TRIVIUM · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in What The Dead Men Say

31 fills to learn, played 62 times across 126 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
105 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
126
LENGTH
4:48
DIFFICULTY
82/100

Bar 6

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 6 · LANDS ON BAR 7

On crash, 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 7. 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 10

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 10 · LANDS ON BAR 11

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 11. 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 14

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 14 · LANDS ON BAR 15

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 58 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 15. 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 16

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 16 · LANDS ON BAR 17

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, floor 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 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 18

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 18 · LANDS ON BAR 19

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 97 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 19. 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 20

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 20 · LANDS ON BAR 21

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 89 out of 100 -- hard -- 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 22, and 5 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 22-27 · LANDS ON BAR 28

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 84 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 28. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 30-31 · LANDS ON BAR 32

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 80 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 33 AND 57 · LANDS ON BAR 34

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 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 34. 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 38

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 38 · LANDS ON BAR 39

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 66 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 39. 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, and 3 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 40-43 · LANDS ON BAR 44

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

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 46 · LANDS ON BAR 47

On snare, high tom, mid tom, floor 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 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 3 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 48-51 · LANDS ON BAR 52

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 84 out of 100 -- hard -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 52. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 54-55 · LANDS ON BAR 56

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 74 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. 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 59, and 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 59-60 · LANDS ON BAR 61

On snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 64 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 61. 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 2 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 62, 66 AND 70 · LANDS ON BAR 63

On crash, ride, snare, high tom, 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 63. 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 · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 64 · LANDS ON BAR 65

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 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 · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 68 · LANDS ON BAR 69

On crash, snare, 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 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 · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 72 · LANDS ON BAR 73

On crash, snare, high tom, mid 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 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 74, and 2 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 74-76 · LANDS ON BAR 77

On crash, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 48 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how fine the subdivision is. In the song it lands on bar 77. 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 83, and 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 83-84 · LANDS ON BAR 85

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 70 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is how many notes a second it asks for. In the song it lands on bar 85. 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 · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 92 · LANDS ON BAR 93

On crash, hi-hat, mid tom, floor 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 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 94, and 2 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 94-96 · LANDS ON BAR 97

On crash, ride, snare, 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 97. 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 98, and 2 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 98-100 · LANDS ON BAR 101

On crash, snare, high tom, 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 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 102

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 102 · LANDS ON BAR 103

On snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 49 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 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 104, and 5 more times

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 104-109 · LANDS ON BAR 110

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 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 110. 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 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 112-113 · LANDS ON BAR 114

On crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 75 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 114. 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 · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 116 · LANDS ON BAR 117

On 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 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 120, and 1 more time

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 120-121 · LANDS ON BAR 122

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 62 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 122. 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 · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 123 · LANDS ON BAR 124

On crash, snare, high 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 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

LOOP · 105 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 126

On crash, floor tom and kick. 51 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat.

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 What The Dead Men Say?

31 distinct fills, played 62 times: bars 6, 10, 14, 16, 18 and 20, and 28 more places.

What is the hardest fill in What The Dead Men Say?

The one at bar 94, at 98 out of 100. 126 bars of 4/4 at a walking 105 BPM, 4:48 of playing, on crash, ride, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 126 BARS ANALYSED