Nick Mason’s drumming with Pink Floyd is defined by spacious, song-serving playing rather than flashy technique. He emphasizes space and dynamics by dropping notes from simple patterns, leaving rests, and letting the music flow. Mason’s signature fills and approach focus on feel, subtlety, and dramatic contrast. … More Pink Floyd – Nick Mason: 10 Iconic Drum Fills
The drum fill in this new episode is based on Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer by Ted Reed, commonly known as Syncopation. This book remains one of the most versatile and widely used resources in drum education. The keyword to master this lesson is interpretation. … More A Fill for Every Season #10
Few drum parts are as instantly recognizable as “Africa” by Toto, and much of that magic comes from Jeff Porcaro’s unique ability to blend precision, feel, and musical restraint. Released in 1982 as part of the acclaimed album Toto IV, the song features one of the most studied grooves in pop and rock history … More Toto – Africa (Drum Fill Analysis) + Free Full Transcription
In this new episode, I’ll share an 8th-note triplet drum fill that will give you a different perspective on rudiments, stickings, and phrasing. We’ll arrange and play the concept of this lesson in a jazz context, but you can easily apply it to other genres and styles, enhancing your drumming. Differently from most drum fills, … More A Fill for Every Season #9
The drum fill for this new episode involves displacing a drum phrase over the beat. As shown in the figure below, the main idea consists of three 8th notes: two 16th notes on the tom, one 8th note on the floor tom, and one 8th note on the snare in unison with the crash cymbal. … More A Fill for Every Season #8
In this seventh episode, I’ll share an 8th-note triplet drum fill based on a defined sticking pattern. The key to mastering this idea is to memorize the sticking: LRR LRL. So, we start applying the sticking in an 8th note triplet subdivision on the snare, possibly playing the bass drum or hi-hat in quarter notes. … More A Fill for Every Season #7
In this sixth episode, I’ll share a massive 8th-note triplet linear drum fill. The idea is similar to the drum fill of the second episode of this series; both are interchangeable and can be combined. As indicated in the notation below, the linear approach occurs between the floor tom, snare, bass drum, and rack tom. … More A Fill for Every Season #6
The drum fill for this episode incorporates a 16th-note linear idea between the hi-hat, bass drum, snare, and toms. Unlike most drum fills, this one is conceived over two bars, starting on the fourth beat of the first bar and developing on the second bar. The key to mastering this idea is memorizing the sticking … More A Fill for Every Season #5
In this fourth episode, I introduce a new drum fill I developed. The fill is based on 16th-note triplets, starting with two notes on the bass drum and moving with an alternate sticking between the floor tom and rack tom. We start off playing the drum fill slowly to memorize the orchestration. Once comfortable, we … More A Fill for Every Season #4
In this third episode, I’ll share two drum fills I developed myself, which you can apply in various styles. The drum fills are primarily based on 16th and 32nd notes, starting from the second beat and ending with an accent on the snare at the end of the fourth beat. I arranged the drum patterns … More A Fill for Every Season #3