How to Practice Drum Fills Without Rushing

If you’re a drummer or you are into drums, you must have definitely heard the term “drum fills“ before. Let’s understand what drum fills are and the role of drum fills in a song. Most songs have a steady beat on the drums, which keeps the groove going. A drum fill is when the drummer briefly stops playing the main grove  and briefly plays something else to indicate a transition in a song. Drum fills make the song more interesting and exciting. But drum fills will never stop the song from flowing.  Take the simple drum fill in "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that comes right before the chorus (see here), for example. It's not about speed or showing off how well a player can drum when they do drum fills. Good fills have good timing and help the song flow.

If your grooves feel solid but you are struggling with getting the drum fill right, you’re not alone. Rushing (or dragging) during fills is one of the most common timing problems drummers face, especially if you are a beginner or self-taught. But it has nothing to do with talent, as most people assume; it is all about how you practice the fills.

Now let’s understand why rushing happens, what it really means for your timing, and most importantly, how to fix it using simple, practical methods you can apply easily.

Why Do Drum Fills Tend to Rush (and Sometimes Drag)?

Most fills rush for one simple reason: they demand more attention than the groove.

When you’re playing a beat, your hands and feet are locked into a familiar pattern. But the moment a fill comes up, your brain switches to execution mode:

• More notes

• More movement around the kit

• More excitement

• More pressure to “nail it”

That mental shift often causes you to compress time, or put differentlyplaying the same number of notes faster than the song’s tempo allows.

Rushing isn’t about speed.It’s about losing your internal clock.

What “Rushing” Really Means in Drum Fills

Rushing doesn’t always mean your fill sounds obviously fast. Sometimes it’s subtle:

• You arrive back at the downbeat of the next (music) bar early.

• The fill feels slightly tense.

• The band sounds uncomfortable when you re-enter the groove.

• The click remains steady, but rushing changes your note spacing and creates the feeling that the click is off.

In musical terms, rushing means your fill that you are subdividing the beat to quickly

The tempo didn’t change.Your spacing did.

Understanding this information is huge, because it changes how you practice drum timing.

Common Mistakes Drummers Make During Fill

Before fixing the problem, let’s call out a few habits that cause it:

1. Practicing Drum Fills Too Fast

Many drummers learn fills at performance tempo or faster. That skips the most important part: control.

2. Practicing Fills in Isolation Only

A fill that works alone might fall apart when placed between grooves.

3. Ignoring Subdivision

If you are not sure whether your fill is built on 8ths, 16ths, or triplets, your timing will eventually drift.

4. Never Looping the Problem Spot

Playing the whole song again and again instead of looping the one bar that needs work.

Sound familiar? Let’s fix it.

How to Practice Drum Fills Slowly (and Why It Works)

Slow practice for drummers isn’t about playing easy.It’s about playing accurately.

When you slow down:

• Your brain has time to track subdivisions

• Your hands stay relaxed

• Your internal pulse stays steady

  
  

Try This:

1. Take one drum fill (just one bar).

2. Set a tempo where it feels almost too slow.

3. Play the fill perfectly in time.

4. Repeat until you feel a little bored of it.

If it feels boring, you’re most probably doing it right.

Once the timing is locked, speed becomes easy.

Using Looping to Fix Difficult Drum Fill Sections

This is where most drummers waste time and where looping drum sections changes everything.

Instead of restarting the song every time you mess up a fill, loop:

• The bar before the fill

• The fill itself

• The bar after the fill

  
  

This three two things:

• Trains entry and exit timing

• Removes pressure from “getting through the song”

• Let’s you focus on only the parts of the song that still need work

Looping lets you focus on the exact moment rushing happens.

Tools like AudioRetune make this incredibly easy by allowing you to:

• Loop precise sections

• Slow down tracks without changing pitch

• Practice fills inside real music

That’s how fills stop being “scary moments” and start feeling normal.

Subdivision & Counting Techniques for Better Timing

If you want to get your fills right, you need to count what you play, while practicing.

Common Subdivisions (in 4/4):

• 8th notes: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

• 16th notes: 1 e & a 2 e & a

• Triplets: 1-trip-let 2-trip-let (also 1-ti-ta 2-ti-ta)

Practice Tip:

Say the subdivision out loud while playing the fill.

It feels awkward.It works fast.

Once your hands know where each note lives inside the beat, rushing disappears naturally.

Practicing Drum Fills in Real Musical Context

Drum fill exercises are useful, but fills exist to connect grooves, not only to show off .

Always practice fills in context:

• Groove → Fill → Groove

• Verse → Fill → Chorus

• Soft section → Fill → Loud section

Ask yourself:

• Does the fill support the song?

• Does it land confidently on the downbeat “1” of the next bar?

• Does it feel relaxed?

If the groove after the fill feels shaky, the fill needs more work.

How AudioRetune Helps Drummers Practice Drum Fills Better

Good practice isn’t about more time; it’s about better focus. AudioRetune supports smart drum practice by letting you:

• Loop difficult drum fill sections

• Slow down songs for precision work

• Practice fills with real backing tracks

• Lock timing before increasing tempo

  
  

Instead of guessing whether your fill is rushed, you hear it immediately and fix it on the spot.

That feedback loop is where real improvement happens.

Practice Drum Fills With Intention

Rushing during drum fills doesn’t mean you lack skill. It means your practice needs structure.

Slow things down. Loop the hard parts. Count your subdivisions. Practice inside the music, not just around it.

Every great drummer you admire has done this work.

If you want a more controlled way to practice drum fills, try using the AudioRetune app to loop, slow down, and lock in your timing one fill at a time.

Your groove will thank you.