Drum Technique: Practice Accuracy and Tempo Control with Simon Phillips

[@drumchannel]

Give it up for Simon Phillips in the comments! 😊 We've been shedding the 2-3-4 stroke exercise he shared during his masterclass here at Drum Channel and it's one of our favorites!

[@PhilHenDrums]

His final point is crucial! “Even if it’s just a rudiment it still needs to feel good. It has to feel musical.” That’s the key: practice sounding musical rather than mechanical.

[@Proghead88]

That's good, but "mechanical" is part of sounding musical depending how you define it. In other words, you need to gain as close to perfect control and flow of the mechanics, almost in a robotic way (robotic does not mean stiff, it means controlled and consistent). At the same time you can include relaxation and being graceful, maybe even allow imperfections, in order to sound more musical depending on the context, but eventually and only after really ensuring maximum mechanical consistency. It's just worth clarifying in case some people avoid being mechanical and don't improve their technique because they are afraid to not sound musical.

[@ChrisGraingerDrums]

So true!

[@billolert4058]

I think it's perfect that he is wearing a Monty Python shirt when he looks like all of the members of Monty Python all at once.

[@stevewarfel5788]

Only a drummer could come up with such a great line.

[@giovannigamberini1971]

Just look on the snare side of life.

[@anderszettergren4302]

@@giovannigamberini1971 Haha. Killer

[@antoniodelarosa8850]

The great Simón Phillips!! A legend!!!

[@Rondo2ooo]

My first inspiration in the early 80s as a kid. One of the alltime greats. Phenomenal and musical live drummer and still one of my all time favorites.

[@daveydemonhtown]

Simon has an eloquent manner of instructing groups as a clinician .Phillps makes it a mainstay in abilities & accuracy as technique of explaining the ofpitch and variations of the thresh holds between the strokes.Thanks Drum Channel!dd

[@Walt8801]

He is one of my favorites incredible and he shares knowledge

[@jonro09]

Awesome exercise and awesome demonstration 😊

[@charlesfarrugia7898]

He's a Genius

[@groovewithpassiondrumlesso2348]

Simon Phillips is an incredible drummer! His feel, groove, time, and independence are Amazing. Fantastic exercise!

[@t3hgir]

this exercise from Simon is immense, I'm scared to try it, still working it out in my brain XD

[@MrDarkstar620]

The first half covers 2 bars. 4 groups of 16th notes for single strokes. Next bar is also 4 groups of 16th notes as double strokes. OK. Second half is 2 more bars. First one moves in three's. There's five groups of three's: 15. On the uh of beat 4(the last sixteenth note in a beat; sixteenth notes counted as 1--ee-and-uh), is where starts the group of 4's. The subtlety behind this one happens with the the three's in the 3rd bar ending on the and of 4. The whole feel of the rhythm ends up being emphasized a sixteenth note behind the downbeat and the near-end of the 3rd bar. If you take this slow in thought, you'll realize this exercise is quite doable. It's nowhere near an overly math-driven rhythm pattern. Test it out. I can't wait to play with that and mix it with the hi-hat. Cheers! :)

[@Proghead88]

Make sure you count 16 notes per measure out loud (not in your head) very slowly. Say: "One e and a Two e and a Three e and a Four e and a". I like to write it as: 1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a Every note should match perfectly with each syllable. Each measure adds up to 16 notes. You play: RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLL RRRLLLRRRLLLRRRL LLLRRRRLLLLRRRRL L (restarting the pattern but from opposite hand). Again make sure you can play this order while counting out loud as evenly as possible. This is the entire exercise: RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLL RRRLLLRRRLLLRRRL LLLRRRRLLLLRRRRL LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR LLRRLLRRLLRRLLRR LLLRRRLLLRRRLLLR RRRLLLLRRRRLLLLR R

[@serbantopolniceanu9716]

@@Proghead88 thanks a lot🙏

[@stevewilcock4767]

Simon for President! Cheers. Rock on!

[@philipmcevoy7206]

Love this lesson. My takeaways : The smoothness, relaxed no tension approach from slow to fast. Class stuff ,thanks Simon keep them coming please !!

