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Filling the Gap Developing 16th-note “Fill-ins” by Jim Davis March 11, 2012

   

cross multiple music genres, it’s common for the drummer (and others) to be required to play specific rhythmic figures at certain points in a song (as would be typically provided in

a chart). For example, we see here a measure of “playing time” followed by a measure of rhythmic accents, or “hits”. It is up to the musicality and creativity of the drummer to tastefully support such rhythmic figures within the musical context.

In this article, we examine and develop a specific class of rhythmic accent supports that employs 16th-note fills between the accents. With the example above, we can hit the accents simultaneously on the bass drum and crash cymbal, and “fill-in” between the accents on the snare (or toms) with 16th-notes in 8th-note groupings (starting the 16th-notes only on downbeats or upbeats).

A great example of this type of 16th-note fill-in can be heard by Billy Mason in the final chorus (3:28) of Tim McGraw’s hit “Felt Good on my Lips” for the following 2-bar accent figure.

The fill-in patterns and variations we will examine can be applied to several different musical situations and genres. Bass Drum Accents We begin with developing and strengthening fill-in patterns by playing the accent figures on the bass drum only and incorporating 16th-note patterns between the accents. Make sure to practice each 16th-note grouping using single strokes (RLRL…) and double strokes (RRLLRR…). Remember to start slow and play the patterns at various tempos. At faster tempos (>160 bpm) these exercises work well in drum-and-bass situations.

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Mixing and matching various parts from the exercises above can be used to form interesting longer-form patterns.

The toms can then be incorporated to make the patterns more engaging.

Adding Crash Accents Next we incorporate a crash cymbal with the bass drum to make the accents stand out even more. As before, adding the toms increases the depth and interest. Try an alternating leading hand for

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consecutive fill-ins using left-side and right-side crash cymbals (as shown in the example below). Remember to practice using both single and double strokes.

Taking Things Further The examples provided here give an introductory coverage of the possibilities for constructing interesting 16th-note fill-ins. To continue with other variations and combinations, and to create your own, Ted Reed’s classic Syncopation book can be used as an excellent resource of various 8th-note accent patterns (in particular, see pages 47-49). Another possible variation is to invert the process and play the exercises with the snare/crash on the accents and fill-in with 16th-notes using double bass (playing single or double strokes). Such patterns would be quite at home in rock and prog music.

Practicing all of these exercises at various tempos with different stickings will provide you a means to develop competent 16th-note fill-ins and simultaneously help to strengthen the overall consistency of your 16th-notes. The application of these types of patterns will ultimately be determined by the music being played, and when appropriate, you will be prepared to add musical interest to the song.

Jim Davis Jim@JimDavisDrummer.com