Billie Jean: Surprisingly Difficult on Drums?

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Host: ‪@soundslikeemma‬
Editor: ‪@sionsollis‬
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#drumlesson #drumlessons #drumming #drumminginspiration #drumsdrumsdrums #drumlesson #billiekean #michaeljackson

[@gmkbass]

I've played the drums for almost 20 years by now, and I still get so immersed in these "Drumming 101" lessons, especially when the lesson is so cleanly explained like this video. You always have to remember the basics. I know the early teen me would have loved this video too.

[@TheStrugglesReel]

Agreed!! Remaining teachable is how you become an amazing musician. You're never done learning!! 🤘😝

[@gfuterfas]

Great breakdown. I like this style of presentation from you! It's less Tik-Tok-y, less sass, but very accessible. Thanks!

[@b3s13g3d]

Agreed!

[@ajollygoodchap]

I do as well. Less bullshitty.

[@philatkinson3955]

She is a great teacher...I enjoy her short video clips...I have learned a ton ! Thank you.😎🥁🤘

[@b3s13g3d]

PLEASE keep this up. I've learned SO much since I started following this channel!

[@ClarenceHW]

One thing to note: Your drums sound fantastic! Love the tuning, the musical sound and the grooves.

[@krg1965]

Tres bon, love the content and presentation of this video. Sitting in the pocket and resisting the temptation to hurtle round the toms every 4 bars is a really importatn lesson and you've done it brilliantly. Great choice of song to demonstrate. I've always heard it (and played it) as pushing the kick ahead ever so slightly, while staying in tempo. Oh, and your advice on how to stick the fills - excellent. (As a lefty playing right-hand kit open, I have it easy, just moving across to play floor with right and snare with left :-) Great videos - you got a new subscriber.

[@Tyner69]

I love how you are able to provide coaching and instruction for the early learner without indulging a "show-off" session of your own advanced skills. The latter has always been (and is still) my least favorite thing about KZbin "tutorial" videos.

[@milkman100001]

hi hun. thanks for all these vids. the way you show hot to do things ,especially with the letters above ,make it more easy to learn.

[@ixamedia6572]

Excellent breakdown! Thank you ❤

[@bigl6322]

Nice teaching style. I’m a guitar player who started playing drums by myself like 8 years ago, so the basic groove is a basic groove, but you definitely make it all relatable. Mostly I like your 5 minute timer tho…. I got a lotta grooves I can do for about a minute and a half…lol You’ve got some other stuff that looks interesting, I subbed. Thanks

[@load714]

Great video, my granddaughter is learning drums and I'm learning them along with her. So you're never too young 9, or never too old 60 to learn how to play drums. And seeing Michael do this song live so many years ago, and now learning it with my granddaughter is great.

[@chrislenahan4477]

The key is to slowly but clearly speed up and slow down your tempo at random times throughout the song. This is why the song is such a hit.

[@cutitshaveit]

Love your teachings thank you

[@jonthecomposer]

This is such good stuff! I give lessons in a few instruments as well as play. And one of my main points is to LISTEN FIRST no matter what you're on. And I find the sparser parts seem to be much harder for people to get tight. As mainly a bassist, my main goal along with being a support player, is to LISTEN to how the drummer interprets the beat so I can match my notes as closely to theirs as possible. The more musicians in a group who listen first and try to match each other, usually the tighter the sound. That's why some great musicians aren't necessarily virtuosos. But they can interpret what they need out of the music and use what they are capable of to present it in a moving way.

[@maddrummer691]

Great tips for this groove🥁

[@TheSundayGamer]

I love the long form, quirky-English-lady-teaches-drums nature of this video. You are a ledge. Love you. Love your videos.

[@TableSixMusic]

I really like how your kit sounds. Are those acoustic tiles behind you?

[@flandriaworx4634]

Emma is a good teacher who carefully explains and breaks down each of the chops/beats thats she shows on each of her videos.

[@w5i55601]

She is just so down to earth and lovely to hear! Listen to her and you'll learn to play the skins! Love her so much!

[@PeterWilliams-kb1yn]

Would love to see you play “ Rubber Band Man” - A Mowtown classic by the Spinners

[@8oclocktomatotalk]

On of my favorite grooves!

[@politubeyou]

I don't play drums, but I enjoy watching your lessons. I love your accent, and when you sing I melt like butter in the sun. thank you!

