ABR · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Meddler

22 fills to learn, played 71 times across 155 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
180 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
155
LENGTH
3:25
DIFFICULTY
71/100

Bar 3, and 5 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 3-8 · LANDS ON BAR 9

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 70 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 9. 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 12, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 12 AND 16 · LANDS ON BAR 13

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 53 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 24, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 24 AND 133 · LANDS ON BAR 25

On crash, snare and kick. 62 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 25. 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 26, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 26 AND 30 · LANDS ON BAR 27

On crash, snare and kick. 36 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 27. 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 28, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 28 AND 32 · LANDS ON BAR 29

On crash, snare and kick. 33 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 29. 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 40

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 40 · LANDS ON BAR 41

On crash, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 56 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 41. 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, and 2 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 42-44 · LANDS ON BAR 45

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 45 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 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 46, and 3 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 46-49 · LANDS ON BAR 50

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 46 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 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 51

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 51 · LANDS ON BAR 52

On crash, snare and kick. 49 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 52. 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 53, and 3 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 53-56 · LANDS ON BAR 57

On crash, snare 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 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 58, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 58 AND 123 · LANDS ON BAR 59

On snare, high tom, mid 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 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 60, and 4 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 60, 68, 121, 125 AND 129 · LANDS ON BAR 61

On crash, snare and kick. 39 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 61. 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 64, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 64 AND 93 · LANDS ON BAR 65

On crash, snare and kick. 48 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 65. 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 66, and 3 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 66, 70, 127 AND 131 · LANDS ON BAR 67

On crash, snare and kick. 41 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 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 72, and 8 more times

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 60 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 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 82, and 7 more times

On crash, snare and kick. 53 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 90. 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 91

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 91 · LANDS ON BAR 92

On crash, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 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 92. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 96-97 · LANDS ON BAR 98

On snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 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 98. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 101 AND 105 · LANDS ON BAR 102

On hi-hat, snare, high 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 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 136

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 136 · LANDS ON BAR 137

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare and kick. 76 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 137. 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 3 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 139-142 · LANDS ON BAR 143

On crash, hi-hat, snare 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 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 152, and 3 more times

LOOP · 180 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 152-155

On crash, snare and kick. 60 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 Meddler?

22 distinct fills, played 71 times: bars 3-8, 12, 16, 24, 26 and 28, and 30 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Meddler?

The one at bar 136, at 76 out of 100. 155 bars at 180 BPM -- fast, and 3:25 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 · 155 BARS ANALYSED