LOS JAIVAS · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in La Poderosa Muerte

23 fills to learn, played 53 times across 233 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
67 BPM
TIME
3/4
BARS
233
LENGTH
11:09
DIFFICULTY
69/100

Bar 7, and 2 more times

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 7-9 · LANDS ON BAR 10

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid 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 10. 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 11, and 7 more times

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 11-18 · LANDS ON BAR 19

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 59 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 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 21

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 21 · LANDS ON BAR 22

On crash, ride, mid tom and kick. 35 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 22. 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 38

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 38 · LANDS ON BAR 39

On ride, 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 39. 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 42

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 42 · LANDS ON BAR 43

On ride, snare, mid tom and kick. 40 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. 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 44

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 44 · LANDS ON BAR 45

On ride, snare, mid tom and kick. 58 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 45. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 48 AND 171 · LANDS ON BAR 49

On ride, snare and kick. 52 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 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 52

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 52 · LANDS ON BAR 53

On ride, snare, high tom, 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 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 56, and 2 more times

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 56-58 · LANDS ON BAR 59

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 61 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 59. 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 68

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 68 · LANDS ON BAR 69

On ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor 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 69. 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 76

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 76 · LANDS ON BAR 77

On ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 53 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 77. 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, and 2 more times

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 84, 88 AND 179 · LANDS ON BAR 85

On ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 36 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 100, and 10 more times

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 100-110 · LANDS ON BAR 111

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 58 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 111. 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 113, and 1 more time

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 113-114 · LANDS ON BAR 115

On crash, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 63 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 115. 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 118, and 1 more time

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 118 AND 122 · LANDS ON BAR 119

On kick. 0 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 119. 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 135, and 2 more times

On crash, snare and kick. 15 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 138. 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 159

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 159 · LANDS ON BAR 160

On ride, snare 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 160. 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 167

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 167 · LANDS ON BAR 168

On ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 168. 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 169, and 1 more time

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 169 AND 181 · LANDS ON BAR 170

On ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 52 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 170. 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 183

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 183 · LANDS ON BAR 184

On ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 61 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 184. 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 · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 185 · LANDS ON BAR 186

On ride, snare and kick. 59 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 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 190, and 1 more time

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 190-191 · LANDS ON BAR 192

On snare and kick. 56 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 192. 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 197

LOOP · 67 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 197 · LANDS ON BAR 198

On snare, floor tom and kick. 75 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 198. 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 La Poderosa Muerte?

23 distinct fills, played 53 times: bars 7-9, 11-18, 21, 38, 42 and 44, and 22 more places.

What is the hardest fill in La Poderosa Muerte?

The one at bar 52, at 78 out of 100. 233 bars of 3/4 -- not four -- at 67 BPM, 11:09 of playing on crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 233 BARS ANALYSED