Steve Gadd Drum Fill
A fill in the style of the master drummer
This drum lesson teaches a Steve Gadd drum fill. Well, at least a drum fill in the style of Steve Gadd. I’m not sure he’s ever played this actual fill but it includes many of the core elements that are in some of my favourite Steve Gadd fills – making those elements Gaddisms!
The key features are the use of ghost notes and accents on the snare drum, the fact that it is orchestrated on the hat, kick and snare so it’s more of a groove than a fill (even though it’s being used as a fill), the linear nature of this fill, and the sticking which borrows heavily from recognisable rudiment patterns.
If you’re not yet familiar with the great Steve Gadd then it’s well worth digging in here and being introduced to one of the great masters of our instrument. Gadd has a very unique style saturated with sublime feel alongside a really innovative ability to create interesting rhythms. His is a session musican who’s career has seen him performin the studio and stage with a huge list of musical greats. A small list of these includes Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, Chic Corea, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, Kate Bush, Carly Simon, Frank Sinatra and Joe Cocker.
He is one of my favourite drummers, if not the favourite, and so little Gaddisms often rise to the surface in my playing, as you would naturally expect from someone that you’ve enjoyed listening to for so many hours. That’s not to say that I would claim to have half the feel he has but it’s always a good starting point to borrow concepts and ideas from our musical heroes.
So let’s get into this Steve Gadd drum fill idea. Watch the video drum lesson below and then hit the blue button underneath to grab the free sheet music..
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