[@TikiDrinksatHome]

What kit is that?

[@VincentKeough-td1bo]

New to your content. Love it 👍🏽

[@CharlesIanChun]

Love the video! You have a new subscriber!

[@josiemarquez2160]

Love your teaching ❤

[@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568]

may i suggest that in the lesson at around 4:50 - 4:59 you recommend to the student that the 'e' also be said/thought out (despite that no note is played on it) -for the sake of maintaining tempo.

[@selcuksamicingi7633]

Please please please mention the genius of the drummer himself who is Ndugu Chancler. Respect and regards...

[@nikitacalvus]

Larry Mullen Jr is a drummer who always uses a floor tom on his left side, using a similar "ka-boom" fill on "Pride" for instance, or another one on the live version of "With or Without You" (Rattle and Hum era) which would be more difficult with the floor tom on the right, especially as regards snare hits consistency I suppose.

[@STEPHENRWILLIAMSMUSIC]

New follower here! finally someone who coaches brilliantly and doesn't annoy me.

[@MS-gj7ni]

This is great thanks

[@TMothibi]

Love your videos. Can you blast beat?

[@Leddrums]

Great Emma 🤟🏻🥁

[@stuartjameswright]

I'm loving these videos. I've been a crap drummer for 50 years. I'm about to have an operation on both my shoulders. Once I'm over that I'll be signing up for your courses.

[@love_to_learn_drums]

Good luck with your operation! I look forward to working with you 😊

[@markspaniola8596]

Could you teach me how to play Hot Rod Lincoln (commander Cody version ?

[@joinushugabear5847]

you’re a good teacher!

[@ZoeSummers1701A]

What did you mean by “a whip”?

[@vpbranduk]

Love it. I am almost 60 and so wish I’d had you to teach me when I learned drums as a teenager. B

[@ericl2969]

I'm 65 and just got back into playing drums (and also mallet keyboard) after not playing for 45 years while being too busy with "real life". Now retired, I'm amazed at how some hard work has quickly brought me beyond my formerly-decent skills, but I was never great then and am not great now. Like you, I'm envious of the online resources available to today's new drummers, and she explains many things really well. Regarding new drummers that are learning nowadays, I see lots and lots of kids who are far better than what the "really good" drummers were back in my day, and I'm sure that a big part of that is the better learning environment of today.

[@manassehjaphethhouston7738]

Nice Crisp Hats. What are they?

[@extremecanine]

Once again, beautiful video.

[@WhisperingPeace]

I absolutely love your voice ❤️

[@dopeydad1221]

Love your videos! But I thought Billie Jean was renowned as the first song to feature the Linn Drum drum machine providing the main groove. Is this not the case?

[@dickcole7839]

Emma...I've been playing for nearly 60 years and am self-taught, but have had some lessons along the way. Your style of instruction and technique is superb and I get A LOT out of watching all your videos. YOU are my instructor now! Thanks for doing these! (I love your humor!)

[@gcorriveau6864]

For someone who gets 'easily bored' with repetition and 'sitting in the groove' - merely playing the identical and simple (but precise) pattern for 5! minutes will be a huge challenge. d'oh .. .Love your instructional style! thanks again.

[@mauricefrost8900]

I had an instructor who said that the art of good drumming is to do simple things exceptionally well every time This seems to be a good example of that

[@y2ksw1]

I'm not having a kit for quite a while now and look into what other people do. I find it enjoyable to see problems I never had. My skills are top notch also at my failures 😅

[@markielinhart]

Brilliant Emma‼️

[@CheshireCatFun]

2:19 A "doddle"? Just learned a new word today! 😊

[@DJWezzyK]

You should watch how Sugarfoot does it on Drumeo. That was a very great lecture on how to make a drum machine loop into a drumset partiture.

[@What-is-Faith]

At last an excellent woman drum teacher excellent technique and her teaching style is excellent.

[@coltonsimmonds6991]

' I Like You; Your A Fantastic Teacher; Please Keep Up The Great Work That Your Doing'. X.

[@spikey556]

I just saw a video of mr Moffet himself playing it and he also does the passing of the left hand underneath.

[@manningbartlett522]

Billie Jean is like most AC/DC tunes, the groove seems simple, but finding the pocket is deceptive and challenging.

[@mattiebigtime]

Excellent song to explain "in the pocket" to new drummers. Sharp, clean, accurate, tight, and perfectly in-time.

