John Bonham's Drum Sound With Led Zeppelin | Recreating Iconic Drum Sounds

[@ArtOfDrumming]

We created a full video on how Pascal mixed this video. You can watch it for free here: artofdrumming.com/courses/mixing-iconic-drum-sounds

[@stratcat3216]

Damned good.. I love his kick sound.. all you need are muscles the size of Jon's and you're a stand-in! (he was sooo powerful) Cheers. Good vid.

[@alquimistadrum7030]

Y el solo que, eres un farsante perdedor ni sabes tocar

[@einarabelc5]

There was no delay at Hanley Grange. It was natural reverb on the stairs.

[@StrappingYoungLadam]

Absolutely nailed the sound. My favorite thing about Bonham's sound is how different it was to what everyone else was doing that era. The 70s had a lot of very dampened short and fat sounding drums. Then Bonham comes in and does the exact opposite with explosive wide open drums.

[@giullianomartini]

Bonham had a little bit of jazzy sound drums and i really like that aspect.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

💯

[@Osoch]

Agreed! Also, long live SYL!

[@mikegutsch5769]

@@giullianomartini Sonny Payne ( Count Basie)was likely one of Bonzo's biggest influences.

[@obiwan5999]

It's also how Bonham, hit them, even though this drum sound is wicked close, the feel isn't close at all.

[@bigdaddy812]

One of the most iconic drumming is the shuffle on “fool in the rain”

[@jimmyhartmanbass]

The Bernard “Purdie Shuffle”

[@AnthonyWilliams-ew3wp]

@@jimmyhartmanbass Certainly that was where Bonham started, but I think he took it a little further. His work on that song is metronomic.

[@frankyfingers068]

That was my first choice too!

[@deadshot4245]

@@jimmyhartmanbass To me there are three on that mountain. Bernard Bonham and Porcaro

[@ogredad55]

I am very impressed by the ability of this young drummer! I'm 71 years old and I'm still learning. This is so awesome! Thanks!

[@ThomZek]

This is what you call “dedication”. Well done, as usual !

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks

[@ChristianContemporaryMusic02]

​@ArtOfDrumming Can you please do a video of rick allens 1983 drum kit from Def leppard 1983? This is one I'd absolutely love to see.

[@fheering]

I was not expecting the When the Levee Breaks “bonus” at the end! Caught me off guard and made me grab my harmonica to play along! Great video, loved every second of it.

[@rickleblanc8900]

Ya that sounded amazing ! The Levee drum sound bang-on !

[@steventhreinen5158]

It is amazing how that young man creates a sound which emulates John Bonham. I love it 😀

[@Kober98]

Great job! Pascal's take on When the Levee Breaks is amazing!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks!

[@conroypaw]

Agreed. It's sooooo good!

[@flavy1000]

Yes it is!

[@rafimohammad9168]

I made a searching for your John Bonham series long before this video uploaded and, God, it sounds good.

[@karlmonet]

Triplets and overall sound of Bonham's drumming on Good Times Bad Times is definitely my favorite Led Zeppelin.

[@elehnez5732]

Sounds pretty familar 😅. "In my time of dying" is my absolute favourite drum sound and performance. How Bonham designed own patterns for each seperate part and grooves along while keeping the tension till the end after exploding in long and unexpected fills and finally gets back into the Intro groove! Goosebumps!

[@jamesstinebaker1290]

That song is what made me look this video up lol

[@eDWICHt]

Yes!!! The chugging ghost note 8ths on the snare for Rock'n'Roll! Also: Incredible playing and engineering! As per usual. (;

[@mitzo4526]

I actually played Black Dog at a recital and this video and the drum cover helped me a ton. thanks guys

[@TexasWatchman]

That was an exact match! I've heard those tunes a million times and I couldn't tell any difference. Masterfully done!

[@PixelFastFood]

The Hendrix of drumming... Great video showcasing his sound! I love that you decided to also add the big gong cymbal in the back, really completes the look!

[@iaincunningham7926]

I disagree. Hendrix was more showey. I agree that they both obviously changed how their instruments would be played forever, but in terms of musicality Bonham was brilliant because he knew how to bring energy and sophistication while not overplaying. Many drummers nowadays play the most complex or the most simple thing, not what truly fits the music the best: that was the art of it.

