding tom and cymbal combinations EX 8.

What we do here is firstly just use the simplicity of the paradiddle to give us a basis for a tom pattern. We hit either a floor or a high tom on the 1 2 3 4 of the bar depending on where that tom is in the count. This fill give us a very strong 1 2 3 4 pulse in the fill which will line up nicely with a straight style rock beat.

Then we hit a different tom on the “e” of each count which will give us a different pulse but still very regular within the bar.

Now we target the first double of our paradiddle which happens to be the “+a” of the bar and also move this hit depending upon which drum of choice is closest to that particular hand hitting that part of the paradiddle.

Now we pick the two single strokes of staring each paradiddle and play these on different toms to give a new sound each hit but a regular pattern from start to finish.

These six exercises here are only scratching the surface of what can be done with this way of thinking.

There are more of these on the supplemental pages, try them.

USING YOUR NEW FILLS IN BEATS

What you need to do now is to practise using your new drum fill ideas with some grooves and beats as that is why you learned them. It is of no use you being able to play some great grooves and some great drum fills if you don’t  put them together to make up a pleasing sounding passage. It is after the cornerstone of most drum playing.

What you also need to be able to do is to put drum fills in the right spot or know the spot you are aiming for and know you can hit it. Also that you can complete it and go back to the original groove or another as the case sometimes is.

This means we need to practice this technique almost a much as doing the fills or the grooves in the first place.