easy lesson
A Fill Around the Toms
The classic fill that lives on a thousand records: roll down from the snare through the toms to the floor tom on beat 4.
Play it yourself — keyboard or your own kit
Play the basic beat through beat 3.
On beat 4, descend around the kit: snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom (steps 12 to 15). A smooth tumble down to the lowest drum.
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
What to focus on
Moving between drums adds a distance problem to a timing problem. Keep the rhythm simple while finding a comfortable route from snare to higher toms and down to the floor tom.
Build a short practice session
Play the rhythm on one surface first. Move the same notes around the kit without changing the sticking or the count. Rehearse the final tom stroke and the following downbeat together before adding the complete phrase.
Listen, check, then progress
Avoid turning every move into a large arm swing. The spaces between hits should stay even as the pitch changes. Use the full drum kit to experiment with a shorter route if the final move consistently arrives late.
Read the final example without sound
This loop has 16 steps, with 4 steps per main beat. Count each beat as number, e, and, a. The table lists the occupied positions; every unlisted position is a rest. Start at 90 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 · 3 |
| snare | 2 · 4 |
| tom1 | 4 e |
| tom2 | 4 & |
| floor | 4 a |
| hihat | 1 · 1 & · 2 · 2 & · 3 · 3 & |
These positions describe the programmed example, not an artist recording. Playback uses synthesized sounds. A real performance also involves touch, dynamics and phrasing.
Keep practicing
Build a practice routine · Read drum notation · Browse the lesson path
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