[@PixelFastFood]

@@iaincunningham7926 Bonham was pretty showy too I think tho. One of many examples are the times he switched his sticks out for, well, nothing. Ofc Hendrix was more "present" on stage on a whole, but I would argue most guitarists (esp when they also do vocals) are more present than most drummers anyway. Interesting perspective you've got there tho, I was mostly looking at influence and not actual playstyle, didn't even cross my mind first lol.

[@iaincunningham7926]

@@PixelFastFood yeah it was a real nitpicky thing I am just a music snob and I like to think about things like that sorry bro lmao

[@cobb_thedrummer]

Amazing job and fantastic tribute to a lot of people’s favorite drummer, including mine! Here before 1mil views 🤘

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 😊

[@scottstankis69]

That was awsome, by far my favorite drummer ever. RIP sir Bonham...

[@Pabloyelgroove]

Best drummer of rock all of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! King John Henry Bonham Thanks for this video guys!

[@linusfriissigurd5796]

the amount of effort that goes into these videos... thank you for this!

[@bobette5]

Nailed it all the way. Really interesting in depth recreation. Thanks for sharing this information

[@not2zen]

Very good reproduction, you killed it. It’s really hard to replicate Bonham and his iconic sound, you did him a solid!

[@stephenord3403]

I'm 66, wanted a ludwig kit as a kid. To my shock and surprise, mum and dad got me the super classic, I'm still playing them and they sound awesome. JHB was/is my hero. RIP great man

[@amandaleeborchert3745]

Amazing to watch the set-up tricks and tips. Brilliant drumming as always...pure perfection. Thank you for sharing guys! Have an awesome day!🌹

[@EricB07]

Listen to Yoyoka's Bonham drumming.....you ain't heard nothing yet....

[@sportingmeme3606]

Wow !!! This is my suggest before !! Thank you Brother ArtOfDrumming wish all of the best for this channel✌️

[@mitzo4526]

Hell yeah! I’ve been anticipating this video for a while!

[@sheldondyer871]

YOU DID IT!! YOU SAW MU SUGGESTION YAAAY, YOU GUYS ARE TRULY TRULY AMAZING!!

[@ChannelingJohnBonham]

Bonham didn't like close mic'ing of the drums. To really get Bonham's sound you just need a few room mics and properly tuned drums. It's really not that difficult.

[@Robert-h6r7g]

Yes !!!!! ROCK N ROLL isn't deferential equations haha.....it's not difficult and john didn't spend all day in a ROOM TRYING TO GET A SOUND...jimmy did mostly due to his PRODUCTION skills..but zeppelin partied hard and jimmy probably didn't drive himself crazy in a room...shit they went to the PUB always foruuh pint or two!!!!!!

[@stevegrantley378]

You have to be Bonham to sound like Bonham 🤷‍♂️

[@davidddrums]

The Glyn Johns mic setup will get you that sound.

[@ChannelingJohnBonham]

@@davidddrums Glyn didn't use distance miking as much as his brother Andy did. That's the key and why the drums sound different on 1 compared to 2 onward.

[@satanasatomico]

This was a Jimmy Page method.

[@demonicsweaters]

sounded great! Those 24" 2002 rides sound so good too!

[@tdgigital1]

Really missing the squeak king pedal on this one. As always, fantastic work guys!

[@southsidejohnny5624]

Ha! You just sparked an old memory. Saved for ages back in the early 80s for a Speed King pedal but it did squeak like mad. Fine when in a live rock band but in quieter bands and venues I once had to borrow olive oil from the venue kitchen to sort it. Forty years later you’ve just reminded me of it.

[@normansawatzky4778]

@@southsidejohnny5624 that's awesome! Drummer stories are always great!

[@rael1999]

Brilliant stuff. Well done and thanks for taking the trouble to put it all together and it online.

