In this blog, we understand how to count and perfect playing triplet fills. Compared to eighth and sixteenth note fills, there is a difference as a triplet is a bar of three equal parts. Now, let’s learn, create and improvise with triplet fills.

Understanding Triplets and Triplet Fills

Ready for another drum lesson? Yes, by the end of today’s blog post, you will be able to perfect and play triplet fills around the kit. Now, hope you are familiar with counting eighth note, sixteenth notes and triplets. If you are at crossroads, please go back to the previous blogs, practise them and come back to this lesson.

To refresh your memory of triplets, they are counted as: 1-trip-let-2-trip-let-3-trip-let-4-trip-let.

Eighth Note Groove to Triplet Fill

For the first part, we play the standard eighth note groove followed by a triplet fill. For an entire bar, play the hi-hat and the kick drum on 1, hi-hat on the & of 1, hi-hat and snare drum on 2, hi-hat on the & of 2, hi-hat and kick drum on 3, hi-hat on the & of 3, hi-hat and snare drum on 4 and ending with an hi-hat on the & of 4.

Once you have perfected this at a reasonable tempo, move to the triplet fill. Remember to count the triplet (1-trip-let-2-trip-let-3-trip-let-4-trip-let).

Here is how a triplet fill would go:

Snare Drum: Single stroke (right, left, right) on 1, trip and let.

Hi-Tom: Single stroke (left, right, left) on 2, trip and let.

Mid-Tom: Single stroke (right, left, right) on 3, trip, let.

Floor-Tom: Single stroke (left, right, left) on 4, trip, let.

Notice how when you play the triplet fill, the leading hand changes from the right hand to the left hand on the snare and hi-tom and repeats itself on the mid-tom and the floor-tom.

Rhythmic chart:

Note: Don’t forget to resolve the fill with a crash on count 1 of the following bar.

Triplet Groove to Triplet Fill

The next part would have a triplet groove transitioning to a triplet fill. For the triplet groove, don’t forget to count out loud as it gives you a reference point to play on time. Remember, even for the triplet groove, the snare drum goes on counts 2 and 4 while the kick drum goes on counts 1 and 3. The feel (1-trip-let) remains constant on the hi-hat.

For the triplet fill after the groove, follow:

Snare Drum: Single stroke (right, left, right) on 1, trip and let.

Hi-Tom: Single stroke (left, right, left) on 2, trip and let.

Mid-Tom: Single stroke (right, left, right) on 3, trip and let.

Floor-Tom: Single stroke (left, right, left) on 4, trip and let.

Rhythmic chart:

Note: Don’t forget to resolve the fill with a crash on count 1 of the following bar.

One great tip is to start slow and play the entire sequence continuously. Play the eighth note groove for a bar, follow it up with the triplet fill, continue and transition to a triplet groove and end it with the triplet fill. This would strengthen your muscle memory and help you move to other time values with ease and finesse.

Now that you know the theory behind triplet fills, in the next lesson, we focus on sixteenth note grooves and how they play an integral part in staying dynamic behind the drum kit. Practise the techniques well to progress on your learning of the drums.