1985 was a great year for music. There was Tears For Fears, Whitney Houston, and there was Pete Townshend – guitarist and songwriter of The Who – who had just released his fourth solo album.

The opening track “Give Blood” featured Simon Phillips – one of Townshend’s favorite musicians – on the drums. And what a cool drum part it is.

Simon always has fascinating stories about his epic studio sessions. In this video you’ll not only see him play through “Give Blood”, but you’ll get a breakdown of his drum parts and hear stories about what it was like recording the track for the legendary Pete Townshend: “the session that should have never happened”!

(P.S. Download the “Give Blood” sheet music PDF here! For 3000+ other songs, practice tools and more, become a Drumeo member)

Drummers often have a stronger side and a weaker side. It can take a lifetime to develop both sides at an equal level. 

Among other things, Simon Phillips is known for his ability to lead with both his left and right hand, and it’s opened up many more musical opportunities in his playing.

“I sounded different. Leading with the left made me play things differently.”

In this quick tip video, Simon talks about why he started strengthening his left hand at the age of 18 and how being an ambidextrous drummer has helped him become the powerhouse he is today.

Why should you learn to lead with your weaker hand?

• You’ll build control and confidence – so even if you’re leading with your stronger hand, your weaker hand will sound more consistent with rolls, fills, and ghost notes.
• You’ll have many more options for orchestrations (as in, the sounds and patterns you can create).
• You’ll have more options for where you can position different pieces of your drum kit.
• If you keep the groove on the hi-hats with your left hand, for example, your right hand will be free to move around the toms.

Give it a shot and balance out your playing!

Don’t miss Simon’s “Developing Freedom With Double Bass” course, which goes over balance and independence between hands and feet. Get a free 7-day trial to Drumeo to access the goods!

It was my early experiences that formed and gave me the ammunition I use today. Let me give you an idea of what studios were like in those days.

In the 60s and 70s, unless you were wealthy enough to buy a Revox tape recorder or hire session musicians (and record on a 4-track machine in the basement of a music store on Denmark Street in London), it was normal to go into a session without a demo of the tune you’d be recording.

This was the case when I recorded Sin After Sin with Judas Priest.

Prior to going into Ramport Studios in Battersea, London, we rehearsed for a day or two. As there were no demos to listen to, Glen Tipton would start playing the song and Ian Hill and I would join in. When it was time for the next section we’d stop and Glen would say “All right, the next bit goes like this!” And off he’d start again. Ian and I would join in and we’d play up to the next section.

Once we knew all the sections, we’d play the whole song and Rob Halford and KK would join us. Then we moved on to the next tune. I don’t remember writing anything down, but maybe I did.

As there were no demos to listen to, Glen Tipton would start playing the song and Ian Hill and I would join in.

When we started recording, Glen Tipton was set up to my left with a thin BBC type baffle (gobo) between us, my Ludwig Octoplus kit in the center, and another baffle and Ian Hill to my right. Glen had a full array of Marshall cabs and Ian had one or two Acoustic 360 cabinets. When they played, my snares would rattle like crazy. The word “isolation” hadn’t been invented yet!

Rob Halford was in the vocal booth, which we would walk through to get to the control room where K.K. was sitting with producer Roger Glover and the engineer. 

That is generally how we’d make rock and roll records.

And by the way, we did not call it heavy metal in those days. It was ‘heavy rock’. 

In 1976, I was booked into Olympic Studio 2 with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to record the original music of Evita.

I was only 19, but I was already very into sound and tones and microphones. As a visiting musician, I had the benefit of hearing all the studios around London and comparing them to each other. 

Most studios had the same headphones: those square, black and white DT100 Beyers (which I still use today).

But not Olympic Studios.

They had these awful headphones, made of something that looked like Red Bakelite and tough vinyl gray ear pads with two strands of wire over the top to hold them on your head. I nicknamed the studio “Bomber Command”. Those phones would not have been out of place in a Lancaster bomber in WWII.

They had these awful headphones, made of something that looked like Red Bakelite and tough vinyl gray ear pads with two strands of wire over the top to hold them on your head.

They only had one mono Quad 405 amplifier for the foldback system. Musicians rely on what they hear to get results in the studio, so if you don’t get a good mix you are going to be in big trouble.