[@nichesound]

Gave me goose bumps!! Growing up a jazz drummer in the 70's, it was always fun to play Zep songs with my buds, and let go!@!@ Johnne in Clallam Bay WA

[@jonahsingh4436]

I’ve been waiting for this so so long u guys did a great job thank you

[@CammieBuckeye]

Absolutely brilliant. I'm watching this at work and I had to pause because I was getting a little emotional. Zeppelin is one of my favorite bands and seeing the time and effort you guys put into this video got me choked up a bit. When you put the bowler hat on to start the live drumming test, I smiled through some tears. Love this video so much. Thank you.

[@jeffseabarkrob9213]

My favorite drum solo of all time is Moby Dick. Bonham managed to create harmonics using his kit. Absolutely incredible!

[@synchro505]

You guys sure get access to some great goodies. Those drums favored by Bonham were probably quite tricky to find. Beyond fascinating watching the recording process as well. The room effect at the end was especially awesome. Great work.

[@TheVampSP]

The tone in When the Levee Breaks!!! PERFECT !!!!!

[@adamsharples7044]

Phenomenal video, just and amazing recreation. As far as nuances in how the drums were mixed, "In the light" has beautiful sounding drums.

[@fejneerg]

Great job! Best video I've seen on this, with a lot of necessary information from some of the older videos.

[@AndrewDesogus]

this is art! congratulations for the video..excellent job!!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks Andrew!

[@AndrewDesogus]

@@ArtOfDrumming You're Welcome!

[@LiquidAudio]

Really fantastic job guys. As a fellow drummer and huge Led Zep fan, I reckon you nailed it. Especially liked the When The Levee Breaks sound and playing, great work! 🤘

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks man 🤟

[@SandalwoodBros]

Hell yeah, I'm not really the biggest Zep aficionado but will always love Bonham's playing and sound. Nice work.

[@metalkatstudio]

Great job! The combo of tuning and playing techniques was really close!

[@lennartjohnzon6462]

Brilliant! Led Zeppelin, LEGENDS! R.I.P John Henry Bonham.

[@FAKusch]

Wow, that snare drum sound. This was a quality sound and tuning job in all areas.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks so much Frank!

[@matteocampostrini2770]

that one-mic recording sound at the end of the video was just gorgeous!

[@cindytappe6486]

Good job! Start to finish. Covered everything very well .

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏

[@mdiegom19]

What a video!!! Well done man. Really amazing job, congrats!

[@joek81981]

THANK YOU!!! I looked around on KZbin for a Bonham drum gear video and I didn't find a single one. Aaaaaaaalways pushing the envelope, you guys at AoD.

[@SirZaydenOfNapier10]

That was awesome. Absolutely perfect. Keep up the great work, guys.

[@limajuliett3406]

Outstanding work! Good times bad times is quite amazing aswell

[@TweedSuit]

Also it's interesting to note, Bonham used a smaller kit on LZ 1. He didn't get the large Ludwig kit until after LZ toured Vanilla Fudge and saw Carmine's kit.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

👍🏻

[@vincentquattrocchi7924]

Exactly, You hit the nail on the head.🥁

[@charlierodgers7637]

These videos are insanely good/accurate! Thanks so much.

[@flavy1000]

Hi! I am amazed at the detail and great sound that you have achieved, and the great performance! And not only that, you gave us a free drum mixing course, which I love too go deeper into! Thanks a lot, of course I'm already subscribed, and curious into more videos.. From Argentina...I really appreciate your work!

[@flavy1000]

Now I could finally appreciate the diference between single and double coated heads...you are the best!

[@badgerbuilds5758]

That was a beatiful and moving video. Thank you.

[@zachschoenberg4474]

The Song Remains The Same live on The Song Remains The Same album is my fav drum sound.

[@scout005]

Damn, my new favorite drum channel! Thanks for putting in the time and effort. Well done.

[@ruanwalters4971]

Good video. The base drum can crack walls...love it..good job.

[@juniorrodriguez5054]

Fool in the rain. Hands down NO question. When levee breaks is 2nd. Dazed n confused 3rd. Achilles last stand 4th. Whole lots love would be my 5th. You guys are awesome with this video. SPECTACULAR, I mean really!

[@james9269-8n]

Another great video I subscribed to your channel because of the content and breaking down iconic drum performance.

[@lornestein7248]

Really enjoyed it. Well done Pascal. You're amazing..

