SEA OF SUNS · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in The Helix Nebula

33 fills to learn, played 49 times across 215 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
160 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
215
LENGTH
5:33
DIFFICULTY
67/100

Bar 17, and 3 more times

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 17-20 · LANDS ON BAR 21

On snare, floor tom and kick. 41 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 21. 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 28

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 28 · LANDS ON BAR 29

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 66 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. 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 46

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 46 · LANDS ON BAR 47

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 57 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 50

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 50 · LANDS ON BAR 51

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 46 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. 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 52, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 52 AND 61 · LANDS ON BAR 53

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 52 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 53. 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 54

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 54 · LANDS ON BAR 55

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 55. 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 · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 59 · LANDS ON BAR 60

On snare, mid tom and kick. 42 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 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 64, and 1 more time

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 66 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 66. 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 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 68-69 · LANDS ON BAR 70

On crash, 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 70. 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

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 71 · LANDS ON BAR 72

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 52 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 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 73, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 73-74 · LANDS ON BAR 75

On crash, snare, 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 75. 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 · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 88 · LANDS ON BAR 89

On crash, snare, 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 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 90

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 90 · LANDS ON BAR 91

On crash, snare and mid tom. 43 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 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 92, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 92-93 · LANDS ON BAR 94

On crash, snare, mid tom 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 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 95, and 5 more times

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 95-100 · LANDS ON BAR 101

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 64 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 101. 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 110

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 110 · LANDS ON BAR 111

On hi-hat, snare, mid 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 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 118

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 118 · LANDS ON BAR 119

On crash, 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 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 123

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 123 · LANDS ON BAR 124

On crash, snare, 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 124. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 126-127 · LANDS ON BAR 128

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 67 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. 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 131

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 131 · LANDS ON BAR 132

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 132. 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

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 134 · LANDS ON BAR 135

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor 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 135. 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 136

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 136 · LANDS ON BAR 137

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 50 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 137. 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 · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 144 · LANDS ON BAR 145

On crash, snare, mid 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 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 · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 146 · LANDS ON BAR 147

On crash, snare, mid 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 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

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 148 · LANDS ON BAR 149

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 47 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 149. 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, and 2 more times

On crash, snare, mid 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 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 171

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 171 · LANDS ON BAR 172

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 38 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 172. 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 176

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 176 · LANDS ON BAR 177

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 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 188

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 188 · LANDS ON BAR 189

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom 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 189. 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 192

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 192 · LANDS ON BAR 193

On crash, snare, 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 193. 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 198

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 198 · LANDS ON BAR 199

On snare, mid tom and kick. 48 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 199. 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 200

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 200 · LANDS ON BAR 201

On snare, mid tom and floor tom. 25 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 201. 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 203

LOOP · 160 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 203 · LANDS ON BAR 204

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 60 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 204. 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 Helix Nebula?

33 distinct fills, played 49 times: bars 17-20, 28, 46, 50, 52 and 54, and 28 more places.

What is the hardest fill in The Helix Nebula?

The one at bar 110, at 82 out of 100. 215 bars at 160 BPM -- fast, and 5:33 of it without a break -- on crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 215 BARS ANALYSED