MASTODON · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Oblivion

27 fills to learn, played 91 times across 210 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
102 BPM
TIME
3/4
BARS
210
LENGTH
7:08
DIFFICULTY
72/100

Bar 16

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 16 · LANDS ON BAR 17

On snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 63 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 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 20, and 20 more times

On crash, hi-hat, 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 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 45

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 45 · LANDS ON BAR 46

On ride, snare, high tom, floor tom and kick. 74 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 46. 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 2 more times

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 48, 52 AND 86 · LANDS ON BAR 49

On ride, 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 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 55, and 3 more times

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 55-56 AND 97-98 · LANDS ON BAR 57

On ride, 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 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

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 58 · LANDS ON BAR 59

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 63 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 64

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 64 · LANDS ON BAR 65

On hi-hat, snare 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 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 16 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, floor tom and kick. 77 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 83. 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 89, and 1 more time

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 89-90 · LANDS ON BAR 91

On ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 74 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 91. 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 102

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 102 · LANDS ON BAR 103

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 57 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 103. 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 106, and 1 more time

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 106 AND 190 · LANDS ON BAR 107

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 66 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 107. 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 1 more time

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 108 AND 112 · LANDS ON BAR 109

On hi-hat, snare 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 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.

Bar 118

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 118 · LANDS ON BAR 119

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 50 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 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 120, and 2 more times

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 120, 124 AND 126 · LANDS ON BAR 121

On ride, snare and kick. 47 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 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 142, and 4 more times

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 142-146 · LANDS ON BAR 147

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 70 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 147. 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 150

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 150 · LANDS ON BAR 151

On crash, snare and kick. 31 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 151. 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 154

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 154 · LANDS ON BAR 155

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 13 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how often it moves around the kit. In the song it lands on bar 155. 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 157, and 1 more time

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 157-158 · LANDS ON BAR 159

On crash, ride, snare and kick. 62 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 159. 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 160

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 160 · LANDS ON BAR 161

On crash, ride, snare and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 161. 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 164

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 164 · LANDS ON BAR 165

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 41 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 165. 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 168, and 1 more time

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 168-169 · LANDS ON BAR 170

On crash, snare and kick. 34 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 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 172

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 172 · LANDS ON BAR 173

On crash, hi-hat, 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 173. 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 174, and 2 more times

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, kick and hi-hat foot. 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 177. 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 182

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 182 · LANDS ON BAR 183

On hi-hat, 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 183. 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 186

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 186 · LANDS ON BAR 187

On hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 71 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 187. 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 194

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 194 · LANDS ON BAR 195

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 76 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 195. 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 196, and 10 more times

LOOP · 102 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 196-206 · LANDS ON BAR 207

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 50 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 207. 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 Oblivion?

27 distinct fills, played 91 times: bars 16, 20-40, 45, 48, 52 and 55-56, and 28 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Oblivion?

The one at bar 182, at 78 out of 100. 210 bars of 3/4 -- not four -- at 102 BPM, 7:08 of playing on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 210 BARS ANALYSED