Hal Blaine: Drum Fills Come From Within

Scott K Fish

Scott K Fish

Silver Member
SKF Blog: Hal Blaine: Drum Fills Come From Within

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SKF NOTE: Hal Blaine's thoughts on drum fills. From a Hal Blaine letter written about 35-years ago. Good advice that still holds true.

Fills...come from within. Somehow the [brain] puts it all together. It takes the song you're working on, listens to the lyricis, computes a feel, and calls upon all the years of experience...and comes up with a fill.

I invented today's drumset in order to have a broader range of fills: more musical, more dazzling, more show offy. It worked!

When we run down a new song, [product commercial, or tv/movie music], I try to rehearse it rather cooly. I watch the film and see what it does to me. Then when the [recording] machine gets turned on -- so do I.

As far as repeating fills? Sure. Why not, if they fit and feel natural?

Remember: when there's an opening in a song and they ask you to fill [that opening], you are contributing something that will live forever on tape or film. Make [your fill] something you would want to hear time after time.

The fill, to a drummer, is his spot. Fill it comfortably.​

Scott K Fish Blog: Life Beyond the Cymbals
 
Was just thinking of Hal's greatness but even he tended to overplay at time. Some of the Carpenters best tracks suffer a bit from Hal's busyness. We're all human.
 
An interesting read - thanks for sharing!

I'm not sure that playing "cooly" in rehearsals and then really going for it in the studio would work for everyone...
Sometimes I catch myself doing the opposite - trying to push it in rehearsals to see what fits (and how far I can take things), then playing a little more in my comfort zone in the studio to nail the timing, (and having really practiced any more way-out fills or difficult parts until I'm comfortable).
 
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