This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the October 2016 issue, which is available here.

Basics

Fundamental Fills

Part 3: Right-Hand Lead

by Donny Gruendler

During the 1980s and ’90s, fusion monster Dave Weckl and session master John “JR” Robinson, among others, revived the silky smooth right-hand-lead 16th-note fills that were previously made famous by studio greats Steve Gadd and Bernard Purdie. Today these fundamental yet sophisticated fills have regained popularity in the playing of contemporary drummers like Anika Nilles, Chris Coleman, and Daru Jones.

This month’s installment of Basics will help you develop right-hand-lead fills on the snare and around the drumset. The following exercises build upon part one of this series and should open many creative doors for your own ideas.

For the complete lesson with transcriptions, check out the October 2016 issue, which is available here.