KALMAH · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Black Waltz

3 fills to learn, played 5 times across 142 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
135 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
142
LENGTH
4:12
DIFFICULTY
68/100

Bar 12

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 12 · LANDS ON BAR 13

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 57 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 13. 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 20

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 20 · LANDS ON BAR 21

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 61 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 21. 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 137, and 2 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 137-139 · LANDS ON BAR 140

On crash, snare, kick and hi-hat foot. 49 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 140. 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 Waltz?

3 distinct fills, played 5 times: bars 12, 20 and 137-139.

What is the hardest fill in Black Waltz?

The one at bar 20, at 61 out of 100. 142 bars of 4/4 at 135 BPM, about 4:12 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 142 BARS ANALYSED