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The Drum Fill
Drum fills can be very tricky to get right. Easy to overdo. Easy to make them too robotic.
Are they always necessary?
On the new song I'm working on, I have done without drum fills so far and I'm thinking it sounds just fine without them!
Trying to think of examples of great songs that don't have fills. Any ideas?
Is it better to leave them out than put naff ones in?
- Do you use them?19 votes
- The more the better!10.53%
- Yes, but Subtlety is the key.84.21%
- Nah, don't bother.5.26%
Comments
Sometimes tons, sometimes nones! Depends on the 'statement'. Metropolis like slave vision of the future or crotch infused ego rock? All depends.
I'm allergic to the crash.
I dont really think about fills, but more often than not, i make the fourth or second time the base drum loop goes around a bit different on the end to keep them more interesting. But im not really into huge fills, except in metal and rock music.
I think I may be too!
Must've been years of having a drummer with a big China crash, who definitely over used his cymbals.
Lately with Future drummer I find I have been substituting the crashes with either little FX or just a backwards rimshot.
That's a good way to go. Makes things more interesting than the standard ways.
I used to agonize over drum fill programming. Then I spent several years mainly focused on making hip hop instrumentals where, traditionally anyway, fills came in the form of drop outs. Now I mostly used drop outs in most any music I make. Drop outs also make it easier to create a 'fill' with another instrument like a pick up guitar riff or whatever
Fills should have a purpose. Are you transitioning? Building excitement? Just getting bored? A fill can be as simple as a few extra hi hat hits or rushing the pattern a little or just leaving out the '4' snare or a single off beat tom...
Just had a fill related flashback. I played drums for a one night only "80s Buttrock" battle of the bands. It was a bunch of web nerds from different agencies raising money for something or other. Three songs per band/agency. Our band was called GreatWhiteLionSnake and we were amazing, btw.
Anyway, one of the songs we covered was Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. Always hated it. Playing it was fun though. In particular, and getting back to the point, the bridge into the chorus does a really cool 'fill': they cut the last 1/4 measure off so you get this sense of urgency/rush into the chorus. The whole band hits together or 'give it a shot' and then the "ohhhhhh" that starts the chorus comes in on what would be 'the 4' of the bridge. It's sort of an anti fill and it's way more musically useful than a bunch of tom banging would have been.
Not sure I understand OP's premise. Fills can be just subtle changes in the pattern at the end of each phrase. Doesn't have to be a complete musical statement, just some small variation. For me the more variation the more the music comes alive. I don't like music that sounds like a software program composed it.
I was talking about traditional drum rolls leading into the next musical segment. These can include snares, toms and cymbals etc.
Yes, small variations towards the end of a pattern can sometimes be more effective than an over the top, obvious fill.
Yeah, I'm talking about going from a verse in to a chorus for example. It really is song dependent. This particular song just needs something subtle to lead into each part, so I'll have to try a few things.
couldn't listen to parliament without them
Me too. The strange thing is though- when I put them in I hate them- when other people put them in their music- I don't really hear them so much- I'm not sure why this is.
More cowbell always works.
You can't go wrong randomly placing a shit load of drum hits where you want your fill and then dialing it back.
I keep it simple with either an extra snare hit or two, some open hihats, or a simple mid/low tom thingie. Whatever's effective for the song. And since I'm always using a drum machine, I make sure to stick to what a real drummer could actually play (except in rare cases).