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In popular music, a ''fill'' is a sound (or combination of sounds) which "fills" the brief time between lyrical phrases and lines of melody. From a musical arranger's perspective, a fill serves the dual purpose or sustaining the listener's attention during what would otherwise be a brief "dead time," and intensifying or beautifying the principal melody. A fill may be played by any instrument, from percussion to flute, and may, as in certain types of blues, even be sung. Each type of popular music (such as country, swing, etc.) has its own acceptable types of fill, which would generally sound badly misplaced in music of a different genre (such as hip-hop).
The ability to improvise new and interesting fills often distinguishes an instrumentalist with arranging talent from one lacking in such talent. Certain musicians and groups pride themselves at improvising new fills each time a song is played. For example, the blues guitarist Eric Clapton rarely plays the same fill twice, notwithstanding the overwhelming musicality of his recorded guitar fills. The now-deceased Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers was likewise known for his creation of new fills during every live performance.
Other groups, consisting mainly of songwriters, notably, The Eagles, masterfully write and record fills that they then consider to be integral to the song. Such groups therefore play fills identically (or nearly so) each time a song is played. A live Eagles performance of songs such as "Hotel California," "Victim of Love," "Life in the Fast Lane, and "Peaceful Easy Feeling," will contain virtually the same fills as the original recording.
A fill should be distinguished from a "lead," which is a passage of at least several measures in which a musical instrument becomes a musical and auditory substitute for the singer or, in the case of purely instrumental music, for the principal melody instrument. Like fills, leads can either be played the same way every time, such as Carlos Santana's guitar lead in "Smooth," or improvised each time, such as Eric Clapton's lead in "Crossroads" (recorded with "Cream.")

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See Also

See Also

★ Lead guitar

★ Riff