SYPHONY X · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in When All Is Lost

32 fills to learn, played 76 times across 268 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
268
LENGTH
7:02
DIFFICULTY
51/100

Bar 5

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 5 · LANDS ON BAR 6

On mid tom and floor tom. 5 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how little of it repeats. In the song it lands on bar 6. 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, and 1 more time

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 45 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 14. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 20-21 · LANDS ON BAR 22

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 37 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 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 27

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 27 · LANDS ON BAR 28

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 42 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 33, and 4 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 45 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 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 · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 39 · LANDS ON BAR 40

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 46 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 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 · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 43 · LANDS ON BAR 44

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 45 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 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 50, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 50-51 · LANDS ON BAR 52

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 40 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 55

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 55 · LANDS ON BAR 56

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 50 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 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

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 59 · LANDS ON BAR 60

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 30 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 67, and 3 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 40 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 71. 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, and 3 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 36 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 82, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 82-83 · LANDS ON BAR 84

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 39 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 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 93

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 93 · LANDS ON BAR 94

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 49 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 98, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 98-99 · LANDS ON BAR 100

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 56 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 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 134, and 3 more times

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 134, 142, 192 AND 200 · LANDS ON BAR 135

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, kick and hi-hat foot. 32 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 140

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 140 · LANDS ON BAR 141

On crash, hi-hat and kick. 43 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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.

Bar 146

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 146 · LANDS ON BAR 147

On mid tom and floor tom. 1 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how little of it repeats. 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 170

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 170 · LANDS ON BAR 171

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 60 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 171. 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 172

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 172 · LANDS ON BAR 173

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 62 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 173. 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 174

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 174 · LANDS ON BAR 175

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 42 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 175. 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 177, and 1 more time

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 177-178 · LANDS ON BAR 179

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 40 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 179. 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 · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 188 · LANDS ON BAR 189

On snare, mid tom and floor tom. 9 out of 100 -- straightforward -- and what decides that is how little of it repeats. 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 196

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 196 · LANDS ON BAR 197

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 37 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 197. 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 202, and 20 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 52 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 223. 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 224

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 224 · LANDS ON BAR 225

On snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 31 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 225. 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 232

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 232 · LANDS ON BAR 233

On hi-hat, snare 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 233. 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 240

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 240 · LANDS ON BAR 241

On snare, high tom, mid tom and floor tom. 33 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is how much of it falls off the beat. In the song it lands on bar 241. 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 242

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 242 · LANDS ON BAR 243

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 37 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 243. 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 246, and 2 more times

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 36 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 249. 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 257, and 3 more times

On crash, snare, mid tom and kick. 43 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 261. 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 266

LOOP · 150 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 266 · LANDS ON BAR 267

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 31 out of 100 -- a fair first song -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 267. 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 When All Is Lost?

32 distinct fills, played 76 times: bars 5, 12-13, 20-21, 27, 33-37 and 39, and 29 more places.

What is the hardest fill in When All Is Lost?

The one at bar 232, at 66 out of 100. 268 bars of 4/4 at 150 BPM, about 7:02 of playing, on crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom, kick and hi-hat foot.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 268 BARS ANALYSED