Help! I have to start songs with drum fills!

AlexLakis · 9th June 2007

I've noticed I've developed an illness lately...My songwriting partner pointed it out to me...For the last two years or so, I've been starting almost every song I write with a drum fill or drum hit! I can't stop! Should I be worried? Please advise!

poncival · 9th June 2007

Chop off the first 8 bars of drums including the fill or hit and see what happens. use the fill in the 8th bar of the song instead of the 0th bar... if that makes sense

Jax · 10th June 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

I've noticed I've developed an illness lately...My songwriting partner pointed it out to me...For the last two years or so, I've been starting almost every song I write with a drum fill or drum hit! I can't stop! Should I be worried? Please advise!

What illness? Then again, I play drums so it might bother me less or not at all.

I'd say the drum intro writing style is cool and best not to worry about. All songwriters have (hopefully) a style that distinguishes them from other songwriters.

If most of the intros are very similar and some are the same, then I'd be worried. Like if you have 4 songs that start with a snare flam on the 4 of a grace measure...
...you don't do you? Cos that one's mine! lol

doorknocker · 10th June 2007

Listen to Tom Petty's 'Last Dance with Mary Jane', specifically the drum break after the rhythm guitar intro. Then listen to Tom Petty's version of 'Something in the Air' (a song by Thunderclap Newman that Petty recorded for his 'Greatest Hits'.)

Again there's a guitar intro folowed by the exact same drum fill as on 'Mary Jane' , I guess it's spliced in from one or the other song because the sound is identical too. I wonder what the story was behind that but it works great.

So don't worry about your drum fills, it's probably a style in the making....

Goliath|Audio · 11th June 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

...or drum hit!...

Even the funkiest groove starts out with a single note.

You know, you could just start it out with....... aw hell... I don't like writing drum parts and I'm a drummer.

Go with it.

AlexLakis · 11th June 2007

Thanks, guys! I just thought it was funny, my songwriting partner pointed it out, but I didn't see a problem with it. All the fills are different, some are cut measures, some are actual fills, etc.. I AM running out of options, tho, so this phase will probably stop or at least cool down for a bit.

I did write one song that had four flams at the beginning, and my friend was like "Oh, I thought you were going into a cover of 'Judith!' (APC)" That intro got cut. Damn you, Josh Freese!

Anybody else catch themselves going thru (or breaking out of) some interesting stylistic patterns as far as songwriting and/or arrangement? There was, of course, my token "must have triple-doubled vocal harmonies on everything" phase, followed closely by my "must have absolutely no harmonies on anything" phase.

9th June 2007	#1
AlexLakis Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD/Los Angeles, CA Posts: 3,631 Thread Starter	Help! I have to start songs with drum fills! I've noticed I've developed an illness lately...My songwriting partner pointed it out to me...For the last two years or so, I've been starting almost every song I write with a drum fill or drum hit! I can't stop! Should I be worried? Please advise!

9th June 2007	#2
poncival Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 685	Chop off the first 8 bars of drums including the fill or hit and see what happens. use the fill in the 8th bar of the song instead of the 0th bar... if that makes sense __________________ Makin records in The Jungle

10th June 2007	#4
doorknocker Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2002 Location: Basel, Switzerland Posts: 6,206 1 Review written	Listen to Tom Petty's 'Last Dance with Mary Jane', specifically the drum break after the rhythm guitar intro. Then listen to Tom Petty's version of 'Something in the Air' (a song by Thunderclap Newman that Petty recorded for his 'Greatest Hits'.) Again there's a guitar intro folowed by the exact same drum fill as on 'Mary Jane' , I guess it's spliced in from one or the other song because the sound is identical too. I wonder what the story was behind that but it works great. So don't worry about your drum fills, it's probably a style in the making.... __________________ 'Ever since the Supreme Court overturned the Snare Act, it has been legal to use any mic you like on snare.' - joeq http://www.doorknocker.ch/

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11th June 2007	#6
AlexLakis Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD/Los Angeles, CA Posts: 3,631 Thread Starter	Thanks, guys! I just thought it was funny, my songwriting partner pointed it out, but I didn't see a problem with it. All the fills are different, some are cut measures, some are actual fills, etc.. I AM running out of options, tho, so this phase will probably stop or at least cool down for a bit. I did write one song that had four flams at the beginning, and my friend was like "Oh, I thought you were going into a cover of 'Judith!' (APC)" That intro got cut. Damn you, Josh Freese! Anybody else catch themselves going thru (or breaking out of) some interesting stylistic patterns as far as songwriting and/or arrangement? There was, of course, my token "must have triple-doubled vocal harmonies on everything" phase, followed closely by my "must have absolutely no harmonies on anything" phase.