In these examples, we are taking the 6-stroke roll combinations we played previously as 8th note triplets and using them to play 16th note triplets. As a result the grooves we play them with have to be a lot slower to fit in all the notes.
Exercise 1
Our first pattern is quite straightforward: RLLRRL on beats 1, 2 and 4; RLLRLL on beat 3. Here it is played on the snare at 55 bpm:
Once you’re comfortable with the fill pattern on its own, try combining it together with a bar of simple groove:
Once the accents are mastered on the snare, it can be fun to expand out and start playing accents on the toms. Feel free to experiment until you come up with something you like the sound of.
Here’s an example to get you started:
Once comfortable with the pattern on its own, try combining it with a bar of groove to practise playing it in context:
Exercise 2
In this exercise, we get a little more adventurous with the offbeat accents. The resulting pattern sounds interesting, but might be more challenging to orientate and pull off that the first exercise.
Once comfortable with the pattern on its own, try combining it together with a bar of simple groove:
Now we’ll explore expanding the snare accents out onto the toms. There are many different ways to do this. Experiment until you find something you like the sound of.
Here’s an example to get you started:
Once you’re comfortable with the above pattern on its own, try playing it with a bar of groove:
Exercise 3
In this pattern, the accents are more syncopated and the resulting fill sounds more musical.
There is a one bar count in and the pattern plays at 55bpm:
Once you feel comfortable with the fill on its own, try playing it with some groove.
Here is the above pattern played at 55 bpm with a bar of groove:
Once you’re comfortable with the 6-stroke roll on the snare drum, then you can try phrasing the accents on the toms. Here’s an example to get you started:
If you have a 5-piece kit, try playing the accents on [beat 1], [beat 2] and [the & of 2] on the Mid Tom, leaving all others where they are. This adds another voice and dynamic layer.
Once you have the above pattern on its own, try playing it with a bar of groove:
Exercise 4
This exercise is less syncopated than exercise 3, choosing instead to highlight more of the on-beats. Our first example is played below at 55bpm:
Here is the above pattern played with a bar of groove:
As in our previous examples, once you feel comfortable with the basic pattern, start expanding the accents out onto the toms. Here is an example to get you started:
Once you’re comfortable with the fill on its own, try combining it together with a bar of groove: