Use your name to create Impressive Drum Fills?!

PART 1:

Here's a simple trick to create awesome drum fills that you will never have played before, using your name!

Okay so lets start by picking the time signature you are playing in or want to play in.

Lets stick with common time to start. 4/4

In 4/4 we have 16 semi-quavers (16th notes)

So one bar of 4/4 =   1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a (the most popular way of counting a bar of 4/4)



PART 2:

Now write down your name. Lets use my name as an example, matt jones.


Bellow is all the letters of the alphabet with a different sticking pattern next to it (R = Play with right hand, L = Left):


Groups of 3:   A) R L L           B) L R R            C) R R L         D) L L R      E) R L R     F) L R L

Groups of 4:   G) R L L R              H) L R R L               I) R L R R               J) L R L L

Groups of 5:   K) R L L R L          L) R L R L L            M) L R L R R          N) R R L R L                      
                       O) L L R L R

Groups of 6:   P) R L L R L R       Q) L R R L L R        R) R L R L L R       S) L R L R R L  
                                                                                                                                                                                           T) R R L R R L       U) L R R L R L       V) R R L R L R      W) R L R R L L

Groups of 7:   X) R L L R L R L   Y) R L R R L R R    Z) L R L R L L R



Begin to spell you name using the sticking patterns until you have filled all 16 notes of the bar.


MATT  =    M) L R L R R    A) R L L     T) R R L R R L     T) R R L R R L


SO....     1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
     
              L R L R R R L L R R L R R L R R


 (We still have L R R L from the last T not used but we will discard them as we have filled all 16 notes of the bar)


you now have a new sticking pattern to base your fill around but we will take this further.


PART 3:

Now write your full name above the fill (Multiple times if needed)....

           M A T T J O N E S M A T T J O N

           1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
     
           L R L R R R L L R R L R R L R R



Replace every vowel with a Kick drum....

           M A T T J O N E S M A T T J O N

           1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
     
           L K L R R K L K R R K R R L K R


Now learn this new linear fill!

Once you are comfortable you can try moving the hands to different drums and even add
a 1/4 note pulse with your left foot on the hi-hat


You could also try writing a random rhythm in any time signature and do the same process rather than using a bar of 16th notes like we just did!