Free Drum Lessons
Bring the Herta to Your Drum Fills
The herta patterns is a fun-to-play, versatile pattern that can be applied to create head-turning drum fills and beats.
Improvisation Workshop: Drum Fills
Do you have trouble making up drum fills on the fly? If so, you're not alone. A lot of drummers express difficulties and even anxiety when asked to do so. This lesson provides a template for practicing and developing your improvisational skills.
Funkin' Five Stroke Roll Variations
The placement of the five stroke rolls creates a displaced, funky back-beat on the “ah” of beat 3. We can add a little flare to the technique by re-orchestrating the right stick to different surfaces during the five stroke rolls.
Orchestrating a Syncopated Rhythm
Learn six drum fills based on the same rhythmic pattern. The re-orchestration technique allows you to create many drum fills with different flavors.
Don't Be Afraid. They're Only Skeleton Fills.
Skeleton fills sound great and bring a different "touch," but they're also a great exercise to encourage creativity. By limiting yourself to only the "bones," you're forced to come up with creative ideas to express yourself. You might find yourself becoming more dynamic, exploratory and aware of the intricacies of the kit. You can later translate that to the full drum set.
Bag o' Short Fills
This lesson focuses on a few short fill ideas. Short fills generally take up a half measure or less, hence the name.
Short Triplet Fills You Can Play Today!
Learn a handful of easy-to-grasp triplet fills that sound great. In this lesson, we explore re-orchestrating these patterns around the kit.
Extending the Drum Fill Ideas
Learn a simple technique to add some flare and pop to the end of your drum fills. This lesson explores 8 examples to help you get started with the technique.
Triplet Short Fills
Because triplets are phrased in threes (as the name "triplet" implies), playing them in groups of two creates a syncopated feel. In the examples below, the toms change every two strokes (i.e. groups of two) within the triplets.
Twelve Fun Drum Fills to Play Today
Each set of four drum fills below share the same rhythms but re-orchestrate those rhythms around the toms and crashes.
Crashing The '& Ah'
In this lesson, the "& ah" is accented with two crashes (and bass strokes). The technique can be used at the end of a drum beat, as shown in example 1. Or, it can be added to the end of a drum fill like in examples 2 through 4.
Sixteenth-Note Triplet Fills and Exercises
These exercises serve as a great workout for improving coordination, dexterity, and timing around the kit. They also make unique-sounding, punchy drum fills to use within your own playing.