This wasn’t a 3-hour session or a jingle where you could just about put up with the foldback system. We were going to be recording for 6 weeks. I said to the engineer, “The foldback sounds terrible. Any chance we could get some Beyer DT100s and another amp to make the foldback stereo?”

“We can’t do that,” the engineer replied.

One of the sayings I hate in life is “We can’t do that!” I persisted.

“All you need is another Quad 405. Put it on the shelf next to the existing one,” I said. “You can use another send that I can see on the console. Some cable, soldering iron, whatever it takes, figure it out. And we want DT100s.”

Andrew and Tim – bless them – said, “Right. Sessions stop until we get these guys a decent headphone system.”

The next day we had brand new Beyer DT100s and a second Quad amplifier, and they’d figured out the wiring so we had a stereo foldback. We may not have had separate mixes like everybody has these days, but all of a sudden, Olympic 2 was great. 

Of course, to get good headphone sounds, you have to have good sounds in the first place.

Getting a great drum sound was all about discovery. I didn’t know how to get my drums in the control room to sound the way the drums did on my favorite records. There was so much to learn.

Going back to 1975, I had left Jesus Christ Superstar and the band I was in disbanded and suddenly I was on my own, sitting at home, thinking about where I was going to earn my next paycheck. Slowly but surely, the phone started to ring.

At that point I had one drum kit I used for recording. It was a white Ludwig Big Beat outfit and it had a 22” bass drum, two 13” rack toms and two 16” floor toms. The first of three sessions of the day would be at 10 am and I’d drive to the studio and set up the drum kit. 

The engineers would say “the toms are a bit ringy” and I didn’t know whether to tune them high or low. 

So, I’d put tape on them.

The classic request in those days was to slacken the snare drum head and put a wallet on it. I hated that sound. I liked a tight, funky snare sound. James Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, and Isaac Hayes – that was the sound I wanted. But it was the disco era of the ‘70s and people wanted this soggy snare drum sound.

I’d finish the session, leave the tape on the toms, drive my drums across London and set them up for the next session.

“Hmm. The toms are a bit ringy.” The next engineer would say.

“Oh.”

I’d put another piece of tape on them.

After three sessions, I’d have three pieces of tape on each drum. Something wasn’t right. I didn’t like the sound anyway, so at the end of each session I would rip off all the tape and start again from scratch. 

I soon stopped putting more than one strip of tape on the toms.

After three sessions, I’d have three pieces of tape on each drum. Something wasn’t right.

The bass drum was pretty easy to manage in those days because we didn’t use a front head. All we had to do was stop the lugs from rattling. So, I took each lug off, stuffed a small piece of foam inside, then bolted them back on. The studio would use a piano canvas cover for the inside of the bass drum and weigh it down with a heavy weight or sandbag.

As for the snare drum, well, some engineers liked the way I tuned it and some didn’t.

But the tom toms…we had only just started using tom mics. Most of the time we just had two overheads, snare, and kick. The engineers didn’t have isolated sounds to deal with, so they always had a certain amount of spill since everyone would play through amplifiers. It was hard to hear the toms in the mix because they were kind of an afterthought.

Even after taping the toms, I’d still get comments about them being too ringy. I started tuning them up, and I started playing differently. I made sure that whenever I hit a tom-tom, I hit it hard. I made sure nothing else was in the way. I’d stop playing the kick drum and try to keep the groove going but not necessarily keep the playing going. 

I hear so many drummers who keep everything going; they’ll hit the kick drum while hitting the floor tom. Acoustically it might sound okay, but in a recording scenario two low pitched sounds tend to cancel each other out once played back through a pair of speakers. It sounds clumsy and it’s too much for the speaker to handle.

You have to think like the listener rather than the player. You’ve got to start changing the way you play.

I stopped getting complaints about the tom-toms.

I was doing another session at the end of 1975 at a studio called Trident, one of those special rock and roll studios where Bowie, Elton John, Queen, John McLaughlin and loads of people worked. I didn’t dig the snare sound – they were using a Sony C37 mic that a lot of American studios used at the time – but the kick drum sound was glorious. 

I went upstairs to listen to the playback. I think the engineer was so concerned about this bloody snare drum sound (that I hated anyway), he forgot about the rest of the drum kit and just put the faders up. There was this other guy there who came up to me and said, “Your tom-tom sound is amazing.”

“Oh, really?”

