Sticking for the following fill

Rochelle Rochelle

Senior Member
So I am trying to play U2's "I Will Follow" and throughout he does the
fill 3e+ 4e+ on the snare. I'm trying to decide how to do the sticking. I am left handed so I would want to do LRL LRL, but I notice that in the exercises in Stick Control it is written as LRL RLR. I've tried both ways and I can't decide what is easier for me. The song is at a fast tempo for me so I'm trying to figure out which way I should focus my practice. How does everyone else do this particular fill?
 
Stick for phrasing, not for ease, on an easy riff like that. In that case, I'd prob do LRL LRL, and then hit the downbeat with the right hand, which would create a slight holding-back feel on beats 3&4, followed by a sense of forward movement across the barline to the downbeat.
 
I'd play it RLR RLR (or LRL LRL if I were a lefty).

But in reality, it makes not one iota of difference whichever sticking you choose. The end result is still the same.
 
I'd play it LRL LRL. That way the lead hand basically plays all the eighth notes, it just switches between the hats and the snare. (Hope that doesn't confuse you. The snare pattern in question is obviously 16ths, but the lead hand will always be playing the 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &)

Keep in mind, the exercises in Stick Control are just that, exercises. They are intended as a type of dictionary, to broaden your vocabulary, but they aren't intended to dictate what you say or how you say it.
 
Here is a YouTube vid that clearly shows Larry Mullen playing it RLR RLR, which would be LRL LRL for you. The audio is a bit out of sync, but you can still see what he is doing better than most other vids.

https://youtu.be/_dbaH4hVZZc
 
I'd have an easier time of making it sound like that if my right hand led that fill. I heard a bit of dynamic that implied a slight accent on his right hand notes. Sounded good.

But really, you already know where it fits in the beat, and that's the important part. Sticking comes down to personal preference or sound necessity in my experience.
 
I would naturally feel this out with a ghost accent, too. So it's LRLrLRL R Though it can be played in various ways, including RLR LRL. Did I get that right? Probably not..
 
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