This week we're gonna work on a couple of simple fills that'll use quarter notes as their foundation.

Now these fills are most commonly used in the "up" section of an arrangement, and because they're each two bars long, we have to make sure that we're very careful where and when we choose to play them. And because they'll take us away from our tumbao, and create some tension within the groove, generally we should only try to use them once in an entire song.

So, for the first fill, we're going to start by playing a figure based on quarter notes on the three side of the clave, and answering that phrase in the following bar with a shape that includes a few more upbeats. Let's work on this as an eight-bar phrase, with our fill starting in the fourth bar.

So, we played two ghost tones at the end of the bar leading into the fill, and filled in the eighth notes between our right-hand open tones on the first three beats of the fill with ghost tones as well. Then, we played two left-hand open tones back to back, to help us get over to the tumbadora more comfortably.

Now, remember that the "sticking" of any fill or pattern is always up to you. As long as it allows you to execute what you're playing comfortably, and gives you the particular feel you're looking for, you can feel free to switch up whatever you need to. It's also important to note that ghost tones can at times feel more comfortable at certain tempos than others, so always keep that in mind as you're working things out.

Now although it may seem very simple, using quarter notes to start the fill allows the groove some breathing room in comparison to the constant eighth notes of the tumbao pattern, and it helps the second bar of the fill have even more of an impact, as we're playing a lot of accents on the upbeats just before we jump back into the groove.

This formula of having a few beats or a bar to help set things up, followed by some tension, whether it be upbeats, triplets or anything that takes us away from our constant eighth-note grid, and then resolves back into the groove, is a simple structure that you can keep in mind when creating fills of your own.

So, let's move on to working our second fill within an eight-bar phrase. And this time we'll start the phrase by playing quarter notes in the third bar, on the "two side" of the clave. And instead of using ghost notes in between our quarter-note open tones, let's just play the open tones by alternating our hands, left to right, with no notes in between. Now you'll hear that this will give our quarter-note figure a bit more space, and even change the way quarter notes feel. Let's check it out.

So, there's definitely a big difference in the way that the quarter notes can feel with no ghost notes in between them. Playing ghost notes in between the open tones, like in the first fill in this lesson, helps them feel a bit more rigid and locked into the eighth-note grid, while leaving space between the open tones, like in this last example, allows us to play them a bit more freely and lay them back if we want to.

Now, if you want to learn more about the concept of how note values, different shapes and figures work in respect to a grid, make sure to check out our lesson on Pulse, Time, and Feel from the Conga Fundamentals course on CongaChops.com.

Remember that these fills can also be used freely, as long as we respect the direction of the clave, and of course what the rest of the band is playing in any given musical situation. It's also important to note that we'll work on these in two-, four- or eight-bar phrases, so we can get used to how they would work in a musical context. But as I mentioned before, these fills are most likely something that we'd only use once in an entire song.

So, for this last example, I want to use them freely within a longer phrase. Now I'll always make sure to respect the direction of the clave when I place them, but I won't necessarily worry about them being in the exact same place in the phrase every time. So, let's check this out over one of our exclusive CongaChops practice loops.

So now we've got a feel for how these fills can work in a musical context. Just make sure you take the time to work out the figures and sticking slowly at first, before you speed them up. When playing fills like these, that are based on simple shapes like quarter notes for example, the intention you play them with is everything. And that intention starts with mastering how certain phrases work in respect to a pulse and the clave. So, make sure you take the time to clap the clave along to each example, so you can start to understand how they work together.

And when you start to work on these respective fills, make sure you're playing those quarter notes like your life depends on it. In many cases, the more simple the groove, phrase or figure, the harder it is to play it with conviction. Mastering our sense of time and pulse, especially with this simplest of shapes, can make a huge impact on the way we make everything that we play feel.

Remember that we might use these fills just to add some intensity to a particular phrase or section, or as a musical response to something that's played by any of the other instruments in the band, including the vocals. So, when you start working on developing some similar fills of your own, you can reference the structure I mentioned earlier in the lesson to give yourself a great place to start. So, remember: setup, tension and resolution.

Now that you have some of these things in mind, try to see if you can spot where these types of fills come up as you're listening to your favorite recordings. Make sure you're always paying attention to any contributing factor that you feel may have influenced the conga player's decision to play a particular fill in a particular place. Learning to understand the way that your favorite percussionists think will give you some insight as to when these types of fills can feel natural to play throughout the course of an arrangement, as well as generally improve the way you approach any musical situation, whether it's laying down a groove, playing through an arrangement, or taking a solo.