A beginner drum fill doesn’t have to be a boring one. In this article, I’m going to teach you a power-packed, versatile drum fill. It’s the inverted paradiddle and you can use it in Jazz and any other style of drumming you play.
Beginning Drum Fills & The Inverted Paradiddle
Many beginning drum fills and even advanced drum fills are just combinations of right and left hand strokes on the drums. The inverted paradiddle is no different.
To me, the inverted paradiddle is a perfect hand pattern. It has great flow moving between the hands and around the drums.
Check out my video excerpt below from my Intro To Jazz Drumming course at jazzdrumschool.com. I teach you how to play the inverted paradiddle and move it around the drums. This course will give you a solid foundation for how to play Jazz drums.
It’s easy to see just how quickly you’ll be able to get this beginner drum fill into your playing. I use the inverted paradiddle in Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Bossa Nova, Samba, Mambo, Songo and just about every other style of drumming I play.
A Drum Fill For Beginners
If you’re just starting out on the drums, the inverted paradiddle can be your go-to hand pattern to create an infinite number of drum fills around the drum set. It’s actually one of the first hand patterns I teach students.
As students get comfortable with it, they start to play more melodic sounding drum fills instead of drum licks. I have a great article about drum licks that you might also like.
Drum licks are drum fills that are always played the same way around the drum kit at the same timing in the music. One of our goals for learning the drums is be flexible and play what fits the music.
Drum licks aren’t as flexible as open-ended hand patterns like the inverted paradiddle. This is another reason I think it’s a great drum fill for beginners.
Drum Fillers Connect The Musical Dots
Sometimes drummers called drum fills, drum fillers. Every drum fill’s purpose is to connect parts of a drum groove and parts of a song.
Sometimes drummers have a hard time thinking of drum filler ideas. It’s good to have a hand pattern like the inverted paradiddle in your back pocket. This makes it so much easier to come up with creative and musical drum fill ideas.
All you really have to do is start with each hand on two different drums and start playing the pattern. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can move your hands around the drum kit.
A Cool Beginner Drum Fill
Even though the inverted paradiddle is a beginner drum fill, it sounds pretty darn cool. It also works seamlessly with almost any drum groove under the Sun. If you’re learning how to play Jazz on the drums, this drum fill is a must-know.
Just because you are a beginner drummer, doesn’t mean everything you play has to sound beginner. This drum fill will make you sound like you really know how to move those hands.
It’s also the kind of drumming hand pattern that you can play fast in no time at all. After all, one of the really fun things to do on the drums is to play fast!
Conclusion
So give the inverted paradiddle a try. I know you’ll quickly see how useful it will be in your own drumming.
It’s easy, has a nice flow and can be used in any style of drumming with any drum groove you can think of. As an open-ended hand pattern rather than a drum lick, it helps be more flexible and adaptable to the music.
To learn another great drum fill hand pattern and more about Jazz drumming, check out my Intro To Jazz Drumming course. The most incredible thing about learning how to play Jazz on the drums, is it will improve your drumming in any style you want to play.
My article, 5 Reasons Beginner Drummers Should Learn Jazz Drums lays out why Jazz drumming is so great for your drumming.
If you use the inverted paradiddle, let me know how it goes. Have fun with it and keep swinging my friend 🤙
Have you tried using the inverted paradiddle in your drumming?
Everything you need to learn Jazz drumming in one place at JAZZDRUMSCHOOL.COM. 100% practical, real-world Jazz drum lessons. All courses are a one-time payment for lifetime access.
Supercharge your Jazz drumming practice. Download high-quality, effective DRUMLESS TRACKS. Improve your time, feel, Jazz comping and soloing. Practice with real musicians too.
Need a some extra help with your Jazz drumming? Book a private ONLINE DRUM LESSON with me and accomplish your drumming goals faster.