BEHEMOTH · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Demigod

17 fills to learn, played 28 times across 109 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
123 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
109
LENGTH
3:34
DIFFICULTY
93/100

Bar 16

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 16 · LANDS ON BAR 17

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 71 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 17. 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 18

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 18 · LANDS ON BAR 19

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 19. 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 · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 20 · LANDS ON BAR 21

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 79 out of 100 -- demanding -- 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 22

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 22 · LANDS ON BAR 23

On ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 23. 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 48

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 48 · LANDS ON BAR 49

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 91 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 49. 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 50, and 2 more times

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 50-52 · LANDS ON BAR 53

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 89 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 53. 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 54

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 54 · LANDS ON BAR 55

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 80 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 55. 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 56

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 56 · LANDS ON BAR 57

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, 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 57. 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 61, and 5 more times

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 61-66 · LANDS ON BAR 67

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 94 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 67. 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 · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 84 · LANDS ON BAR 85

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 91 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 86, and 2 more times

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 86-88 · LANDS ON BAR 89

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 90, and 2 more times

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 90-92 · LANDS ON BAR 93

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 86 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 94

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 94 · LANDS ON BAR 95

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 95. 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 96

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 96 · LANDS ON BAR 97

On crash, snare and kick. 63 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 97. 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 98

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 98 · LANDS ON BAR 99

On crash, snare and kick. 64 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 99. 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 100

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 100 · LANDS ON BAR 101

On crash, snare and kick. 68 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 101. 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 108

LOOP · 123 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 108 · LANDS ON BAR 109

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 86 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 109. 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 Demigod?

17 distinct fills, played 28 times: bars 16, 18, 20, 22, 48 and 50-52, and 11 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Demigod?

The one at bar 18, at 100 out of 100. 109 bars of 4/4 at 123 BPM, about 3:34 of playing, on crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 109 BARS ANALYSED