Turns out this guy was Clive Franks who was Elton John’s live sound engineer for years. Not only did he engineer Elton, he also did Toto, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel, and eventually The Who.

Wow. Suddenly I’m vilified. There’s my tom-tom sound! 

That gave me the confidence I needed. It worked – it actually worked. That was the turning point of the sound I’m now known for.

Nothing comes easy and nothing comes quickly, but you’ve got to keep thinking about it. I’d do a session and go, “Shit, it sounded awful today – what was it? What can I do to change things?” This went on for years until I started cracking the puzzle.

Use the process of elimination. Learn everything you can about your equipment and the gear being used to record it. Can you tighten or loosen something?

And most importantly…are you playing in a way that makes your drums sound the best they can sound?

Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips is one of the most diverse rock drummers of the last 50 years, laying down rhythms with Toto, Judas Priest, Jeff Beck and many others. He’s also a pro engineer, so he knows what a drummer should do in the studio to sound their best. 

Don’t miss these three quick tips for rock drummers from the man himself:

1. Don’t be afraid to play simply

Drummers have a tendency to overplay, including adding fills when they aren’t necessary. In “The Pump” by Jeff Beck, Simon only plays two or three fills the entire track. Drums sound best when they support the song – not the other way around.

“A groove can actually sound bigger if you play less on the kick and let the snare speak.”

2. Touch and consistency are more important than you think

As a rock drummer, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of “I need to be a heavy hitter” and just going through the action of playing. But to become a really great player, you can’t forget about groove, touch, and consistency.

Simon emphasizes the latter. Make every backbeat the same. Get that snare dead on every time. If you want the studio engineers to love you, give them consistency!

(Click here for tips from Alice Cooper’s Glen Sobel on mastering that perfect rock snare sound)

3. Don’t forget about dynamics

Maybe you don’t notice them as much as you would in styles like jazz or latin, but there are dynamics in rock! A common misconception is that rock should be played at one level. But playing too hard and strong throughout the entire song can mean feel goes out the window.

When the singer is singing, reduce your volume. Be mindful on the hi-hats: tighter in the verse, a bit more open in the pre-chorus, and move to the ride in the chorus.

Simon isn’t the only one who advises rock drummers to keep volume and feel in mind. Todd Sucherman is also a big advocate for dynamics in rock drumming.

(Read: 9 Drum Recording Myths, Busted)

Want more from Simon Phillips? Check out his course for Drumeo members, “Elevate Your Drum Sound”!

How does Simon Phillips approach writing drum solos?

And why are there paint cans in his bass drums?

A legendary drummer and experienced producer, Simon Phillips shares a lifetime worth of tips in this video for sounding better on the drums.

This full-length lesson features pointers around:

• Approaching drum solos as compositions, not solos
• Treating each limb’s dynamics as independent from the others
• Setting up the drums so they’re more comfortable to play

…plus a ton of personal stories and a rare peek into some of Simon’s classic studio experiences.

You’ll learn that Simon doesn’t start songwriting with a drum groove and why you shouldn’t dump everything you know into a solo.

This is probably the most history we’ve had packed into a Drumeo lesson, and one of the biggest drum sets we’ve had in the studio! Of course, Simon tuned his kit himself, which is fitting considering he’s one of the best-sounding drummers out there.

Lesson Index:
0:00 – SONG: “Jagannath” by Simon Phillips*
6:50 – Introduction
11:40 – SONG: “I Will Remember” by Toto
17:12 – Breaking down the drum part
19:51 – The story behind Simon’s drum setup
27:30 – DRUM SOLO
33:25 – How Simon creates a drum solo
43:40 – SONG: “Undeviginti” by Simon Phillips*
50:30 – Counting odd meters
56:55 – SONG: “The Pump” by Jeff Beck*
1:01:25 – How Simon gets his bass drum sound
1:09:48 – SONG: “Nyanga” by Simon Phillips

*Full drum transcription available in the Drumeo members area

About Simon: Simon Phillips has been a household name in the drumming community for decades. Known for his incredible groove, virtuosic chops and iconic drum sound, he’s one of the most prolific musicians of his generation. Simon has performed with Toto, Jeff Beck, Hiromi, Pete Townshend, Judas Priest, his own group Protocol, and as a session drummer with countless more artists. Beyond his drumming prowess, Simon is also an accomplished producer and audio engineer. In this role, his depth of studio knowledge and distinct musical sensibility has served an entire new generation of musical artists.

