NILE · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in The Eye Of Ra

25 fills to learn, played 106 times across 156 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
124 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
156
LENGTH
4:44
DIFFICULTY
98/100

Bar 2, and 19 more times

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 93 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 25, and 6 more times

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 25-31 · LANDS ON BAR 32

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 32. 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 33, and 6 more times

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 33-39 · LANDS ON BAR 40

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- 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 43

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 43 · LANDS ON BAR 44

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 96 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 44. 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 9 more times

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 46-55 · LANDS ON BAR 56

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 56. 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 57

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 57 · LANDS ON BAR 58

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 99 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 58. 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 59

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 59 · LANDS ON BAR 60

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 83 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 60. 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 63

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 63 · LANDS ON BAR 64

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 94 out of 100 -- hard -- 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 67, and 1 more time

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 67-68 · LANDS ON BAR 69

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 88 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 71, and 6 more times

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 78. 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 79

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 79 · LANDS ON BAR 80

On high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 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 80. 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 81, and 13 more times

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 78 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 95. 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, and 1 more time

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 99. 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 · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 102 · LANDS ON BAR 103

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

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 106 · LANDS ON BAR 107

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 2 more times

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 100 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 114

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 114 · LANDS ON BAR 115

On crash, snare, floor 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 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 116

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 116 · LANDS ON BAR 117

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor 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 117. 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 11 more times

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 86 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 130. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 132-133 · LANDS ON BAR 134

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor 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 134. 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 4 more times

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 135-139 · LANDS ON BAR 140

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 98 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 140. 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 143

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 143 · LANDS ON BAR 144

On snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom 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 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 146, and 1 more time

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 146-147 · LANDS ON BAR 148

On crash, snare, mid tom, 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 148. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 150-151 · LANDS ON BAR 152

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor 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 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 155

LOOP · 124 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 155 · LANDS ON BAR 156

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom 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 156. 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 The Eye Of Ra?

25 distinct fills, played 106 times: bars 2-21, 25-31, 33-39, 43, 46-55 and 57, and 19 more places.

What is the hardest fill in The Eye Of Ra?

The one at bar 25, at 100 out of 100. 156 bars of 4/4 at 124 BPM, about 4:44 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 156 BARS ANALYSED