MEINL CYMBALS · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Spencer Moore - "Red Goliath" by Archspire

23 fills to learn, played 41 times across 222 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
150 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
222
LENGTH
5:53
DIFFICULTY
83/100

Bar 4, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 4 AND 211 · LANDS ON BAR 5

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 59 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 5. 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 7, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 7-8 · LANDS ON BAR 9

On crash, snare and kick. 85 out of 100 -- hard -- 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

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 12 · LANDS ON BAR 13

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- 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 39

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 39 · LANDS ON BAR 40

On snare, mid tom and kick. 64 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 40. 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 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 42 AND 215 · LANDS ON BAR 43

On crash, snare and kick. 79 out of 100 -- demanding -- 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 47

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 47 · LANDS ON BAR 48

On crash, snare, mid tom 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 48. 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 62, and 3 more times

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 62-63 AND 78-79 · LANDS ON BAR 64

On crash, snare, high tom, mid 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 64. 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, and 3 more times

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 68-71 · LANDS ON BAR 72

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 81 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 75, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 75 AND 139 · LANDS ON BAR 76

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 77 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 88, and 5 more times

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 88-93 · LANDS ON BAR 94

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 74 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 94. 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 99

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 99 · LANDS ON BAR 100

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 81 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 103

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 103 · LANDS ON BAR 104

On crash, snare and kick. 64 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 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 111

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 111 · LANDS ON BAR 112

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 63 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 112. 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 127

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 127 · LANDS ON BAR 128

On crash, snare, 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 128. 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

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 135 · LANDS ON BAR 136

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom 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 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 142, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 142-143 · LANDS ON BAR 144

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom 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 144. 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 151

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 151 · LANDS ON BAR 152

On ride, snare, mid tom 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 152. 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 · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 159 · LANDS ON BAR 160

On ride, snare, mid tom and kick. 77 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 161, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 161 AND 163 · LANDS ON BAR 162

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom 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 162. 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 165

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 165 · LANDS ON BAR 166

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom 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 166. 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 · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 167 · LANDS ON BAR 168

On crash, snare, mid tom 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 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 · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 169 AND 171 · LANDS ON BAR 170

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 57 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 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 173

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 173 · LANDS ON BAR 174

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom 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 174. 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 Spencer Moore - "Red Goliath" by Archspire?

23 distinct fills, played 41 times: bars 4, 7-8, 12, 39, 42 and 47, and 23 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Spencer Moore - "Red Goliath" by Archspire?

The one at bar 42, at 87 out of 100. 222 bars of 4/4 at 150 BPM, about 5:53 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 222 BARS ANALYSED