PARTY CANNON · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Duct Taped To A Flag Pole

25 fills to learn, played 63 times across 151 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
100 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
151
LENGTH
5:56
DIFFICULTY
89/100

Bar 10, and 3 more times

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 10-13 · LANDS ON BAR 14

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 55 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 14. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 19 AND 79 · LANDS ON BAR 20

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 40 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. 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 23, and 2 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 87 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 26. 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 29, and 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 29-30 · LANDS ON BAR 31

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom and kick. 82 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 31. 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 33, and 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 33-34 · LANDS ON BAR 35

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 97 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 35. 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 37, and 5 more times

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 37-42 · LANDS ON BAR 43

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 93 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 43. 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, and 2 more times

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 65-67 · LANDS ON BAR 68

On hi-hat, snare, high 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 68. 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 69

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 69 · LANDS ON BAR 70

On crash, ride, snare and kick. 84 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 70. 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 71

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 71 · LANDS ON BAR 72

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 70 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 72. 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 74, and 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 74-75 · LANDS ON BAR 76

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare and kick. 77 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 76. 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 81

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 81 · LANDS ON BAR 82

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom and kick. 60 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 82. 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, and 7 more times

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 92-99 · LANDS ON BAR 100

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 68 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 100. 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 101

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 101 · LANDS ON BAR 102

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom and kick. 56 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 102. 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 103

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 103 · LANDS ON BAR 104

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 56 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 104. 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 105

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 105 · LANDS ON BAR 106

On crash, ride, snare and kick. 51 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 106. 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, and 7 more times

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 108-115 · LANDS ON BAR 116

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 75 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 116. 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 119, and 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 119-120 · LANDS ON BAR 121

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare and kick. 82 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 121. 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 124

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 124 · LANDS ON BAR 125

On crash, ride, snare and kick. 97 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 125. 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 126

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 126 · LANDS ON BAR 127

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 81 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 127. 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 129, and 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 129-130 · LANDS ON BAR 131

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 54 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 131. 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 132

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 132 · LANDS ON BAR 133

On crash and kick. 44 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 133. 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 1 more time

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 137-138 · LANDS ON BAR 139

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 54 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 139. 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 142

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 142 · LANDS ON BAR 143

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid 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 143. 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 144

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 144 · LANDS ON BAR 145

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 145. 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 146, and 5 more times

LOOP · 100 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 146-151

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 62 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet.

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 Duct Taped To A Flag Pole?

25 distinct fills, played 63 times: bars 10-13, 19, 23-25, 29-30, 33-34 and 37-42, and 20 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Duct Taped To A Flag Pole?

The one at bar 33, at 97 out of 100. 151 bars of 4/4 at a walking 100 BPM, 5:56 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 151 BARS ANALYSED