MORFONICA · DRUM FILLS

The drum fills in Wreath of Brave

21 fills to learn, played 69 times across 145 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
135 BPM
TIME
4/4
BARS
145
LENGTH
4:18
DIFFICULTY
64/100

Bar 8, and 1 more time

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 8 AND 88 · LANDS ON BAR 9

On 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 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 12

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 12 · LANDS ON BAR 13

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 69 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 13. 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, and 2 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 14-16 · LANDS ON BAR 17

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom, floor 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 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 24, and 11 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 24-35 · LANDS ON BAR 36

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 70 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 42, and 1 more time

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 42-43 · LANDS ON BAR 44

On crash, hi-hat, 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 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 47, and 9 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 47-51 AND 90-94 · LANDS ON BAR 52

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom 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 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 · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 55 · LANDS ON BAR 56

On crash, snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 66 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 57 · LANDS ON BAR 58

On hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 73 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 59 · LANDS ON BAR 60

On snare, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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, and 12 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 66-78 · LANDS ON BAR 79

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 70 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 79. 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 86

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 86 · LANDS ON BAR 87

On crash, snare, high tom, 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 87. 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

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 97-98 · LANDS ON BAR 99

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom and kick. 72 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. 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 100, and 1 more time

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 100-101 · LANDS ON BAR 102

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick. 53 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 102. 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 · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 110 · LANDS ON BAR 111

On hi-hat, snare, floor tom and kick. 26 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 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, and 3 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 118-121 · LANDS ON BAR 122

On crash, 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 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 · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 123 · LANDS ON BAR 124

On crash, hi-hat, snare and kick. 46 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 125

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 125 · LANDS ON BAR 126

On 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 126. 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 128, and 2 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 128-130 · LANDS ON BAR 131

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid tom and kick. 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 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 133, and 4 more times

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 133-137 · LANDS ON BAR 138

On crash, hi-hat, snare, mid 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 138. 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 141

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BAR 141 · LANDS ON BAR 142

On hi-hat, snare and kick. 65 out of 100 -- demanding -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet. In the song it lands on bar 142. 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, and 1 more time

LOOP · 135 BPM
PLAYED AT BARS 144-145

On crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, floor tom and kick. 57 out of 100 -- a step up -- and what decides that is the independence between the hands and the feet.

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 Wreath of Brave?

21 distinct fills, played 69 times: bars 8, 12, 14-16, 24-35, 42-43 and 47-51, and 17 more places.

What is the hardest fill in Wreath of Brave?

The one at bar 125, at 74 out of 100. 145 bars of 4/4 at 135 BPM, about 4:18 of playing, on crash, hi-hat, snare, high tom, mid tom, floor tom and kick.

READ OFF THE SCORE ITSELF · 145 BARS ANALYSED