Part 1 transcription here
Part 2 transcription here
An introduction to the second method of fills: MELODIES
More specifically Melodies and Fill Ins. Also commonly known as the ALAN DAWSON method - his material is highly valuable for any student of the drumset; This style of filling is pretty common in the jazz school of playing (because it allows drummers to read, play and solo to melodies from jazz charts) - but just a little modification can make it useful for any style of music.
The basic idea is this: read a melody with one voice and fill in between that melody with another. Most students start with the melody on a cymbal (with a kick) and fill in with their snare. Start super simple and keep your focus on the melody. Some students pick this concept up right away, some students take a while to wrap their heads around it - as always, strive for flow not speed.
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, we can use smaller subdivisions and double stroke rolls as our fill ins.
PART II
Once you’re comfortable with basics of Melody and Fill-in playing, you can and should modify: You can change voices for both the Melody and the Fill-ins, you can mix the subdivisions of your fill ins, you can also add ‘Ornaments’ like flams and diddles and doubles.
The voicing and phrasing you chose will greatly affect how the Melody sounds and feels, you can create two entirely different parts from one melody voiced in two radically different ways. Here again is where the rubber meets the road for your creativity - start simple and work your way up to something inventive and musical. Happy shedding!
This is an excerpt from a larger book on fills titled "Drumset Patterns, Melodies and Rudiments" available for purchase (as physical or digital copy) in the store