[@jaymac72]

Every single musician should download this and memorize every single word. Zen level wisdom

[@vstags]

Simon’s the best

[@555bigben]

Wow, the great Simon Phillips.....his pattern transition from single to double to triple was flawless! IIve been drumming for several years (far from being a pro) and when I try this there's always a bit of break up/tempo change for me no matter how hard or focus I am! I need more practice 😔

[@bpdrumstudio]

Simon's always amazing I wish this exercise was in a PDF form for myself and my students for a warm up

[@ivorjones9961]

Thanks DC... Simon a true master!

[@Marcel1978dt]

Saw him live many years ago at a drum clinic! Such agreat and entertaining evening!

[@flapjackson6077]

That’s very useful instruction! Rudiments and combining rudiments are the best way to develop speed with feel.

[@JJTMARQUES]

Feeling is really the idea of ​​playing nice and smooth👌Great video🤙

[@gregkunkel8704]

Thanks DC Thanks Simon I'm glad I started working on left hand triples after Thomas Lang showed us on a Saturday livestream. I still need a little work😂

[@lujuanhurtado8664]

very cool many many thanks for putting this posting up & out it is excellent ❤😊

[@PhillipSlaymaker-n1p]

Well done Mr Simon great instructions after I practice this for a while knowing the concept of a straight pattern with a metronome then I got overwhelmed so I used the same pattern technique the same pitch then I build built it up at the top I swing it switch leads and bring it back down pitch it's pretty cool I developed a speed control thank you Simon Phillips you've been awesome all these years love your works.. 🥁🙏😏👍

[@Zionist_Eternal]

MIFGA! Wonderful message at 5:06. Make It Feel Great Again

[@jonashellborg8320]

Nice exercise! Keeping it musical, draw out the tone out the drum: those topics stuck with me since I read Musicians Way, and I know even my practice pad sounds better now than when I first started.

[@jessdrummer_]

What a master 🤌🏻

[@onethreefiveeye]

Since my childhood... my drum Hero... I listen to Crises, and it still impresses me as listening the very first time ...pick up the phone and call Mike please ❤

[@cedareclipse]

INSANE!!!

[@flashtheoriginal]

Master at work. I was introduced to Simon's art via Smallcreeps Day. Im still in awe

[@jimmiekeeling925]

I was introduced to him by DUNCAN BROWNE....WILD PLACES album...and JUDAS PRIEST: SIN AFTER SIN album , what he recorded that with Priest at 17 years old I believe the rumor is?

[@badtripmoses]

Love this stuff for reference when in a slump even at 48yrs old lol. It's always necessary to stay fluent on rudiments as our body's age & change! I'm always the student I guess too, relearning self taught stuff. The 6 stroke roll is my new old favorite rudiment lately besides the paradiddle of course. Simon Phillips is a legend!!!

[@jimmiekeeling925]

Dude you just hit my favorite rudiments on the head and you're so damn right my drummer compadre brother ...

[@jimmiekeeling925]

6 stroke is precisely the new rudiment I'm working on too...I find it so weird but so cool .....

[@jimmiekeeling925]

Yes, yes, yes .......Simon doesn't have no feet does he? Great 2 bass man

[@jamsjr44]

Always been one of my favorite drummers. I can remember getting into a debate with another drummer because I hold my sticks sometimes similar to this grip and he told me that grip would never work, obviously he never heard of Simon 😂

[@volesrock]

I saw Simon on tour with Jeff Beck in 1981. It was life changing.

[@jimmiekeeling925]

LOVE that Beck album , what? There and Back..album......awesome album ....STAR CYCLE ......killer

[@peterwassmuth4014]

Awesome Thank you for Sharing! 💯✴

[@FakeMoonRocks]

He's a talented drummer, but what impresses me most is how he's able to channel me on drums. Example at 5:16 .

