How Does Your Band Decide Who Plays Fills When?

[Douglas Schuch]

I'm not sure if this is in the right section of the forum - feel free to move it if not.

I'm part of two bands now - latest is just getting started. Mostly people who have not played in country bands before. So playing fills is rather unorganized. Do you decide when you work on the song in rehearsal who will play where? Do you follow some routine - Steel on first verse/chorus, fiddle on second, guitar on third? I'm hoping to get this second band off on a more organized approach!

Thanks!

[Rich Ertelt]

Two ways, "musical director" or pre arranged at rehearsal.

Last band I was in with a steel player (where I wasn't the steel player), he was the guy. I was playing guitar. A quick glance and I was on. Since I sang harmony, I was usually busy on chorus, so I was more likely to on verse, but we did some splits. Worked really well. Once we had a pattern down, it was easy.

As a guitar player, I've noticed some guitar players aren't really big at doing fills. Some want to fill every nook and cranny. Neither is optimal.

Sometimes talking Can help. I've been in situations subbing where one guy was doing all the fills and it turned out, it was because the guy I was subbing for didn't really do a lot of fills. And they were happy to have someone take on some of the load.

[Brad Bechtel]

Listen to the original version of the songs you're going to cover, assuming you're playing such songs. I'd recommend doing this as a group so you're all able to hear and discuss the arrangement of each song.

[Craig Robson]

My band generally has a plan based on the original recording that we work through in rehearsal and I keep notes on my set list as reminders. That said, the guitar player and I have a default- guitar first, then steel- so he goes first for fills and first for rides. Then we alternate. We use this unless there is something planned or song specific going on. We probably have a set list that could pull from 150 plus songs so it can be pretty hard to remember details (I'm not getting any younger here, lol) and once in a while we get a request that maybe one of us doesn't know all that well. Having the default removes the uncertainty and the need to make eye contact/head nod to avoid stepping on each other.

[Robert Murphy]

The keyboard player/band leader never lets up. I left the band.

[Lee Rider]

We just look at each other and nod unless there are dual harmonies involved. Seems to work well for us that have problematic memories.

[Fred Treece]

Here’s what we have so far:

1) Listen to the song as a group, or at least among lead players and decide which instrument best covers at particular points in the song.

2) Have a formula for trading off (guitar/verse, steel/chorus, etc.)

3) A nod or a finger point from the band leader or among lead players

4) Wing it, like at a jam session or when subbing. I had a recent experience with this and the keyboard player just never stopped, even during vocals. You wonder how some people get their jobs.

There is also a time to just lay out and let the song groove. Especially if something feels like it’s just not clicking, fills will not help. If the groove sounds great without fills, then just let it shine with the vocal on top. Singers don’t mind having some space

[Dave Campbell]

we talk through who fills where at rehearsal, and then the guitar player just plays wherever he wants at the gig.

[Jim Cohen]

we talk through who fills where at rehearsal, and then the guitar player just plays wherever he wants at the gig.

Funny/Not Funny

[Lee Rider]

The keyboard player/band leader never lets up. I left the band.

They seem to like to play all of the parts all of the time....

[Dave Mudgett]

I genreally prefer to have one person direct traffic. I do it in some bands, others do it in others. Sometimes on something a bit more complex, we'll work things out ahead of time, but still have one person direct traffic, with or without a chart.

Sometimes a formula works - one formula that I sort of like is that whoever has the next solo fills the verse/chorus before the solo. Alternating fills sometimes works. If you're dealing with mature musicians who get it, it is often possible to just wing it and know it's gonna be OK. If people are really listening to each other, it makes this whole thing much easier.

The thing about people who never shut up - yes, it's true. Some people never, ever stop playing - loudly. Yeah, funny/not funny. And I agree about sometimes leaving space. Who made the rule that someone had to play over every single space in the music? Of course, this is context dependent. Sometimes aggressively pushing things is exactly right. And sometimes it is exactly wrong.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Some planned. Some partially planned and some just a look or a nod. We take a lot of requests and some of those aren't rehearsed. Just a quick decision on who kicks it off, number system discussion, the count and then all looks and nods.

[Sam Inglis]

Current line-up is vocals, acoustic guitar, bass and drums plus me, so I'm the only one who can play fills. I do worry it's going to get samey especially with my limited repertoire. Fortunately no-one around hear has ever heard a pedal steel before so novelty value goes a long way.

[Douglas Schuch]

Thanks for all the great responses! I'm reading them all! I think the most important factor, often not mentioned directly, but hinted at, is playing with mature musicians who don't have to be the center of attention.

[Dave Grafe]

The keyboard player/band leader never lets up. I left the band.

I think I played with that guy too

[Dave Grafe]

Thanks for all the great responses! I'm reading them all! I think the most important factor, often not mentioned directly, but hinted at, is playing with mature musicians who don't have to be the center of attention.

Um, as they say, BINGO! There is no substitute for hanging with grownups.

