KEVIN SHERWOOD · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in The Gift

25 fills to learn, played 62 times across 141 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
129 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
141
LENGTH
4:20
DIFFICULTY
78/100

Bar 8

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 8 · LANDS ON BAR 9

On crash, snare, high 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 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 15, and 2 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 15-17 · LANDS ON BAR 18

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, 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 18. 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 22, and 1 more time

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 22-23 · LANDS ON BAR 24

On crash, hi-hat, snare 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 24. 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 3 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 25-28 · LANDS ON BAR 29

On crash, snare, high tom, floor tom 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 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 30

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 30 · LANDS ON BAR 31

On crash, 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 31. 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 34, and 1 more time

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 34-35 · LANDS ON BAR 36

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom, floor 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 36. 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 37, and 1 more time

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 37 AND 41 · LANDS ON BAR 38

On crash, 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 38. 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 · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 39 · LANDS ON BAR 40

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor 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 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 45, and 1 more time

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 45-46 · LANDS ON BAR 47

On crash, 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 47. 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 · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 48-50 · LANDS ON BAR 51

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 73 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 51. 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 2 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 53, 96 AND 124 · LANDS ON BAR 54

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 49 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 54. 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 · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 55, 98, 126 AND 134 · LANDS ON BAR 56

On crash, snare, high tom, 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 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, and 2 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 57-59 · LANDS ON BAR 60

On crash, snare, high tom, 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 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 66

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 66 · LANDS ON BAR 67

On crash, ride, snare, mid tom 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 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 70, and 1 more time

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 70-71 · LANDS ON BAR 72

On crash, ride, snare and kick. 86 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 8 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 75-83 · LANDS ON BAR 84

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, 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 84. 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

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 89 · LANDS ON BAR 90

On crash, snare and kick. 55 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 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 93

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 93 · LANDS ON BAR 94

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 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 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 100, and 4 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 100-104 · LANDS ON BAR 105

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 105. 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

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 108 · LANDS ON BAR 109

On crash, snare and kick. 67 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 112, and 2 more times

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 112-114 · LANDS ON BAR 115

On crash, snare, high tom, 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 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 118

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 118 · LANDS ON BAR 119

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 58 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 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 122

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 122 · LANDS ON BAR 123

On crash, snare, high tom, mid 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 123. 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 129, and 1 more time

LOOP · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 129-130 · LANDS ON BAR 131

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom 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 131. 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 · 129 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 137-140 · LANDS ON BAR 141

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 71 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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.

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 Gift?

25 distinct fills, played 62 times: bars 8, 15-17, 22-23, 25-28, 30 and 34-35, and 25 more places.

What is the hardest fill in The Gift?

The one at bar 70, at 86 out of 100. 141 bars of 4/4 at 129 BPM, about 4:20 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 141 BARS ANALYSED