In this lesson you will be increasing your familiarity with the Time Signature Of 9/8 by learning some sixteenth note fills. The construction methods used for these fills will all be concepts you are hopefully familiar with from other fill lessons, they are just being applied to the new time signature here. Several ideas have been listed below a long with a quick note on how each has been constructed. There are many more options for this style of fill so try and get creative and come up with both variations on given fills and your own ideas. Some of these construction concepts will be similar to our similar lessons on Fills In 5/8 and Fills In 7/8.
Within the examples below I have used both compound and simple time. The groupings of the notes within the bar should make it clear which is being followed.
Example 1
As discussed in the eighth note version of this lesson, straight rolls on the snare can make great fills.
Example 2
Adding accents to the a straight snare part within this time signature can make some awesome 'jagged' rhythms. Here those accents are on some odd groupings within a simple time bar.
Example 3
Then a version within a compound time bar.
Example 4
A straight roll around the kit that uses the Moving In Twos single stroke roll orchestration.
Example 5
Another roll idea using a slightly more complicated movement movement. The intention is to use single strokes through the whole bar.
Example 6
One more roll idea this time based on the Triangle Pattern.
Example 7
This fill idea is quite similar to the accent idea. However, you are playing the accented notes on a snare and cymbal and filling in the other notes with a kick. When using 16th notes this style of fill can get quite complicated so don't be afraid to slow it down. The bar is split into three sets of six notes in this fill.
Example 8
Another crash accent idea, a slightly easier version this time.
Example 9
This fill combines rolls over drums with cymbals.
Example 10
Finally a second fill using rolls and cymbals.
TASK
- Using the 2 minute rule, get all exercises upto a tempo of at least 120bpm.
- Play a four bar phrase in 7/8 where the fourth contains a fill. Repeat this phrase over.
- Create your own 7/8 fills, write down any that you really like.