[Dennis Detweiler]

I add: During my early years of playing, I played with musicians that were 15 years older than me. I soaked up their experience, knowledge and suggestions. I learned when to play and when to lay out. One piece of information that was told to me that I always kept at the top of my agenda, "the band sounds no better than the weakest musician in the band." At 76 years old, this always keeps me pushing myself to not lag behind. I also like to play along with Nashville recordings that our current band is not using, to include intros, licks, endings, fills.

[Donny Hinson]

We always just called it "trading off". Whatever instrument plays the intro backs off for 8 or 16 bars, and lets another instrument play fill. When his turn is over, it's back the to one who played the intro....unless there's another lead instrument, and if it is, it's then his turn. I can't ever remember that system failing, or ever having to rehearse fills. More than 3 lead instruments on stage usually called for extending the songs, which we did quite often.

For a primer on this, listen to Buddy and Leon backing up Ernest Tubb.

[Andrew Frost]

As 'rehearsing' is a rarefied luxury most of the time, the expression a lot of gigging freelance players use up here is "heads up hockey"...

If people are really listening to each other, it makes this whole thing much easier.

[Andre Dardeau]

The last band had it set up where whoever played the intro or signature part laid out in the first verse and let the other lead instrument take the fills then swapped off for each verse. Chorus fills were assigned by the bandleader.

[Brooks Montgomery]

I’m currently in an (amateur) acoustic small 4-piece band playing small bars, breweries, events. There’s something about it being small and acoustic (mics and pickups through PA) that makes it pretty easy to gracefully share the leads, either as practiced, or by simple eye contact and a nod. Sometimes if we forget the placement and order of leads, the off-the-cuff lead tends to evoke some smiles (maybe softly muttered “oops”) and a fresh twist.

I do have to admit though, I do miss the power (and sometimes mayhem) of an electric band with a drummer, which in years past I mostly played.

[Jonathan Scherer]

We mostly figure out the leads when rehearsing a new song and then it gets designated on the charts. We rotate with
harmonica, keyboard and lap steel, in various order on the songs.

That said, the harmonica / male vocalist usually forgets about my lead on Dead Flowers and I Know You Rider, even when he highlights the leads on his chart. So the keyboard player has taken to calling out "Jman" on those pesky ones,
and the female vocalist grabs the male vocalist to slow him down, when my parts come, haha.

On the fills, those are primarily keyboard and lap steel, we take turns on that and or find different parts of the songs for fills.

Jman

[Douglas Schuch]

Jonathan Scherer:

That said, the harmonica / male vocalist usually forgets about my lead on Dead Flowers and I Know You Rider, even when he highlights the leads on his chart.

Ha! I know the feeling! On the last gig the vocalist/guitarist skipped my solo on, of all songs, NIGHTLIFE, as quintessential a steel guitar song as any, and just went straight into his solo. He's also prone forgetting that he's suppose to sing the bridge ("Listen to the blues they're playing") before going into his blues solo. That gives you a pretty good idea where his head is at (well, I can think of one other possible place ).

[Dave Magram]

Here’s an easy way to organize who will play solos and backup next...

This is the “Rotating Preview System” I learned many years ago playing in a country band that never rehearsed, yet sounded like we had because of this clever “Rotating Preview System”, which is simply a systematic, organized way to take turns doing backup and solos that requires no rehearsal, is easy to remember, gives every lead player equal time doing solos and backup, and provides musical variety for the listener!

In this example, there are three lead instruments in the band: Fiddle, Guitar, & Pedal steel.
• “ROTATION”: The key to the “Rotating Preview System” is that it uses a simple alphabetical rotating “batting order”: F-G-P (Fiddle, Guitar, Pedal steel) for the backup fills.
Depending on who starts the song, the alphabetical rotating batting order of “F-G-P - F-G-P” can start anywhere in the rotation sequence: “G-P-F- G-P-F”, or “P- F-G- P-F-G”.
• “PREVIEW”: The backup “batting order” then “previews” who plays the next solo.
• VARIETY: Notice in the diagram below how the instrument featured for solos or backup keeps changing from one part of the song to the next, providing variety to the listener.
• "EQUAL TIME": Every instrument gets one solo and two backup spots.

Rotation system for fills & solos -Country band, 2025-04-15.jpg

Alphabetical rotation by instrument name: Fiddle, Guitar, Pedal steel):
EXAMPLE: The way this “F-G-P” rotation works is like this:
o If the Guitar plays the intro, then the Pedal steel plays backup fills during the first verse—which “previews” that the Pedal steel will play the first solo--because "P" comes after "F" in the alphabetic rotation.
o After the Pedal steel plays the first solo, the Fiddle plays backup fills during the second verse—which “previews” that the Fiddle will play the second solo--because "F" comes after "P" in the alphabetic rotation (F-G-P).
o After the Fiddle plays the second solo, the Guitar plays backup fills during the third verse --because "G" comes after "F" in the alphabetic rotation.

This verbal explanation probably makes it sound more complicated than it actually is.
It’s really quite easy to remember and easy to do--if you know your ABCs! (Feel free to insert banjo joke here.)

- Dave

[Dave Grafe]

Most of my gigs are with little or no rehearsal and often I have just met the other musicians on stage, so the rule is always listen and strive to make eye contact and we'll get 'er done. Generosity of spirit is also very helpful.