1

Drumset
FUNdamentals
Tom Morgan & John Riley

Fills
Many rudiments can be applied directly to the drumset to develop fills. Below is the paradiddle
written as eighth notes and sixteenth notes with two different accent schemes. Use these as
fills on the snare drum and then try playing the accents on different sound surfaces around the set.

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R

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R

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R

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R

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/c

RLRRLRLLRLRRLRLL RLRRLRLLRLRRLRLL

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RLRRLRLLRLRRLRLL RLRRLRLLRLRRLRLL

Fundamental Beats
Key
small tom
cross-stick
ride cymbal
snare drum

/c

floor tom

bass drum

hi-hat w/foot

hi-hat w/stick

Ex. 1 Basic Rock

c
/

Ex. 2 Basic Shuffle

3

c
/

Ex. 3 Basic Jazz

c
/

Ex. 4 Basic Funk

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

c
/

Ex. 5 Basic Latin

c
/

Basic Variations
Ex. 6 Rock Variation

c
/

Ex. 7 Shuffle Variation

3

c
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3

Ex. 8 Jazz Variation

c
/

Ex. 9 Funk Variation

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

/c
J
J
J
J
Ex. 10 Latin Variation

c
/

Hipper Variations
Ex. 11 Latin Rock

x x
c
/

fx x x x
x

x x
x

x x

fx x x x
x

x x
x

Ex. 12 Shuffle Variation 2

3

x x fx x x x x x x x fx x x x x x
c
/

x
x
x
x
3

Ex. 13 Latin Jazz

x
c
/

fx x x
x

x x x

fx x x
x

x x
x

Ex. 14 Latin Funk

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

/c

Ex. 15 Latin Variation 2

x x
c
/

fx x x
x

x x
x

x x

fx x x x
x

x x
x