You can download the jam track (with no drums) here: Russell's Shuffle

You can also download the below file here: Russell's Shuffle Drum Chart

The drum beat to Russell's Shuffle is a groovin' blues shuffle beat that you want to play an almost behind the beat rhythm on the hi-hats with but really nail the tempo and the groove from the bass drum and snare drum.

Make sure you keep perfect time with the crash cymbals that are on the 3rd and 4th beats of the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th bars.

In the 6th bar you need to get your hands around playing the hi-hat on the 'a' of the '3-an-a, 4-an-a' whilst playing the crash cymbals on the '3' and the '4' of those beats. You should use both hands for this but experiment with one hand for the cymbals only and also brining in the snare hand on the 'a' of the '4' (straight from playing the snare on the 4).

Play the 9th bar really tight with the rhythms between bass and snare drums and play the triplet fill on the snare drum evenly.

Try playing the fill as a R L R, L R L roll using both hands as well as throwing in some basic rudiments and see how perfect you can keep the time:

2. R R R, R R R
3. L L L , L L L
4. R R R, L L L
5. L L L , R R R
6. R L L, R L L
7. L R R , L R R

R = Right Hand, L = Left Hand

Add accents to each of the notes first on the '1', then on the 'an' and finally on the 'a' (as three separate exercises).

For fill 1: R L R, L R L with the accent on the '1' you'll be playing:
> . . . . >  
R L R, L R L

For fill 1 with the accent on the 'an' play:
. .> . . . . >
R L R, L R L

For fill 1 with the accent on the 'a' play:
. . . .> . . . . >
R L R, L R L

These rudiments are off the top of my head but they are taken from years of studying the book Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone. If you don't have that book, GET IT.

You should spend a few days or a week going through all the combinations above and some new ones that you come up with yourself for the drum fill. See how a simple drum roll can be played in so many ways. The more ways you get your head, and more importantly your hands, around playing these types of basic fills using common (and not so-common) drum rudiments, the more independence you'll develop and great options for moving around the kit: especially when you start moving your hands around the drum kit.

For example, once your comfortable that you can really play all the rudiments above with perfect tempo on the snare move it around the drums. Play the Right Hand on the floor tom and Left Hand on the snare. Play the Left Hand on the 12" or 13" tom and the Right Hand on the snare. Move the Right Hand to the bass drum and the Left Hand on the snare or toms and vice versa.

Get busy, get working, play through the drum fill and learn it so you know you can nail a basic triplet fill all around the kit. Do this and drumming will become a whole lot more fun than just playing a 2 beat triple on the snare.

Seriously good clean fun!