Not so good at fills on the toms...

[MotorcycleBlackMadonna]

My toms might as well have dust of them,lol. I use them very sparingly but sometimes I would really like to just play a cool full measure fill on them (not just 1e+a,2e+a,3e+a,4e+a from snare to floor tom.) But when I try to do something interesting, my sticks bump into each other, bang into the hardware rims or I don't know which tom to hit in what pattern so it'll would sound good. Plus I don't like the way my toms sound. I'd like some tips to help with my tom-tom playing or help correct those stick accidents. Thanks.

[dairyairman]

well, obviously it takes practice. i try to focus on the center of the drums when hitting them so i don't hit the rims. i'd say try 16th note patterns around the toms at a slow tempo, then work on speeding up. like everything with drums, it's pretty easy when you play slow, but as you speed up it gets harder. it just takes time, but eventually it won't be so bad. just remember to really focus on the center of the drums.

[frank0072]

Like everything, start slowly and only get faster when you are fully capable of executing the fills you want at slower speeds. Set your metronome to 70 or something and then start to experiment. Just relax, with time and practice everything will be okay ;-).

[zzdrummer]

Same Problem. What I'm doing to work through it play 3 measures of beat or time or whatever, then sometime in the 4th cut out and play a fill. Plan your fill out though so you don't bumb your sticks into each other., you wind up playing something off ect. Write out what you play best so you can memorize them, use them, build off of them. Really think about the fill your going to do. Playing with a metronome at varying tempos will help as well.

[zambizzi]

Take heart, you don't need to! You could play in a band and satisfy everyone else in the band fully, having never touched your toms. So, in a musical sense, worry more about your groove, time, and feel.

Otherwise, it's just technique and practice. Part of my warm-up hour consists of starting slowly, moving around the kit with the click going in my ears. I hit every "voice", slowly at first. As I get comfortable and I'm sure I'm relaxed, I add accents, 32nd. notes, leave space here-and-there....before you know it, you have yourself a solo. ;)

Create patterns by simply experimenting. When you nail one that you like, practice playing it *with* a groove until it's comfortable. Stay relaxed, always.

[Monica McCoy]

One of the things that really helped me was doing my snare drum reading exercises. They're essentially that 16th note fill you described with parts missing.

For example, take out all the e's and play 1 &uh 2&uh 3 &uh 4 &uh. Or play 1e& 2e& 3 & 4. There's tons of em. You just count out loud and play on the practice pad.

Soon enough you'll start seeing the sheet music while you are playing and doing whatever fills you feel like.

[Wavelength]

Here's an exercise I devised for warming up my hands and to help getting around the kit more fluently: Play an accented triplet pattern on the snare drum: RLRLRL. Play the accents all over the kit. Then move the pattern to another part of the kit, and again, play the accents all over the kit. Then move the pattern to another part of the kit etc... Make sure you work on all possible movements and combinations.

[Spreggy]

I like improving my fills vocabulary by picking a rudiment to become friends with and playing it all over the kit. On the toms, on the ride and snare, anywhere, throw in a foot, just work that rudiment to death. Vary the tempos, use the metronome for sure so it grooves.

Then when you're playing a song, you'll naturally reach right out and say something on the toms, based loosely on your new-found rudiment vocab.

Rod Morgenstein's great warm-up book (http://www.amazon.com/Drum-Set-Warm-Ups-Essential-Exercises/dp/0634009656/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235113629&sr=8-1) will fill your head with all kinds of ideas, and give you a foundation for getting around the kit that pays you back in a lot of ways.

[schist]

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46995 ;)

[intheruff]

Zambizzi's right, work on that groove and time. However, fills add color and don't necessarily need to be complicated. Because this is all new to you I'd advise buying Charles Dowds 'Funky Primer' (you can get it on the internet). On page 8 & 9 are some very simple drum fills.

Play three measures of straight time... bd on the 1/4s, high hat and snare on the 2 & 4. At the end of the third measure STOP on FOUR. This will give you a 1/4 note rest to prepare, as those exercises begin on ONE. They start as 1/4 notes (very easy) before advancing to 1/8s and then 1/16s. Do it slowly at first... no... slower... 45 bpm maybe... you'll know. When you master the two pages at 120 bpm you'll find that you've learned so much that it'll blow your mind. NOW go do this :)

PS... fills played by the pros are often elements of basic rudiments. Do you know your rudiments?

[FreeIpod]

One thing I've recently found very helpful is to practice Stick Control, but fool around with what each hand hits on the kit. Ex:

RLRR LRRR LRLL RLLL

Except instead of playing it on one drum:

RLRR (Floor Tom & Snare) LR (Snare & High Tom) RR (Floor Tom) LRLL (Floor Tom & Snare) RL (Floor Tom & Snare) LL (High Tom)

Haha, that probably doesn't make any sense at all, but I didn't really want to figure out writing it properly. Anyhow, basically if you just mix the pattern around the kit, and play it at very slow speeds and with a relaxed grip, it will help you immensely with your control and power around the kit. Really try to mix up the doubles as well, so that each stroke of a double lands on a different drum, feels awkward at first but if practiced slowly it'll become very useful.

Also, try playing constant 1/4 note on the kick and hihat on the 2&4's along with it.

[MotorcycleBlackMadonna]

Wow I actually have Stick Control and other books(somewhere around the house). I'll find that and start those exercises again. I know most of the drum rudiments except things like ratamcues and pataflaflas, flam taps and stuff; so I'll start utilizing the ones I know. Most of my playing is mainly working on time and groove, because I play with mostly hip hop beats and steady tempos. I just felt like my poor toms were being neglected : (

[BattleArmor]

Here's an exercise I devised for warming up my hands and to help getting around the kit more fluently: Play an accented triplet pattern on the snare drum: RLRLRL. Play the accents all over the kit. Then move the pattern to another part of the kit, and again, play the accents all over the kit. Then move the pattern to another part of the kit etc... Make sure you work on all possible movements and combinations.


I was about to suggest something like that. You can also take a basic rudiment, say a parididdle, and move it through out the kit.