[@MrGfmassot]

I love music ... And especially appreciate it when a great artist is memorialized the way you did.

[@rhcptribute]

Wow…what a fantastic job you have done there to recreate that sound, absolute magic guys and well done 👍

[@MBdrummer3288]

Man, you guys NAILED it! I’d say that was spot on. Fantastic sound boys. Well done 👍🏻.

[@ROKZLEON]

A very faithful reproduction! Well done!!! Great series, I appreciate the effort you guys put in to bring us these videos!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏

[@phiberoptik232]

Appreciate your attention to detail in recreating the sounds of such a trailblazing figure. Zep is hands down the greatest rock band ever.

[@keithpratt1849]

Thanks!

[@LeonardoLima-nk4fv]

Very nice! Great video! The song “Achilles …” is killer! And of course, the first album as a whole, have a more “raw” but killer Bonham performance!

[@mjm5081]

Beautiful looking and sounding kit! Nice playing too!

[@_-_Michael_-_]

Finaly!!!! Someone playing Rock and Roll the way Bonham did on record!!! Thank you!!! OMG Finalllyyy!!!!

[@dvldog_]

The thing that always amazed me about Bonham was the rhythms he used... No other drummer, imo, has ever recreated those same rhythms....... Great vid!

[@Comprezzed]

Check out Mario Duplantier. Heavy metal drummer but check out some of his solos. I think he is a blend of Bonham and Peart.

[@Gian.h.c_drummer]

NIIIICE!! One of my favorites. For the next, please, IAN PAICE!!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks for your feedback and your suggestion. Ian is definitely on our list but up next are Linkin Park and Rammstein

[@Gian.h.c_drummer]

@@ArtOfDrumming Always! One of my favorites drum channels! I'll be waiting for these videos, can you make some ones explaining the tunning process?

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Sure, we already have 4 tuning courses at artofdrumming.com just head on over and sign up. It’s completely for free

[@turnsufficient4971]

Great video ! The sound was great too. There's a pretty good chance John Bonham was playing a 4 piece Slingerland drum outfit on Led Zeppelin's first album. He used a Slingerland drum outfit on their tour of Scandanavia in Sept of 1968 - just before the studio and on their first English tour - just after the studio recordings for their 1st album. The first drum outfit he used in Denver was highly likely to be a rental outfit, but it was a Ludwig.

[@CaliforniaBushman]

Still getting the Rock n Roll intro count off before he comes in timed right: 1, 2, 3,.. & four & 1 & 2 & 3 & four & 1 & 2 & 3 &... By counting it off so that the first hh/snare hit lands on the and of three. Allowing the band, and tune to properly come in on the One of the 4 Bar Intro. 40 years of retraining my brain to hear it properly 😆! Easily done here as you pause with play button first. Then, press rewind to the left of the play button. Then hit play on two of the beat. And the first hits pretty much syncs right up with the and of three. Then repeat until your brain hears the entire 4 bar pounding HH/Snare intro Phrase the way it needs to be heard with band coming in on the One. Nice reengineering of the Bonham sound! Well done.

[@Primus54]

The very first video I’ve seen/heard that got the Rock & Roll snare drum & hi-hat intro down perfectly. The rest of the sound recreation was 98% of perfection. The minute differences I heard was in the stroke impact. Bonham’s hits sound a little deeper… could be stick diameter and weight related. I thoroughly enjoyed this. 👍👍👍

[@timbrown2637]

And, great re creation of Levee, you and George Fludas have it nailed!

[@geoffcowan2384]

Excellent job overall. I think the snare should be tuned a little lower, but still everything else was right there especially the rack tom. Pascal never fails to impress. Is there anything he can't do? :)

[@Comprezzed]

Yup sounds great but I would just EQ down all the highs. Bonham had a more "muffled" sound probably due to old technology.

[@ghettostreamlabs5724]

glad someone else noticed the snare tuning coming in every so slightly high. Literally the only thing that was off at all - and thats pretty dang good IMO.

[@koalanectar9382]

Was just about to post the same comment :) Snare maybe a little lower, and include the close mic for a bit of low end proximity effect. Great video though really well done.

