DREAM THEATER · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Scene Nine: Finally Free

25 fills to learn, played 57 times across 169 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
83 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
169
LENGTH
7:53
DIFFICULTY
81/100

Bar 16

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 16 · LANDS ON BAR 17

On snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and hi-hat foot. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. 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 24, and 1 more time

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 24 AND 28 · LANDS ON BAR 25

On hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid 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 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 32

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 32 · LANDS ON BAR 33

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 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 33. 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 · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 40 · LANDS ON BAR 41

On crash, hi-hat, snare, 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 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 44, and 4 more times

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 44-48 · LANDS ON BAR 49

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 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 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 1 more time

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 55-56 · LANDS ON BAR 57

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom 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 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 64

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 64 · LANDS ON BAR 65

On crash, ride, snare, 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 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 68

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 68 · LANDS ON BAR 69

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 52 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. 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 72

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 72 · LANDS ON BAR 73

On crash, snare, kick and hi-hat foot. 69 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 73. 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 78, and 4 more times

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 73 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 88

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 88 · LANDS ON BAR 89

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 61 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 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 92

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 92 · LANDS ON BAR 93

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom 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 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 97

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 97 · LANDS ON BAR 98

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom 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 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 115, and 3 more times

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom 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 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 126

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 126 · LANDS ON BAR 127

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 56 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. 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 128

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 128 · LANDS ON BAR 129

On ride, snare, floor tom and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 129. 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 · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 132 · LANDS ON BAR 133

On crash, snare and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- 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 134, and 1 more time

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 134-135 · LANDS ON BAR 136

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 73 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 136. 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 3 more times

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 137-140 · LANDS ON BAR 141

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 141. 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 · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 142 · LANDS ON BAR 143

On crash, snare and kick. 69 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 · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 144 · LANDS ON BAR 145

On crash, ride, snare, floor tom 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 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

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 146 · LANDS ON BAR 147

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 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 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 148, and 6 more times

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 148-154 · LANDS ON BAR 155

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 90 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 156

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 156 · LANDS ON BAR 157

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor 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 157. 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, and 9 more times

LOOP · 83 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 159-168 · LANDS ON BAR 169

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 80 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 169. 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 Scene Nine: Finally Free?

25 distinct fills, played 57 times: bars 16, 24, 28, 32, 40 and 44-48, and 20 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Scene Nine: Finally Free?

The one at bar 148, at 90 out of 100. 169 bars of 4/4 at a walking 83 BPM, 7:53 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 169 BARS ANALYSED