Simon Phillips - famous Polymetric Groove from the early 90s.

[@walriley48]

He was out there on his own, then. No one else came close. An absolute monster drummer and still a hero of mine to this day.

[@hazardeur]

almost. virgil was already stepping it up back then. what simon is doing here is cool but it makes it so much more easy if you have that tom pattern in 4 going all the time. it's basically your anchor and you can base everything else on that. i could play this here pretty close with 30mins of grinding. virgil on the other hand just plays polyrhythmic beats without any constant pattern at the core, which is infinitely more difficult. in simons style here, you can cheat yourself through it by basing everything on the pattern. it therefore is not true limb independence. virgils style is much more sophisticated, he has some of most advanced limb independence i have ever seen, probably the most.

[@jonrixbus]

@@hazardeur I agree, Virgil took limb independence to another level. However, Simon must have been a great influence and inspiration for him. Simon even helped Virgil mix the track "Quantum Factor", which he recorded with Planet X. So I think Simon has a deep understanding in what Virgil does, even if he couldn't play it himself.

[@Jim_L]

Then you must not be familiar with Terry Bozzio. 😃

[@pauldabinett1308]

@@Jim_L Really ... ? All of these pretenders pale into insignificance compared with Poscuto Herte-Sarbin - the real GOAT!

[@Jim_L]

@@pauldabinett1308 I have never heard of "Poscuto Herte-Sarbin." So you had me most curious, so I tried looking him up, and I couldn't even find him. I did a number of different searches, and they all came up blank. Nothing on KZbin. Nothing on the internet. Are you sure you spelled his name correctly?

[@CraigWilkinson-t5p]

Swear to god some drummers have 4 brains all thinking something different but perfectly in sync with each other, I’m blown away.

[@tomtrana3449]

For me the drummers Gavin Harrison and Marco Minnemann.

[@saskiacalvert7547]

His teacher taught him, "Don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing".

[@NinjaSushi2]

That's what the Bible says in regards to giving. "May your giving be done in such secret that not even your right hand knows what your left hand is doing."

[@kojiflowers]

Brain thoroughly melted. 🔥🔥

[@sfdghsggsa]

So check this video: "32nd variation from the 'E PLURIBUS UNUM'(33var. in 3chap.) on drums - 8 layers polymetric"

[@Mikishots]

The mind is a wonderful thing - and some are wired in amazing ways.

[@neutron8418]

The best drummers can put themselves in a state where the two halves of their body are like different people.

[@Papa-o33963]

The gift, blessing, talent n chops of him being ambidextrous

[@anthonypayne2526]

The truly best can have their four quarters all doing different things. It’s freaky to watch.

[@TheGrundigg]

But this is literally straight rhythm.

[@maxhult830]

@@anthonypayne2526enter Akira Jimbo, “4 way independence”

[@thefog7067]

The ultimate example of multitasking

[@jkelly11785]

The dynamic control is what’s truly amazing - to anyone out there: you can play this if you want, it’s not that hard. Why? It’s repetitive. You can do it

[@crushingbelial]

Good gravy that grooves so freaking hard

[@ludofeyaerst]

My brain got messed up just watching the video. With left hand I can't even turn the coffee with the teaspoon. 😂

[@Lizzard-t]

Simon Philips is a a legend among drummers.

[@steveymoon]

Nah, he's shite.

[@juanjavierm]

And always will be. He's a top class drummer!

[@jayrussell3796]

Just start a beat...forget about it. Start another...forget about that one. Repeat until you run out of limbs 😂🤣🤣

[@StephenJohnson-jb7xe]

Sounds easy enough, do I need to be a drummer first?

[@since1876]

That's honestly how it works. Yes, you're severely simplifying it, but it boils down to that exact statement. It's kind of like when you learned how to drive. Initially, you were probably grabbing the steering wheel with a death grip and being overly cautious about EV ER Y TH ING but, over the coming weeks or months or however long it took, you started to get more and more comfortable and, before you know it, you're rolling a joint while driving with your knees....

[@mancuniancandidatem]

​@@since1876😂

[@b1_ferg]

🤣🤣🤣 This has to be the best description of a drummer’s mind I have seen. Thank you for the laugh! That got me good. **phew**

[@lowboy1one1]

He’s amazing,Holy crap!! I tried to play this with two kits and three people…….nope, still couldn’t do it. Simon is god

[@Errcyco]

That is insane. He has like three separate brains. Like an octopus or something Jesus. Amazing.

[@marklavric8323]

Amazing musician, amazing person. My deepest respect, Simon.😊😊😊

[@profilercms]

This is truly amazing. The dexterity is not human.

[@stevekilligrew788]

He was the 18 year old drummer on the album Phil Manzanera 801 Live. One of the truly great live rock albums. Philips propelled a bunch of top musos who are all on top form to perfection. It sounds like a studio album … only better ‘cos it is live … and because this young drummer is driving a tank!

[@jameswilson-vd5qc]

Totally agree, TNK blew me away particularly. Great album but he was the revelation.

[@pauldabinett1308]

801 Live is great - particularly because there's precious little else like it out there. Well worth seeking out for anyone who hasn't heard it. You'd have thought the players had been together for years, instead of this one-off project that threw off sparks in all directions.

