Here’s another of my mental tips aimed to help you improve both the speed, and more importantly, the consistency of triplet fills. Use the following fill:
Play as triplet, the hands initially on one tom at a time: F R L
(F = FOOT, L = LEFT HAND, R = RIGHT HAND)
This is a stock fill used by many, many drummers, and to great effect. However, played with no dynamics, it can sound heavy, pounding and, well, dreadful!
So the key is playing the foot, and each hand with the right degree of volume. I have found the following works best for me, and I hope it will for you.
My students have found that thinking about playing this in the following way, at once improves the sound and flow of the fills, and most definitely enables them to execute it faster, but with consistency of stroke.
So here goes:
1)Don’t think of the triplet as a whole, i.e. one note after the next as a solid group of three.
2)Think of the foot and the left hand as playing a shuffle, i.e.:
3)This way, the emphasis is taken of the second partial of the triplet. This is the key to playing that second partial almost as a ghost note. So, you end up with an accented first, ghost second, and accented third partial.
4)BUT, always keep on thinking of the idea that you are playing a shuffle, with a ghost note in between. This is the mental approach that seems to work for instant improvement and flow. I’m not really sure why, it just does – many students will attest to that! By thinking of this triplet fill in this way as you play, you get great dynamics, a nice flow, consistency, improved speed, and moreover, it helps you remain relaxed through, which helps if you are playing these as part of a solo.
I hope this helps – remember, not all techniques work for everyone, but I hope it works for you!
