DISSECTION · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Black Horizons

27 fills to learn, played 44 times across 322 bars. Two fills that share a rhythm and differ only in how they are spread round the toms are one fill here, learned once and orchestrated twice.

TEMPO
160 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
322
LENGTH
8:45
DIFFICULTY
89/100

Bar 17

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 17 · LANDS ON BAR 18

On ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 54 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 18. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 19

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 19 · LANDS ON BAR 20

On crash and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 20. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 41, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 41 AND 201 · LANDS ON BAR 42

On ride, snare, high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 40 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 42. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 49

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 49 · LANDS ON BAR 50

On snare, mid tom and floor tom. 43 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 50. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 65

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 65 · LANDS ON BAR 66

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 69 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 66. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 73

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 73 · LANDS ON BAR 74

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 73 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 74. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 80

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 80 · LANDS ON BAR 81

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 47 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 81. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 84

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 84 · LANDS ON BAR 85

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 44 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 85. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 87, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 87-88 · LANDS ON BAR 89

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 89. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 92

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 92 · LANDS ON BAR 93

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 47 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 93. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 95

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 95 · LANDS ON BAR 96

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 76 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 96. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 104, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 104 AND 120 · LANDS ON BAR 105

On hi-hat, high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 11 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 105. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 112, and 5 more times

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 112-113, 128-129 AND 176-177 · LANDS ON BAR 114

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 78 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 114. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 139, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 139-140 · LANDS ON BAR 141

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 67 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 141. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 143

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 143 · LANDS ON BAR 144

On crash, hi-hat, snare, floor tom and kick. 66 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 144. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 160, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 160-161 · LANDS ON BAR 162

On crash, snare, floor tom and kick. 46 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 162. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 185

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 185 · LANDS ON BAR 186

On high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 44 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 186. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 193

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 193 · LANDS ON BAR 194

On high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 43 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 194. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 205, and 2 more times

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 205, 213 AND 221 · LANDS ON BAR 206

On crash, snare and kick. 32 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 206. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 209

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 209 · LANDS ON BAR 210

On high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 43 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 210. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 217

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 217 · LANDS ON BAR 218

On snare, high tom and mid tom. 44 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 218. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 230, and 3 more times

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 230-233 · LANDS ON BAR 234

On crash, high tom, floor tom and kick. 90 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 234. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 249

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 249 · LANDS ON BAR 250

On hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 250. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 253

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 253 · LANDS ON BAR 254

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 76 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 254. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 257

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 257 · LANDS ON BAR 258

On hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 78 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 258. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 280, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 280 AND 288 · LANDS ON BAR 281

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 34 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 281. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

Bar 284, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 284-285 · LANDS ON BAR 286

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 48 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 286. The exercise loops the figure on its own first, and the one after it puts it back: one bar of rest to count yourself in, the figure, then the landing with the time still running. Getting out of a fill is the half most people never practise.

How a fill is practised

A fill is rhythm before it is orchestration. The room plays the whole figure on the snare first, puts the feet under it second, and moves it round the toms last -- looped on its own, round and round, until the hands know it. Then it puts the fill back where it lives: a bar of rest to count in, the figure, and the downbeat it lands on, because landing square is the other half of the job.

PRACTISE THESE FILLS →

Questions

How many drum fills are in Black Horizons?

27 distinct fills, played 44 times: bars 17, 19, 41, 49, 65 and 73, and 28 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Black Horizons?

The one at bar 230, at 90 out of 100. 322 bars at 160 BPM -- fast, and 8:45 of it without a break -- on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 322 BARS ANALYSED