In previous issues of Modern Drummer, we have printed the first three parts of the “Stone Killer.” Joe advanced the idea of those endurance exercises with his Fill-In Studies These are not “drum fills,” instead they are endurance exercises built on the idea of filling in between the primary rhythm of the exercise. This month that primary rhythm is triplets, be aware that the entire exercise is written in 12/8.  Groups of Three with Fill-Ins The idea of this is to keep a continuous flow of accented triplets with one hand, while filling in with the other hand. This, again, goes back to the principle of developing each hand individually. It will also help develop your ability to accent and doing the fill-ins will help your coordination. These exercises are written with a left-hand lead— but you should also practice these with a right hand lead meaning the accented triplets […]

October 2023 Issue