In this fill construction lesson you will be learning patterns using flat flams following an eighth note triplet rhythm. The hands will be split between the hi hat and toms with the first stroke of the triplet played on the hands and the remaining triplets placed on the bass drum. The two voices have very different tonal qualities and when combined create a nice full sound. It is important the flat flams are played exactly in time, there are lessons at the bottom of the page that will help with this.
The fill construction examples given below should be used as a starting point to create your own versions of the part. The simple hand movements make it quite easy to create melodic fills, and if you combine this with rhythms given in other lessons gives you a whole bunch of options. As I always say, start out slow and make sure the placement of all strokes is accurate then speed up when you are comfortable with the movement. As the speed gets higher, the stamina drain on the right foot increases. Keep your leg relaxed from the hip down to make the movement easier.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
Example 7
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.
