How to Play a Half-Measure Drum Fill Using the Snare, Tom-Toms and Floor Tom

You can make drumming fun by adding drum fills. Otherwise, it's just a basic beat over and over again. The drum fills allow the drummer to add creativity and individualism to a song. There are an unlimited amount of ways to play drum fills. The steps below focus on drum fills using the snare, tom-toms and floor tom when you play the drums.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Position yourself on the drummer's throne. The left foot should be on the hi-hat pedal and the right foot should be resting on the bass drum pedal.

2. Begin by playing a basic rock pattern. This can be done by playing a 1-2-3-4 or 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and pattern.

3. Play the drum fills by hitting the snare on 1, first tom-tom on 2, second tom-tom on 3 and the floor tom on 4.

4. Return to the basic rock pattern then repeat the drum fills as desired to accent the song and help the beat during transitions.

Tips & Warnings

• Using a metronome can help if you're having trouble with timing.
• There are tons of different drum fills, so don't limit yourself when playing the drums.
• Try adding the crash cymbal at the end of drum fills. This will give more emphasis to the note.
• To help with coordination, drummers must first learn basic paradiddles or rudiments. These conditioning exercises help the drummer train his brain and limbs to play individually. For example, the right hand may be playing all notes while the left foot plays on 2 and 4 and the right foot kicks the bass drum pedal on 1 and 3.