[@bosejefferson237]

hi! make record of your drum line according to your explaination with only original bass line and we will see will you explanation be workable or there is something else!

[@bobcole612]

Kind of like Thunderstruck on bass. Just play B in 8th notes, for 83 bars. Or U2 With or Without You, mostly a nice little 4 bar phrasing, that repeats 23 times. Real easy to get sloppy, and very lost if you’re not paying attention.

[@brianmaxwell3456]

Great breakdown, really not a simple as it seems. Thanks for this, Jeff Pocaro is my all-time fave drummer.

[@andrewfrechtman6536]

Jeff Porcaro didn't play this. It was Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, overdubbing a drum machine...

[@brianmaxwell3456]

@@andrewfrechtman6536 that’s what I was told, if my information is wrong apologies

[@elsongs]

@@andrewfrechtman6536 I got to play jazz with Ndugu once. Around 2014 I think. Good times. R.I.P.

[@pkj77]

that beat was actually the first i was tough to play by my teacher back when i played the drums with a simple fill 1 snare 1 rag tom 1 rag tom 1 floor tom

[@PatrickGanthier-dr7bk]

Thank you Emma

[@bacbladerunner]

If you watch Jonathan Moffett play this, they're pretty much all hard rim shots. I just cannot play solid clean rim shots consistantly.

[@MS-dz1di]

I think this ist very complicated and needs a lot practice. Keep in mind that nobody could play anything from the first moment. I'm sure Jonathan Moffett also needed a lot of practice for this.

[@paulbfields8284]

Rim shots to me are the life blood of a good groove to get into and only change the texture of the beat without changing the beat. Learn them till they become second nature and soon you’ll be able to pull them out only as a great accent. Then you can learn to play them w both hands for a real nicely mixed up groove Buddy rich style

[@michaelbinbc]

This is not Jonathan Moffett. He wasn't on Thriller. It was Leon "Ndugu" Chancler for Billie Jean.

[@michaelbinbc]

@@TheHominidShow Fair enough, I guess I read it as all the other comments on this video saying it was Sugarfoot who played on the actual recording.

[@bacbladerunner]

@@michaelbinbc That could be. I watched Moffett play it on Drumeo.

[@robertfeggans9459]

It wasn't Sugarfoot on 1:45 drums...it was Ndugu.

[@pedrovillegas5499]

I like your charisma haha, very nice video!

[@safety_doge]

I always wanted to learn to play drums properly. But watching a couple videos on that subject, I must say, I don't think I ever gonna get around to that.

[@mr.rainbowlovescoffee]

Another hi-hat drumming practice, the song Fame from David Bowie. That's a fun hi-hat drumming sound

[@TechGuyBloke]

Similarly for the bass part, i.e. it's a simple riff with easy fretting but tremendously difficult to get the right groove and keep it going.

[@alanpassmore2574]

Good for you girl. This is real world stuff that will help beginner players. Too much show playing on the internet that will never work in the real world.

[@karlsloman5320]

Ndugu Chanceller, the drummer on this track was proof that you can take a basic goove and make it sound wonderful. I spoke many times to Ndugu about this song, and he told me that you have to serve the song. I love this groove, and I am a progressive metal drummer! Cheers

[@fraaggl]

oh I thought it was Sugarfoot Moffet who played it.

[@francoissaintpierre4506]

He also told me that he did it alone and after everybody. I found that very sad. Actually I find Sugarfoot playing in the movie This Is It much more enjoyable and organic.

[@Meteotrance]

What people call ( the pocket) or ( the groove) is how you able to manage the dynamic of your playing thats why Billy jean or even some most famous AC/DC song from Phil Rudd on drums are so hard to nailed it, it's not even a matter ot speed but how hard and light you hit your drums with accuracy , it's one of the most important thing to master and listen to your bass player and being in phase with it is important too...

[@overloadsound6661]

I'm impressed how you manage to be logical when you're counting, it's natural. Like when you play and you show it, it's a real game-changer compared to other more painful and indigestible videos. Have you ever thought about going back to ragae for Chanlenge?

[@belljo]

I found this so meditative...

[@rmatson]

Med-I-tat-ive. 8th notes. :-) Another excellent lesson, in my case, for a non-drummer who is all about groove. And MJ is The King.

[@MariUSukulele]

top teaching 👍🏻

[@teachingbeats]

ANY thing by Jonathon Moffet is hard to nail.

