Tae teare GUDETORFNEES = | par Eom tee tea ea ge ee Re eget ae Se ree Sm ee Se mmf + Fills fora variety of styles. including rack. ‘ raceme) aad caTABLE OF CONTENTS (Chaptor One: Music Terminology and Note Values 2 4 Caper Ta Hind Pater i i Triplet Acre 1 Pipctice ras with the Fland Tatieme 14 (Chapter Three: Hand and Foot Coordination Studies. eon eee More Grove ot Groove Fills While Paving the Rie Cymbal zi Sec NOTE (One Measare Faghth-Nove Fil = ai Melodic Mascon More Melodic Ie {Using the Bass Drum in Fils nae ULSI) (Chapter Five: Sixteenth Note Drum Fills ae een ai Tiling Mock Scmerar a Com nation Sendy wih Sieenih Notes 3 [Drum Fils Thar Resolve on an Upbeat. (Chapter Six: Triplet Drum Fills ‘Thiplet Reading Exercise One Beat Triplet Drum Fills. Two: Beat Tighe ils See sea Tnotea tee A Ooliae tee ee “Tiplet Fills es Flame. : - The Fam Accent. Swise Tiles, Hand and Foo: Fille Using Sistoonty Note Triplet ‘Thirty-Second Not Sic Stroke Roll as Thirty Second Notes Applying Thirty Secood Notes to Dew ‘Thuny-Setond Note Double Stoke Ral rises Us Double lls Using Odd Note Groupings Groups of Five. is Mixing the Groups of Threes and Fives = = i 2+ Drummer's Guide to Fillsswe 3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pete Sweeney has been a professional musician since 1983, He studied with Dave Calarco and Joe Morello, and attended the Drummers Collective in New York City. Pete has been a faculty member at the National Guitar Workshop since 1993, He has performed with many great musicians such as “Dangerous” Dan Toler, Duke Robillard, Mick Goodrick, Larry Coryell, Nick Brignola, Cary DeNigris, and Frank Gambale, He has performed concerts with Robben Ford, Andy Summers (of the Police), and Laurel Masse (of the Manhattan Transfer). Pete has also performed on two Grammy-nominated CDs with Jay Traynor and the Joey Thomas Big Band, and can. be heard on the soundtrack of the Miramax film The Castle. Pete Sweeney endorses Mapex drums, Aquarian drum heads, Vic Firth drum sticks, and Sabian cymbals. He can be contacted via e-mail at P9565@sol.com, and you can cheek out his website at www-petesweeney.net, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Nat Cunod and Dave Smoloverat the National Guitar Workshop. Thanks to Neil Larrivee at Vie Firth; Bob Boos and Paul Celueei at Sabian; Chris Brady and Roy Burns at Aquarian; and Joe Hibbs and Jeff Ivester at Mapex. Thanks to my parents Patrick and Patricia Sweeney, my brother Paul, and niece Lacee, Special thanks to Tobias Ralph and Ian Carroll for their input. I would like to thank my teachers Dave Calarco and Joe Morello for their insight and inspiration. Thanks also to Burgess Speed, Tim Phelps, Matthew Liston, and Mark Schane-Lyedon at Workshop Arts for their help on this book. Lastly, I would like to thank Victoria Cipoltari for everything! A. compact disc is included with this book. Use the CD to help ensure you'te capeuring the fee! of the examples, interpreting the rhythms correctly, and so on. The symbol shown at the top left appears next t® every example that is on the CD. The number indicates which track corresponds to the example you want to hear. I'there’s a decimal (1.1, 1.2, etc.), it means that there's more than one example on the track, Many of the examples are divided into multiple variations, indicated with a letter (A, By C, etc), Ifthe variation is recorded on the CD, it will be indicated with a small CD symbol (bottom left Dmummer's Guide to FillsINTRODUCTION Hello and weleome to the Drummer’s Guide t» Fill This book is intended to help you play ‘musical fills and solos on the drumset. Whether you area beginner or have been playing music for years, you will ind many fun and challenging musical examples in this book. We will take ‘a step by step approach so that each concept is clearly understood. You will be given lots of variations to work on, and drum fills to suit your needs in any style of musie—whether it's rock, funk, jazz, or Latin, Also included are some valuable exercises that can be used as warm-ups for your hands and feet around the drumset, This book can be used in conjunction with The Versatile Drummer (Alfted/National Guitar Workshop #28240), which focuses primarily on the. time playing, or “groove.” aspect of drumming, Let’s begin by answering a few questions: What isa drum fill? Drum fillsare one of the most misunderstood aspects of drumset playing. A drum fil, in the most basic sense, is a part of a song where the drummer plays a variation of the groove that leads the music into another seetion of the song, In