In this free drum lesson, Dave Atkinson teaches three brand new 5/4 odd-time signature drum fills. As expected from an intermediate lesson, the patterns you’ll find here are a little bit more demanding. You’ll learn how to play 5/4 hand-to-feet combinations, and how to incorporate ghost notes and the single and double paradiddles into 5/4 drum fills.
Intermediate and advanced free drum lessons garner way more interest from students than beginner ones. However, running through the basics first is crucial for acquiring a good grasp over any concept. This will help you master the most important and fundamental of aspects. So no matter how cool these intermediate drum fills may sound, we highly encourage you to go through the free drum lessons “How To Count 5/4 Odd-Time” and “Beginner 5/4 Drum Fills” before spending your time with this one.
The sticking pattern of exercise #3 is exactly the same as the hand pattern from the first exercise of the free drum lesson “Intermediate 5/4 Drum Beats“. You see, everything we play on the drum set is based on three simple aspects: orchestration, rhythm, and dynamics. The rhythmic pattern from those two exercises is the same. Dave just messed around with the orchestration and with the dynamics of the sticking pattern to give it a totally different feel and purpose. This is a prime example of how to come up with new drum fills by recycling hand patterns from drum beats.
If you’d like to learn 5/4 drum beats to go along with these 5/4 drum fills, move on to the free drum lesson “Intermediate 5/4 Drum Beats“. If you’d rather keep working on 5/4 drum fills, check the free drum lesson “Advanced 5/4 Drum Fills“.