[@inkblotphd]

Drummer on the album track was Ndugu Chancler.

[@SuicideRabbit]

Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett was the drummer for MJ in those days. Dude is a beast.

[@michaelbinbc]

He never played on Thriller. This was Leon Chancler.

[@SuicideRabbit]

I stand corrected.

[@mxjans]

He was the live drummer

[@jlucasound]

Using a Metronome is a MUST!

[@brettallard9655]

Check out Jonathan " Sugar Foot" Moffett play it on DRUMEO. It's simpler than you think. It's more of a feel than a constant thought.

[@francoisfabre9749]

How hard IS sound exactly ? 😊 (c.f. Thumbnail)

[@sionsollis]

Should be fixed now. Thank you for pointing that out. 😂

[@attiliosylvio2799]

Please! Play the groove at the beginning…to get us inspired and know what we’re going for.

[@sionsollis]

She did. There is just talking over it as well. 😅

[@V4zz33]

Haha, I find it funny, that El Estepario makes things look easy, /I know it's something else entirely/, but with you breaking things down masterfully makes things look incredibly hard.;)) I'm not a musician just an enjoyer of music related things. Happy 2024!

[@michipichi0]

I just watched the original drummer do this song on Drumeo and it looks like he's hitting the floor tom underhand with the left hand as well

[@discovolante13]

Jonathan Sugarfoot Moffet is NOT the original drummer

[@hkgurry6299]

This channel is extremely beginner friendly there is nothing wrong with that

[@user-bf5st1rg4v]

I love u man....... ( Girl ) U rock... I have learned so much from u. Keep up thew rock and Ill keep the views

[@manuelelizalde7038]

Te quiero... amor por la bateria

[@TerryClarkAccordioncrazy]

Billy Jean was taught to me as a beginner in my first ever drum lesson. However, playing it to perfection is not at all simple.

[@richardmurphy8744]

Hi there, if you get time, check out "MJ'S" Drummer, "Sugarfoot" he will show you how it's played! But you're doing good! 🥁🎵🎶🖤👊

[@didierjoseph1]

Good experience we'll done

[@matthewkitchens5796]

I just wanna see her play it😊

[@sway3546]

I never thought in my life there would be a 9-minute video detailing one of the most easiest songs to play on drums ever made. 😂

[@ddeboy002]

The kick can happen with the snare! Watch Sugarfoot!

[@NS-dd9ou]

I'm far from being a brilliant drummer but from the title i was hoping something tricky to be played. Is the title intention to reveal it is actually difficult or just irony? ...couldn´t determine the real intention

[@felipepestana]

Sugarfoot is a man-metronome hybrid with dynamics, groove and showmanship all at once. Straight up genious

[@MrTommyemmanuel]

Funny enough, its the same concept groove as when approaching the song Vultures by John Mayer.

[@tdpunduerat]

love ur humor and sass i hope u have a job teaching kids and beginners, cuz ur a natural girl cheers to u

[@holton345]

I have played professionally (tuba) since 1985. I have been with my symphony orchestra for thirty years now. I have sat on many audition committees. The one piece that gets used to weed out poseurs in the first round of tuba auditions ALWAYS is the Overture from "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (Wagner). It is all quarter notes and eighth notes. Only players with their shit together will realize that this seemingly simple line will sound like garbage unless the players subdivides like mad in their head as they play, or the time will wander all over the place. People advance at auditions because they have impeccable fundamentals. For a set drummer, simple grooves like "Billie Jean" are what will embarrass you on stage if you do not take them super seriously. Unless you are a bad musician.

[@Prell88]

Do you teach in the real world too? I’d love to have a few lessons from you!

[@love_to_learn_drums]

Yes! www.alpynehq.com/book-online

[@jlucasound]

Jonathan Moffett. SO Good. (And I am from the Rock Era.)

[@discovolante13]

He did not play drums on Thriller!!!

[@Warpedsmac]

Billy Jean has a unique tempo. I have played this song many times live...it MUST be played at original tempo; anything other than original destroys the feel. Hi-hat ostinato must be clean and each note the same dynamic...cheers from Sunny Australia.

[@terrybillington2482]

been playing less than a month .not a problem i learn fast

[@markrobinson8254]

John Robinson

[@DJMaul1031]

Not correcting you, God knows I'm no expert. But I always thought the kick was four on the floor for this?

[@larrylazure4288]

Are your hats Big Beat