Year 9 - Music
Fills and variation in grunge drum beats
The sound of 90s grunge
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit introduces pupils to 90s Grunge music, including the context of the style and its other musical influences. Pupils learn about the main musical features and about extended pop song structure, riffs with power chords, harmonic rhythm and phrase structure in melody and lyric writing.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to develop a drum beat with fills and variation and arrange it into a verse-chorus structure.
Key Notes
- Drum fills are used at the end of sections and phrases to create variety and to highlight the change.
- There are limitless possibilities for drum fills, but there are some patterns that are commonly used.
- A crash cymbal on beat one of the new section is an effective way to end a drum fill.
- We can add variation to our drum groove by using the ride cymbal, open hi-hats and varying the drum patterns.
- Verse-chorus form is normally as follows: intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - middle 8 - chorus - outro
Vocabulary To Learn
- drum fill: a break in the groove in which the drummer plays a different pattern, often used at the end of sections or phrases
- crash cymbal: produces a loud, sharp 'crash' and is typically used to emphasise key moments
- ride cymbal: has a thin 'ringing' sound and is an alternative to the hi-hat in drum grooves
- verse-chorus form: a common structure in popular music styles that is based around alternating verses and choruses
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Drum fills have to be complex and use lots of different parts of the drum kit. The tom-toms can be played in any order.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Drum fills are used at the end of sections and phrases to create variety and to highlight the change. There are limitless possibilities for drum fills, but there are some patterns that are commonly used.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'drum fill'
a break in the groove in which the drummer plays a different pattern, often used at the end of sections or phrases.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Drum fills have to be complex and use lots of different parts of the drum kit. The tom-toms can be played in any order. Correction: Drum fills can be effective using only one or two parts of the kit, such as the snare and kick. The key is that they have a distinct rhythm that separates them from the main drum groove. When using the toms, they should be played from high to low.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Music guide library.