Kicks In Fills
One of the most fun and technically challenging things to practice on the drums is independence. That’s when we play rhythms with our hands and feet separated, meaning they don’t play together. There are limitless possibilities to be creative in this way, especially with fills. You can create some seriously monster sounding fills when you’ve got the skills to get your Bass Drum involved. The problem is that it takes focus and work on your coordination to develop these skills.
This lesson is your introduction to independence. I’ll show you some basic figures for the Snare Drum and Bass Drum that are strictly 1/8th notes. We’ll talk about the co-ordination involved and I’ll explain how to practice them correctly, so that you can play them smoothly. The exercises make fantastic drills that you can play to enhance your independence skills in a technical way However, don’t stop there. In the 2nd half of the lesson we’ll play the first two exercises I show you as a drum fill. This is a great way to take a technical drill and practice it in a musical way so that it becomes a part of your drumming. After you’ve tried the first two with me, download the PDF and master them all! This will give you some of the basic freedom with your Bass Drum that you’ve been looking for.
Download the PDF: Independence #1
There are 10 exercises for you learn and master. Try each one as a daily warm-up for 5 mins, then practice them as fills. Use a variety of groove patterns for this exercise.
PDF #1: When the Bass Drum is played on the off-beat ("and"), the following note must be played with the right hand.
PDF #2: When the Bass Drum is played on the beat (1, 2 3 or 4), the following note must be played with the left hand.
The recommended tempo range is 60 and 130
Tempo: 60 bpm
Subdivision
Basic 1/16th Notes #1
If everything you've learned has been an 1/8th note rhythm, then maybe now is the time to explore another common rhythm. Let's learn about 1/16th notes. This is rhythm is 4 notes per beat.
1/8th Note Accents #1
Want to increase your technique? Let's focus on your stick control and develop your skills with your hands. This lesson is all about playing 1/8th notes with accents.
6/8 Grooves #1
Most music is in 4/4 time. If you want to explore music in other time signatures, 6/8 is where you should start. Let's learn some basic groove patterns in 6/8 time.