In my NYC teaching studio, where beginners came to us at the rate of about 50 per week, I stumbled upon this idea of fills mostly by accident.
In truth, some of the stuff you have to learn in the very beginning of your drumming journey can be a bit boring.
But one thing seemed to be exciting to every drummer who graced me with their presence. Fills.
Over and over again, I would get asked the question: "Mark, I get that we have to learn to read music, but, can you pu-leeze show me some fills?" And these weren't just kids, either. Young or old, man or woman, the question invariably came.
So...I began teaching fills in the beginning---even though drum teachers everywhere would disagree with the method. I've taken a lot of flak for this method from others, but there is a truly fantastic reason for its success.
The reason that using fills works? Engagement and excitement.