If the drum fill doesn’t get played correctly, then that’s OK. Make sure to start slowly and try again. That’s what practice is about. The main goal is keep playing and counting without changing the counting. Once that is achieved, practice the exact same drum fill a number of times until it is second nature. Make sure that the groove stays steady and strong the entire time, especially during the fill. The goal is to make sure the fill is grooving as hard as the rest of the song. Counting will help with this.
The four and eight bar phrases will start to feel very natural and you will be able to feel them without counting. That will be a great feeling and is certainly one of the goals here.
If you play a fill that may not be what you intended to play (a “mistake”), try to continue counting and get back to the groove. (I will discuss “mistakes” in more detail in another post.) Get used to not stopping the time even if you have to stop playing momentarily. There can be some confusion inside of yourself after playing something other than what you intended to play. That is normal. However, my suggestion is to practice as if you are playing with other musicians. The band is not going to stop because of this. They don’t know what you intended to play. Practice with a click – the time doesn’t stop!
That being said, if you continue making the same mistake over and over, then stop and figure this out. There could be numerous reasons for this, including attempting rhythms that you’re not ready for yet.
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