In this Tom and Hi Hat Fill construction lesson you will be learning patterns played as eighth note triplets with flat flams on the third stroke of each block. The first two strokes are played as kicks, creating a slightly challenging movement on the feet due to the speed. The two voices on the hands have very different tonal qualities and when combined have a nice full sound that is a little different from the standard rolls more commonly used. It is important that the flat flams are played exactly in time, there are lessons at the bottom of the page that will help with this.
All of these Tom and Hi Hat Fills are played in 'open position', meaning that the hands don't cross over while moving around. As always, keep an eye on your technique to get the fullest sound out of the toms. I have shown half bar and full bar versions but it will work at any length, experiment with different versions combined with different styles of groove.
Tom And Hi Hat Fill Example 1
A half bar version using just the floor tom.
Eighth Note Triplet Fill Example 2
Moving between the high and floor tom over half a bar.
Example 3
Reversing the order of the previous example.
Fill Example 4
Moving from the floor tom to the mid tom.
Example 5
Then from mid tom to high tom.
Tom And Hi Hat Fill Example 6
Switching to full bar patterns, moving clockwise around three toms.
Example 7
A staggered movement starting on the high tom.
Eighth Note Triplet Fill Example 8
A staggered version starting on the floor tom.
TASK:
- Learn all examples up to a tempo of at least 130bpm.
- Apply different orchestrations to create your own parts.
- Extend the fill to being a full bar pattern.
- Add groove into the part and create some longer phrases.