popular-music, the sections ofa song are usually divided up like this: Verse: "The main melodic section of a song. This is the part of the song that usually tells a story. It can also be ealled a stanza, Bridge: transitional section. Many times, the bridge will serve as transition from the verse to the chorus. (Choras: The section that summarizes the main idea ofthe song, often with a catchy melody that makes you want to sing along, The chorus is often referred to as the refrain. Many times, the title of the song is contained in the lyrics ofthis section. ‘The drummer may play a figure or musical phrase that leads the band into these seetions in ‘a way that is musically complementary. This is what is commonly called a drum fill. In pop ‘and rock music, these drum fills are usually short in duration, They are intended to give the music a lift into the next section. Another kind of drum fillis when the drummer sets up a musical phrase, These are sometimes referred to as hits or shots. These hits are part of a musical arrangement where everyone in the band is landing on the same note. The drummer can lead the other musicians into this hit by playing a well-timed drum fill in the appropriate space. Check any big band recording to hear examples of this type of playing. 4+ Drummer's Guide to FilsWhat's the difference between a fill and a solo? Generally speaking, a drum fill is shorter in duration than a drum sole A fillis armusieal phrase that offen connects ane section of a song to another, whereas a solo may be a whole section of a song where the drummer is featured, Fills and solos are very similar in the sense that they y share the same thythmie vocabulary; the basic components are very much the same. How do I develop better fills on the drumset? ‘This is a question I get asked a lot as a private instructor. The short answer is to immerse yourself in the language of music and really study your instrument. By studying music, you will become more familiar with chord movement and song structure, If you were to play piano, guitar, or bass, you would have to know all of the basic elements of music applied to the songs you are playing. Asa drummer, you must also be aware of these aspects so that your playing compliments the music at the appropriate times, Knowing the basic sang structure helps you do this. Knowing the basics of music can also help you communicate with other musicians and make better musical decisions. You must also study your instrument, Get to know the history of the great drummers wha have contribuied to the evolution of music. Listen to their recordings and learn some of their musical voeabulary. There are great drummers and classie recordings in every style of music. In order to play good:sounding drum fill, spend some time learning fills by drummers you admire, This will help you build a vocabulary you ean use for your own fils. Another way to play better fills is to understand and practice different musieal concepts that will help you become a better improviser. Concepts such as theme, variation, repetition, melodic lines, stickings, odd phrasings, etc. will help create a foundation for you to create your own unique-sounding fills. The key here is to understand the process, rather than just merely copying licks. Playing drum fillsis one of the most enjoyable aspects of playing the drumset! However, there are some pitfalls to be aware of. Often, inexperienced drummers will play a great groove, only to lose the beat while playing a fill. They may speed up or slow down during a fill or may come out too early or too late. This results in a less-than-desirable outcome! With consistent practice and dedication, you can play amazing drum fills, Drummer’s Guide to Fills © 5CHAPTER ONE MUSIC TERMINOLOGY AND NOTE VALUES Inthis chapter, well take a look al the most frequently used symbols for notating musie. You ea read through this now, or refer to it later if you come across notation you do not understand. THE STAFF ‘Music is written on a staffof five lines and four spaces. The symbol at the beginning of the staff in the left-hand comer is called a percussion elf Each line and space represents a different instrament on the drumset. _Patwwssion set a DRUMSET NOTATION KEY ‘The notation key below shows how the different instruments of the drumset are represented ‘on the pereussion stall. You will want to refer to this key if you have any questions regarding notation in this book Wiblat Hii Hicllat Htian Ride Ride Combell Stepped Sum Cree Tom Tom Floor Crash open) (closed (half oper? Cymbal C)mtal Heist Br Sikk Tom Tom Tom Cymbat ll) MEASURES ‘Beats are the most basic unit of musical time. They are grouped into measeres of equal length, that is, each measure contains the same number of beats, Measures are marked with vertical ‘arlines Short sections end with a double berline. 