Natural to "Think" in Terms of Single Strokes?

delta

Member
Usually when I jam around, I get a little ahead of myself in a fill. Meaning I'm not really sure of what I'm doing in the fill at the moment, just winging it. It seems like I'm always thinking in terms of alternating "single strokes". If it's not a fill I haven't practiced, I'll be playing strictly alternating single strokes. Rarely a 3/4/5 stroke roll thrown in, but there is no fancy paradiddle-ing going on.

Just curious if anyone else feels this way? If I was to use paradiddles in a fill on the fly, I have to "really" think about it. Single strokes just seem to be more natural and what my body gravitates too in a pinch. Maybe it's just normal for everyone?
 
It used to not be normal for me to fill with paradiddles, doubles, triples, etc. It just takes practice to get used to and to incorporate it as part of your drumming "voice". To be able to just "throw out" a hand/foot pattern effortlessly is the drummers' version of "wanking" (a guitar term for just going up and down a scale pattern without thinking much about what it will sound like).

I would practice playing what you want to play, and if you need any more than single strokes to accomplish it with ease, then THAT is the time to start working on that lick with that sticking. Until then, keep playing with single strokes and keep working on your (everything other than single strokes)'s.
 
Delta...

You are supposed to think when you fill. The essence of a good drummer is that he or she is always thinking. It is important to be aware of what you are playing, and how what you play can affect the music. It also helps you know when to use space, as opposed to just a barrage of fast single stroke (or double stroke, or triple stroke, or anything else) notes.

As Caddy mentioned, you need to practice your paradiddles and other rudiments/sticking patterns until they are so natural they feel as comfortable as single strokes. There is a difference between thinking and over-thinking, and you want to practice everything you do so that you don't have to over-think it. However, it is still very important to be thinking through what you are doing, listening to what is going on around, and have a clear picture of what you are trying to accomplish with each fill you play.
 
As good as Jon's advice always is, I dont think I'll agree a 100% there.

Thought it is absolutely essential not not be 'winging it', or stepping into a fill with a "lets see where we come out" approach, I dont think one should be thinking rudiments when you are playing.

While you are playing everything should be instinctive and responsive purely to the music and completely free from the spectre of 'technique'.

However.

It is critical to know ( again, as Caddy said..) your rudiments and sticking patterns , so that you KNOW exactly what you are playing, and in exactly what space, and it allows you to express exactly what you want to.

I'm sure this is what Jon meant.
 
As good as Jon's advice always is, I dont think I'll agree a 100% there.

Thought it is absolutely essential not not be 'winging it', or stepping into a fill with a "lets see where we come out" approach, I dont think one should be thinking rudiments when you are playing.

While you are playing everything should be instinctive and responsive purely to the music and completely free from the spectre of 'technique'.

However.

It is critical to know ( again, as Caddy said..) your rudiments and sticking patterns , so that you KNOW exactly what you are playing, and in exactly what space, and it allows you to express exactly what you want to.

I'm sure this is what Jon meant.

Yeah, you expressed it way better than I did. You should not be thinking about technique when you play. But you should be thinking about what you want to play. The technique, as you and Caddy said, should be practiced until it is second nature, to allow you to play what you are thinking.
 
Two drummers to listen to for fills are Tre Cool and Steve Gadd.

You look at where Tre Cool gets his fill ideas. They come right out of what is going on musically. He listens carefully and he adds the rudiments. Ya gotta love that. Hos fills also come out of what he is doing in his groove.

You listen to Gadd and it is all about placement of notes. He can get away with doing a flam as a fill or two of three carefully placed notes as a fill. It's all about placement, palcement, placement. That is the ultimate expression that any musician can strive for .
You hear him and you know that he could have interpretted the song a thousand ways. But it sounds like the song could not have sounded better than what he has done.

Also think about accents and dynamics in your fills. Is the fill leading into a section that is louder, softer? That is going to make a huge difference as well.

Write out some rhythms and orchestrate them around the kit, as is suggested in The Art of Bop Drumming.
 
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