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

loved it

[@jimbigboystoys4077]

I took drum lessons for a short time when I was a kid. But I’ve never been able to have them, because they’re loud, they take up space, and I grew up in a duplex, full of old people. So I became a bass player instead. But here I am, almost 58 with my own house in the country…And I STILL have no space to put them! They are still my favorite instrument. And to this day, I still have the desire. But I guess it’s pretty apparent that the drums were just never meant to be for me I guess. ☹️

[@artemcultura6191]

Have ya taken a gander at some of the electronic kits out there? Much smaller foot print that might be able to fit for ya. A couple great option would be a Roland octapad or an Alesis strike pad, both can connect a pad for bass drum. They are so much fun! Make that desire come into fruition!

[@kalonakitu]

Clicked on this video as soon as I saw who it was. 👑🥁💜

[@markielinhart]

The. Best. Lesson…✌️🇦🇺👏

[@ryanbachmeier6979]

Incredible LessoN.💯🎶🥁🥳🎨

[@neurocosm]

This is a thing of beauty :D

[@lakindudesilva7251]

Master 😍💖

[@PhilPotorDrummer]

Every Word of this. 110% truth.

[@bhodiemanit6489]

I can listen to him all day even if its not drum related

[@josefinacupido9872]

Nice

[@edwinschneider1247]

Simple is not easy😉👍🏻

[@timotiusasbanu9732]

Nice brooo

[@kaylow225]

That shirt is top notch

[@Island-drummer]

Cool

[@gfuterfas]

I'm confused about how to get from triples to four-stroke... OK so there's one extra 16th at the end of the triple strokes, do you begin the 4 strokes on that 'a of 4', so it's not lined up with the quarter notes? Then what do you do with the extra beat at the end to turn around to lead with the other hand? Or do you do that turnaround after the triple strokes?

[@technicalitems731]

I haven't had a chance to sit down and try this but just pat your foot and make it 4 beats per measure and end like a normal end.

[@nickturnbull4105]

Good question ,I'm a bit confused how it changes from triplets to fours ,shame Simon didn't slow it down a bit more ,still a great exercise from one of the most musical drummers of all time .

[@gandhara05]

You „simply“ have 5x 3 strokes, resulting in 15/16. Then you start the 4-stroke roll 1/16 ahead of the downbeat. With a four stroke roll you have a compelete bar of 16/16th notes, wich shifts the missing 16th note to the end of the exercise where you would start with single strokes. So you just do 17/16th in singlestrokes and therefor swap leading hands everytime you start with the singlestrokes again.

[@gandhara05]

@@nickturnbull4105it is not meant to be a triplet, it should be 3/16th notes. If you do triplets, there is no missing 16th note. The exercise will work too, but in comparison, your triple strokes would be „slower“ because in that bar you would only do 12 strokes. The goal is to make it sound like 16th notes all the way through, regardless of the hand that hits. And that is really hard I think 😊

[@ZboczonyHektor]

Its confusing but he plays: RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL RRRL LLRR RLLL RRRL LLLR RRRL LLLR RRRL LRLR LRLR LRLR LRLR LLRR LLRR LLRR LLRR LLLR RRLL LRRR LLLR RRRL LLLR RRRL LLLR R

[@LNZROCKS]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@papai-y3i]

what's the purpose of saying you developed the exercise so different stickings would sound equal if when you play it you ACCENT them according to each pattern?

[@rhythmicbeast]

♥️🤘🔥🥁

[@hasan_bahramian]

❤❤❤❤

[@jibguy2003]

Outstanding lesson. Thank you. GET A NEW AUDIO GUY!

[@jacqdanieles]

Where's the "underrated" comment? 😂

[@runningonice-music605]

Is it me or does his grip look uncomfortable? …he seems to use only his thumb and index finger and gripped tightly?….pretty unique in any case,but obviously works!

[@joshchristianlao7182]

First

[@papai-y3i]

'make it feel great' is a great advice, but pulling the sound out of the drums is utter BS. I've heard that from countless teachers and drum authorities. they say that to sound like a drums Zen Master, but when you ask them what they mean by that they spill a bunch of words for 5 minutes meaning literally nothing. don't take anything you hear from someone at face value just because the person is held as an authority in the field. playing well doesn't equal to knowledge, understanding or ability to properly transmit information.

[@martinciraudo4048]

THIS GUY NEAR TO BILL BACHMAN RUDIMENT IS DIAPERS BABY DIAPERS WELL GOOD BYE