3 7 Barling Doble ba 6+ Drummer’s Guide to Fills‘THE REPEAT SIGN A repeat means to go back to the beginning and play again. TIME SIGNATURE Atthe beginning of every musical piece isa time signature. The top number tells you how many beats are in'a measure. The botiom number tells you what kind of note gets one beat. A= Four beats ina measure A=he quarter note gets one beat we beats in measure ‘The eighth note gets one beat DIFFERENT STYLES OF DRUM NOTATION There are many different styles of drum notation. The style used most often in this baok shows the stems ofall the notes going up. In most cases, this is the elearest representation of the rhythms. However, that same phrrase can be written with the stems for the hands going up asd the stems for the feet going down, like this: This shows a clear separation of parts and can be very useful as well. as rate y Drummer's Guide to Fills * 7TEMPO MARKINGS This equation gives the speed or tempo of the exercise. For example, the marking J = 120 indicates that the quarier notes should be played at 120 beats per-minute (bpral. ACCENT MARK An accen! mark = above a note means to emphasize (make londer) that particular note. ADDITIONAL REPEAT SIGNS ‘This repeat sign means to repeat the previous measure: | This one means to repeat the previous two measures: 2 ———— DYNAMIC MARKINGS A dynamic marking next (o 8 note indicates at what volume the phrase should be played. Here isa list of some of the most commonly used makings. Pianissimo (??) Piano (P) levee Piano (2) Mezzo Forte (iP) Forte (J Lond Fortissimo ({F) Very loud 8+ Drammer’s Guide to FilsNOTE VALUES: DUPLE Here are some of the basic note valuesand tetr corresponding rests The rests a silent mote that is counted but not played. The following note values are all evenly divided, or dyple, chythens A hole note lasts for four beats, and it takes up a whole measure in { time. Whole Nox Counts} 2 : 4 1 2 3 4 ait Counts Eighth noteslast for half a beat. If you divide a quarter note in half, you get eighth notes. They are eounted “1-8-9-8-3-8-4-8." Eighth Res There are four evenly:spaced sixteenth novey in the duration of one beat. They are counted e-a-2-e-te-a-3-c-be-ad-o- Sintoenth Note Sintccnth Rest Coun eka beSadekadeks lekulekadedstek Thirty second nates are wsice ag fast. as sixteenth notes, There are e duration of one beat, They are not typically counted individually best to keep the sixtconth-nove eoant going ( Ju thirty second notes inthe due to their short duration, I's play two notes per count a otc) Tiny. Sevond Re‘TRIPLET NOTE VALUES Eighal-note triplets consist of three evenly spaced notes inthe time of one beat, They can be counted’ “1-&-a-! j-&-a-1-&-a.” Fhth-Nove Triplet, ightheNote Triplet Rest —p Ee eer Goun:l &a 2&2 I &atha kateaskas&s Sixteenth-note triplets are six evenly spaced notes in the time ef one beat. They are twice as fast as eighth note triplets. ‘Sixteenth-Note Triplet Counts & 2 & e 4 & NOTE VALUE TABLE ‘This table shows you the relationship between the basic note values. Whole Note Half Notes Quarter Notes Fighth Notes Eighih-Note Triplets Sixteenth-Note Triplets yy Second Notes 10 + Drummer's Goide to FillsTIED NOTES ‘A dieis used to connect two notes. Play the first note and Let it Jest for the duration of the two notes combined, Written DOTTED NOTES A dot afier 4 note means (o increase the note’s value by one hulf. For instance, a dotted quarter note is worth one and a half beats. A dotted eighth note is wortls an eighth note plus one sixteenth, Waiter: Same as LONG AND SHORT NOTES 1 (Often, you will see notation indicating notonly the rhythm ofa musical passage, but the length or duration aswell, Here’s a figure written one way Here's the same shythm written with the second note having « longer duration, 1¢ because the sound of the drums tral off quickly jor longer durations. The function of notation is to make the music as easy to read and understand as possible, this book, either variation may be used for any particular example, depending on which one represents the musical ideas moze clearly ‘ons will sound the after they are struck, unlike melodie instruments that can hold note: Drummer's Guide to Fills « ULCHAPTER TWO HAND PATTERNS In this chapter, we'll take a look at some of the most important hand patterns, or