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DRUM FILL IDEAS

Hey guys, Dan from DK DRUMS here. Here is the first of 10 short drum fill ideas. This first fill incorporates
double kick. It’s one of the first double kick fills I learnt. I loved it as it sounds intense once you get it up to
speed. I’m playing straight 16th notes and the pattern I’m playing in this particular fill is: 4 HANDS 2 FEET: 4
HANDS 2 FEET : 2 HANDS 2 FEET.

So there’s a total of 16 hits. I see it as groupings of 6,6 and 4. This is one of the better double kick grouping fills
to learn as there are only 2 kicks in a row at any given time meaning your left and right foot only play single
strokes throughout the fill. Once you master this fill you can play around with different groupings and try adding

4 feet to the fill too!!

This is a cool fill I have been playing around with. The idea behind it is you play straight 16th notes but group
them into 3’s. So RLK RLK RLK RLK R The last right can be a flame or a left and it ends on the 4 of the bar if
you start the fill on 1. In this video I start the fill on 1 and end on 4.

I simply play this sticking between the Hi Hat and the Floor Tom and alternate my hands each rotation through
the RLK lick. The trick is to make sure you play is straight, as the lick is in groups of 3 it is easy to fall into the
trap of swinging this fill. Keep it straight and count 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4 if needed.

Transcription below :

Av.Miguel Brandão dos Reis, nº655, Jorge Ignácio – José Bonifácio-SP

Tel. (17) 3265 1591
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This is a fill I have been playing around with a lot of late. Simple paradiddle sticking. RLRR LRLL I put a kick on
the first R and the last R. Sounds awesome when fast. Left hand does not leave the snare in this example. The
RIGHT hand does all of the moving around the kit. Start slow and speed up. Very cool fill when played fast a
clean!

Also try to accent (rim shot) the L snare on 2 and 4.

ENJOY!!

This is an introduction lick to playing odd grouping linear fills. Rock drummers generally use groupings of
2,4,6,8 in their fills but here we are using groups of 3,5 and 10 predominantly. The lick that is have put together
is not hard in itself. In the video i am playing the 2 bar version of the lick.
The lick is split between hands and feet, i have kept the RIGHT foot to just playing single notes which means
for most of us we can play it faster as the double kick on the one foot tends to slow us down. The 10 hit lick and
2 bar version of the 10 hit lick can be found here below.
Play the lick as straight 16th notes. When played over 2 bars there is a total of 32 16th note hits. So play this
lick as a 10/10/10/2 grouping. So the lick 3 full times then 2 16th notes added at the end of the fill to round it off
to 16th note strikes. The hard part is starting the next 10 lick straight after you finish the first 10 lick without
missing a 16th not beat. The grouping sound odd but very cool. You MUST check the transcription below for
this to make sense!

Av.Miguel Brandão dos Reis, nº655, Jorge Ignácio – José Bonifácio-SP

Tel. (17) 3265 1591
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*PLAY AS STRAIGHT 16th NOTES

*1 BAR VERSION (variations can be longer or shorter)

*FILL STARTS ON THE 1

This fill sounds very different to most fills I play. The groupings are odd. Much like the 2 bar linear fill we looked
at in my previous video (FILL IDEAS : 4 OF 10).

I see this fill as a group of 7 16th notes (3 hands, one foot, 2 hands, one foot). This lick then repeats totalling 14
16th note hits. The i add 2 more 16th note hits to fill out the bar. I start this fill on the 1 of the bar and it takes
one whole bar (If you play the notes as 16th notes). You can of course get creative and start this fill in different
spots of the bar.

Av.Miguel Brandão dos Reis, nº655, Jorge Ignácio – José Bonifácio-SP

Tel. (17) 3265 1591
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Start with this lick, there are only single kicks in there so it isn’t too demanding on your feet. I am playing this
lick at 180bpm in the clip. See how you go. I hope you enjoy this fill idea as much as I do. My students have
been loving playing around with these odd groupings!

Transcription below!

This is a simple lick RLKK. The KK are both RIGHT foot hits. In the clip I am playing RLKK as 16th notes. The
lick can be used as a lick in a groove or as a part of a fill. I also enjoy using this great lick as a lead into a fill.
For example placing it on the 4, so you are playing RLKK on 4e+a.

It’s also a great exercise to work on your doubles on your right foot. The faster the tempo, the faster the lick.
You are only playing singles strokes with your hands so the part that will slow you down is your right foot. A
great exercise to play around with. Sounds awesome when it is tight and rather quick. This clip is recorded at
180bpm and it sounds pretty quick. Give it a shot with a metronome!!! ENJOY!

Here we have the simple sticking of RLK played as triplets. This is the triplet version of ‘FILL IDEA 2 OF 10′
which also had the RLK sticking but was played as straight 16th notes. This triplet version will most likely be
easier to play as the 3 grouping feels more natural played as a triplet. Like 2 OF 10 I am using this RLK sticking
and moving my hands between the Hi Hat and Floor tom. This makes it a little more tricky. It creates it’s own
sounding odd pattern and visually looks cool. Start with your RIGHT hand on the floor and LEFT hand on the Hi
Hat, then the next rotation though the lick swap so your RIGHT hand is then on the Hi Hat and LEFT hand is on
the floor.

The easiest way to learn this is to check out the transcription which is here :

Av.Miguel Brandão dos Reis, nº655, Jorge Ignácio – José Bonifácio-SP

Tel. (17) 3265 1591
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Here is a grouping of 16th notes which I use often in many different variations around the kit. Think of this
grouping as 3 groups of 5 hits. In the video I play a kick on the last hit of each group. The final group of 5 (4e+a
1) ends on the 1 of the next bar, so placing a kick on that 5th hit works well leading back into the next
bar. Easiest way to learn this fill is to check out the transcription here :

Here is a great fill by the man himself Travis Barker. This fill is taken from the Blink 182 song ‘Down’ which is
from their Self Titled album 2004. This fill happens at the end of the first chorus leading back into the intro
groove. The fill always stood out to me a tasteful fill which was well crafted for the song. The lesson i learnt from
this particular fill was Travis did not place a kick on the catch of the cymbal. I usually place a kick on my cymbal
catches. He places a kick a 16th note before the catch and then another 16th not kick immediately after the

catch. That’s the lesson

Av.Miguel Brandão dos Reis, nº655, Jorge Ignácio – José Bonifácio-SP

Tel. (17) 3265 1591
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I’m hitting the crash cymbal on the catch with my RIGHT hand and catching it with my LEFT. You can catch the
cymbal with your RIGHT but i think it’s a lot cleaner when done with your LEFT. The 16th note kick by itself
before the cymbal catach gives you time to get your LEFT hand up to the crash easily and then the 16th note
kick after the catch gives you time to get you hands back to the drums from the catch. That’s another lessons
right there. Travis is king!!

This is a cool idea I took from Dennis Chambers years ago. It’s played as triplets and the whole idea behind it is
that your wands are moving around the kit in different directions crossing when they meet. My RIGHT hand
goes over the top of my LEFT. Playing triplets fits this pattern well as there are 6 hits in the lick to complete it.
My RIGHT hand is moving anti-clockwise and my left moving Clockwise.

My LEFT hand starts on the mounted tom and my RIGHT hand starts on the snare. Easiest way to understand

this lick is to check the transcription here :

Av.Miguel Brandão dos Reis, nº655, Jorge Ignácio – José Bonifácio-SP

Tel. (17) 3265 1591