[@davidadams1800]

@@Comprezzed agreed. bring the bottom head down a bit, and rim shot rim shot rim shot

[@4316rodney]

It’s crazy how the second you hear this it’s obvious. Bonham’s snare sounds like a heavyweight boxers left jab.

[@Gruuvin1]

Oooowoooo! 10:00 Levee Breaks with delay! Nailed it!

[@musicmannrob]

Awesome man, love that snare sound!!!

[@dirtysouthtiger]

Been waiting for this one. Awesome! 🤘🏻

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏

[@WB-1]

SUPERBLY played, drums sound amazing, cymbals especially

[@Fifer1758]

The shuffle in 'Fool in the rain' is one of my favorites

[@bonham728]

Brilliant playing and sound..!!!!!!

[@ednaldojose8343]

Amazing, one of my fav drummers!

[@pauletasse7024]

Fantastic video. You can make big drums sound small, but you’ll never get a big sound with small drums!

[@prezzzrock]

Nailed it!! Excellent work!!

[@rhythmista7707]

Trick to Bonzo's drum sound wasn't just the tuning, sizes, and the Ludwig drums he used. It was, as you guys mentioned, the way he played it. I think this was all in his wrists and forearms. The energy released from this short distance was what made him so special. Also, the fact that he didn't need to raise his arms far up in the air to get the power he needed, is due to his working in construction as a young man in his early 20s before Zeppelin made it. Couple that with gigging almost 5 nights a week, and you have the makings of a powerhouse set of forearms and wrists that could probably fracture your face badly if anyone was ever on the receiving end of a Bonham smack. His forearm and wrist strength and technique was the drumming version of Bruce Lee's 1 inch punch.. You guys definitely did a superb job on the tuning, playing, and audio. Excellence !

[@bmw_m4255]

Yeah okay

[@daynelawless]

Awesome video again. The Ocean, Fool In The Rain and D’yer Maker would be great inclusions for the future. Keep up the great work.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks 🙏

[@PedroMau]

Awesomeness would be taking these and create drum samples for each kit and share those with us! 🤘

[@ianisaacs2340]

I’ve been waiting for this!!!!!!!

[@TittyBingo]

Nailed it

[@mk0879vg]

Very good job. Great sound and very good playing.

[@DrumsTillDeath]

A huge framed photo of JHB hangs In my home. Good Times Bad Times Inspired my love affair with drums and music and it has been my life for 45 yrs. Your video was excellent and on point. I have all those cymbals, but those Ludwig’s, nice! Got your engineering skills down too. Well done gentlemen.

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks Steven for your feedback. Glad you enjoy our video and also our platform artofdrumming.com

[@balddrummer8736]

One of my favorite drummers!

[@petesmith9688]

That 26" Ludwig kick and Superphonic snare sound never gets old 🥁🥰

[@jjaj4789]

Las baquetas eras mucho más finas que las ahora y que manera de aporreaba parches y platillos ERA UNICO BONZO 🙏🏻 el mejor .....gracias por compartir tu trabajo🤘🏻🎶

[@ryanfulldark2775]

This video was incredible! Thanks!

[@JeffreyMiddelveld]

Nice! Love the cymbal combination. I also use 2002 series.. 15" hihat, 18", 19" and 20" crash with 22" ride. Can't think of better sounding cymbals for classic rock sound

[@MrBrombomb]

Impressive! I always liked the sound of Bonham's bass drum, which is why I bought a used Pearl Marching bass drum that was 26" X 14" , had spurs installed on it to convert it to a kit bass drum, installed a Remo Coated Emperor on the kick side, left the stock Pearl head on the reso side, & used felt strips to muffle the drum on both sides. It was just the sound i was looking for. with it are 1980s Pearl Export series toms including a 12" X 10" rack tom, a 14" X 14" floor tom, & a 16" X16" floor tom. I have 3 Pearl snares that I use with the kit as well as my Zildjian "A" Series cymbals. My favorite Zeppelin songs to play are " How Many More Times", " The Ocean", "Kahmir", " Stairway To Heaven", & " Nobody's Fault But Mine".

[@jamesbraund]

well done, brilliant and kudos to the young man

[@bertcervi377]

I really think you guys nailed it . Good job!

[@ArtOfDrumming]

Thanks!