stickings, that are used on the drumset, By studying these stickings, you. will greatly increase your ability to play more advanced ideas in your drum fills and solos. Lets start with some basic ral patterns: the single-stroke voll and the double-stroke roll. Uf you are left-handed, please reverse all of the stickings and start with the left hand. Single-Stroke Roll Double‘Stroke Roll ‘The paradiddle is a combination of both the single- and double stroke rolls. Make sure you memorize the sticking pattern. Paradiddle ‘This exercise combines all three hand patterns. Observe the stickings and listen for evenness of the hands, Combination Exercise 12 - Drummer’s Guide to FillsSIXTEENTH-NOTE HAND PATTERNS ‘The following exercises are essential hand pattems using sixteenth notes. Practice these slowly at first and strive for evenness of the hands. After you have the basic stickings memorized, increase the tempo. You should practice these exercises with a melzenome or drum mackine (clectronie devices that provide a steady beat at a tempo of your choice); this will help you with accurate spacing of your notes. Single Stroke Double Stroke @ w) RRLLRRLLERRLLRRLE RLLRRLLRRLLRRLLR 0 = SS SS SS. LERRLLRREELRRLLRR LRERLLERRELRRELREL SEEEEatiliaeeeentiitamntiiemmnen @ RLRRLRLLRLRRLRLL RLLRELRRERLLRLE Drummers Guide to Fills * 13MIXED STICKINGS WITH SIXTEENTH NOTES The next series of exercises will i These are great for gaining control with the sticks and will give you lots of options for playing ram fills and solos. reduce you to. combinations of single and double strokes, RLRRERRLERERRERRL Rk LRLLRERLLRELRL 1+ Deunmer’s Guide to FillsTRIPLET HAND PATTERNS Here are some examples that use triplets. Practice these exercises slowly at frst and concentrate ‘on memorizing the sticking. Also, listen for evenness of the hands Single Stroke Double Paradiddle A double paradiddleis a paradiedle with @ repeated (or doubled) single-stroke element. RLRLRRLRL Drammer's Guiele to Fills + 15ACCENTS One of the most important ways to increase yaur musicality on the drumset is to use accented notes. This simply means that you passage louder, with emphasis, Let’s start with a single-stroke roll using sixteenth notes, and we'll accent the very first note of each group of four. 1=90 RLERLRERERERLERERE Now, play the bass drum on all four beats and play the same hand pattern on the snare drum. ‘The bass drum should lock right in with the accents being played on the right hand, RLRLRERERERLERERE Since there are four potential places where a single sixteenth note can be accented in one beat (I-e-&=ah), you will need to- practice and become very familiar with each spot. The following series of exercises will help you to do that. Notice that the bass drum does not line up with the accents (except in Example D). Your right hand will be playing on the first and third sixteenths of each beat, and your left plays the second and fours. Take your time and practice this accurately. RLRERLRULERELRERLREL RLRELRLRERLRLERERL 16+ Drumamer’s Guide to Fills‘The next step will be to aecent groups of two successive sixteenth notes. The bass drum playing quarter notes will act as 2 consistent timing guide. RLEELRL RLRELRERLRLRL RLRERERERERLRL TRIPLET ACCENTS Here are some examples to work on that use the triplet note value. Use a single-stroke roll sticking throughout, Continue to play the bass drum on all four quarter notes. Drummer’s Guide to Fills 17PRACTICE IDEAS WITH THE HAND PATTERNS ‘The purpose of the hand patterns is to get you prepared fur playing sone ihenioré cdanplex. movements around the drumset. Using different stickings opens up pusibiliier options as you are playing fils. For instance, start with this sticking pattern: ‘and new ‘Then, play it between two drums, and it will sound like this This process of drumset orchestration can be dane with a chapter, Use your imagination set. Here's another hand pi of the sticking found in thie d experiment with orchestrating a bisic pattern around the .em with some drumset orchestration. 18+ Drunmer's Guide to FillsDU is eae a 310 kite rf ee Ls = A Dee eT ea aR Tay can be used to add excitement to different sections of a song or as the building blocks ee aC en Se RC) when and where to play them. This book PO e ERC aS eC nL CSCC Sse cgi approaches to resolving fills and returning PO Ucn CUR cL Sen eR RCC coer eee Cae eee Cn eng allows you to embellish on basic ideas. This Pee eC ha RCC ay and help you move beyond simple groove playing. A CD demonstrating the musical SORE on 1 Book & CD US $19.95 . ISBN-13: 0 MLL a 32904! g