Simon Plays:
Tama Drums
Zildjian Cymbals
ProMark Drumsticks
Remo Drumheads

Follow Simon:
Facebook
Instagram
Website

Do you struggle with drumming in odd time?

Simon Phillips (Toto, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend) says there’s one thing he does that makes it feel just as natural as 4/4.

It’s called ‘overriding‘, and he’s going to show you exactly how to do it in the video above.

But if you want a quick description, here’s what that means:

• Overriding keeps a steady pulse so the listener doesn’t get that awkward ‘jerky’ feeling.
• Play odd meter as if it’s in 4/4 – that means counting in 4/4 until you have a few extra notes that complete the odd time signature.
• For example, if you have two bars of 7/8 and count 7/4 against it, the odd time will be even after two bars (7*7=14). If you’re thinking in 4/4, the first bar will sound like it’s on the beat, and the second bar will sound like it’s off the beat.

Try it yourself with this groove and see how the hi-hat pattern doesn’t change, even though the length of the bar does:

Here are two of Simon’s favorite odd-time songs (plus sheet music so you can try them yourself).

“Dave’s Gone Skiing” by Toto

A silly name for a song, maybe, but there’s a good reason for it: the day the band got together to track the song, Toto’s vocalist, David Paich didn’t show up to the studio. When they called around looking for him, all they were told was “Dave’s gone skiing.”

“So we cut it with just Luke, Mike and myself,” says Simon. David did eventually lay down piano on the track.

You’ll find three time signatures in this tune: 9/8, 7/8, and 4/4.

Here are some example sections:

“Undeviginti” by Simon Phillips

‘Undeviginti’ means ‘nineteen’ in latin, so it’s a fitting title for a song in which the main phrase is in 19.

19/16, in fact.

Don’t let those big numbers give you a heart attack. Forget about the bottom number for now, and just focus on counting to 19. You can divide 19 into groups of 2s and 3s to make it more manageable.

Pretend you’re playing in 4/4, then after four bars you’ll add three more 16th notes (4*4=16+3=19).

Sounds mathy, but it’s much simpler than you might think.

Try to clap this out:

Now check out this section of 19/16 from “Undeviginti”:

Here’s a section in 5/4…

…and 7/8 (click here for tips on playing this time signature):

(If you want the full song transcription, you can find it in the Drumeo members area)

Don’t worry if you’re still having trouble. It takes practice to recognize, identify, and play different meters. Simon has been grooving in odd time for years, so while he makes it look easy, it does take time. Keep going!

(But in the meantime, if you want to watch Simon rock out in 4/4, here’s his breakdown of “Space Boogie” featuring a legendary double bass shuffle.)

Check out these other helpful articles and videos on odd-time drumming:

• Freedom In Odd Time (Full lesson taught by Marco Minneman)
• How To Make Your Odd Time Grooves Better (Quick tips with Aaron Edgar)
• This Exercise Will Help You Play Any Time Signature (Full lesson by Ryan Van Poederooyen)
• 7 Awesome Odd-Time Grooves (With Aaron Edgar)
• Must-Know 5/8 Drum Beats (With Aaron Edgar)
• 21 Legendary Odd-Time Grooves (With Brandon Toews)

How well do you know the double bass shuffle?

Does it make you think of Van Halen’s Hot For Teacher, one of the most memorable and legendary drum intros of all time?

We don’t hear it that often, so when we do, it catches us off guard. It has a certain movement and drive to it, and it’s surprising we don’t see this iconic double bass groove in more songs.

In this video, Simon Phillips shows you how to shuffle with your feet while playing some tasty goodness overtop. He fills in the triplet gaps with one hand on the snare while his other hand plays a swing pattern on the ride.

Then he goes into the song “Space Boogie” by Jeff Beck. Simon keeps the double bass going the entire time. He’s developed the freedom (aka drumming independence) to play essentially anything he wants over top, and practice and repetition can get you there, too.

We’re excited to share more Simon Phillips lessons and performances in the Drumeo members area. If you want to learn how to be a better sounding drummer, grab a Drumeo membership – it basically pays for itself!

(This re-recording of “Space Boogie” features Chris Fischer [keyboards], Stanley Cooper [guitar] and Scott Ambush [bass])