[@juanjavierm]

And the 19 years old drummer in 'Sin After Sin' (Judas Priest, 1977)

[@sheldondrake8935]

20 when he did Duncan Browne's 'Streets of Fire', a criminally underappreciated LP

[@kmwa2]

Some of the stuff he can pull off solo, two drummers together probably could fathom. He's one of the greatest that some have never heard of unless you listened the band Toto.

[@acethisspace1131]

Or Jeff Beck

[@neilgordon8145]

@@acethisspace1131 I remember an interview with JB when he said that he had to show Simon how to play what he wanted. I think he was talking about Star Cycle, which is a great piece of drumming. I first saw Simon with Judy Tzuke.

[@jshomeservices376]

Simon is the current godfather/wizard king of drumming. He’s never slowed down

[@mindjob]

Outstanding

[@dominickramirez1263]

He put the Phillips in Wilson Phillips. Good times.

[@greghudson8263]

Legend!

[@goodguy2627]

What? 😯 How is this even possible??!!!!!!!

[@dondeluze8424]

Poly anything is unattainable for me, but love watching the pros. That's just mind blowing.

[@juleslabeeuw9596]

Yes it is attainable, believe in yourself ;)

[@mrbouncelol]

You can start with a 3 over 2 , thats pretty easy since the beats match in simple time signatures. Eg one instrument is Da da Da da Da da and the other Da da da Da da da. Then similarly you can do 3 over 4 in 12/8. Most musicians learn these and theyre present in many pop songs. But when u get to 5s and 7s shit gets real - luckily it sounds like ass to most audience so you don't need to bother 😂

[@cvn6555]

Start small and put in the time. You know the feeling, as a drummer, when you keep hacking away at something and finally it clicks. And then you can't remember not being able to do it. Fool in the Rain shuffle was like that for me. Worked at it off and on for months and one day it just clicked. Anything is attainable.

[@mikewalnoha8971]

@@mrbouncelol🥱

[@MickManningly]

Now thats what I call an accomplished drummer ! The brain is capable of amazing s**t !

[@PMurray2694]

Shit

[@AndrewLane-pm2ro]

You need four brains to do that.

[@Mike-vr4lw]

I was just thinking drummers must have special brains 😊

[@HamishGarland]

And then some drummers sing as well.

[@dave49093]

thats insane

[@Maria-n6t2d]

I’m loving him in ‘Darwin’. 🙌🏼🎶☮️♥️

[@hommerecorder7003]

Great Groove!

[@Stephen-zq2wf]

Left Brain / Right Brain = Percussion Miracle

[@nickquantrill985]

Truly amazing.❤️❤️❤️

[@ui888iu]

0:39 NIN Organic drum machine 😊

[@StevenHadfield]

Sounds like Orbital kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXbHonyerq18iJY&si=mqINw9EQ6RIuwiSw

[@darenreynolds8824]

Cant get my head round it 👍

[@mancuniancandidatem]

I've just started working on it after playing drums for 40 years. I suddenly realised this has been bugging me for years and today is the day I figured it out. I can't play it yet.😅 The right hand playing the beat between the gong drum and snare gives a clue to where the beat is. If you count that as regular 4/4 it means that the octobans and kick drums are playing 16th notes grouped in three's across the bar line. It takes them three measures/bars to line up again. The octobans and kicks are all Left hand followed by R foot kick and then L foot kick giving you the three pattern. The key is to lay that 3 note group over 16th notes over three measures of 4/4. Counting them as 1e+ a2e +a3 e+a 4e+ a1e +a2 etc etc. If you can get that part it helps you hear how it works. I have simplified the left hand part by keeping it on a snare, followed by the two kicks. I then play the 4)4 beat with my right hand between my floor tom and and auxiliary snare set up to the right of my floor tom. What complicates things even more is that he distributes the first note of each three pattern over four octobans that in turn, makes a melody that also counters the resolution of the beat. I don't have octobans or a gong drum, so I will just have to figure out a way to orchestrate it on my kit.

[@IansDrumsandBass]

He played on Priest's album Sin After Sin. Did what they probably asked him - keep it simple, but he added little bits that were sheer brilliance - for example on Starbreaker he started it with a triplet - bass drum single beat, left right snare, except he added an additional snare beat - left right left making it a four. If you didn't listen carefully, you'd think it was just a triplet - stunning.

[@1MoTimeRound]

And I can't even rub my belly and pat my head at the same time.

[@christopherknowles]

Bald dudes with goatees love this shit.

[@WimbesNo5]

Thats sick

[@mooski-mooski]

Superb!

[@limeflashlight4101]

Amazing

[@vfxtutswithdan1893]

If you just concentrate on his simple rhythm on the 4 octobans, it becomes a whole different experience.

[@emanuelemarchisio3818]

This guy can multitask SO well he could be a mother!

[@earthtruthhunters1642]

He was a mutthafukka on drums...

[@TheStoerenfred]

There are no Mothers who can multitask like this. 😂

[@bortsbymcbort5350]

@@TheStoerenfredi'm sure one could be invented

[@emanuelemarchisio3818]

it's obvious that neither of you is a mother :D

[@TheStoerenfred]

@@emanuelemarchisio3818 Why exactly do we need to be mothers to know/see that there are none, who can multitask like this?!😃

[@Error4x5]

Wow, I had never heard of this guy till today

[@MDLOP8]

Jeff Beck and Simon were a great show. What's also especially keen is that Simon's a lefty on a r-side kit.

[@Erkki_Mela]

@@MDLOP8Simon plays open handed, he’s right handed originally but taught himself to play ambidexterously.

[@VasinYaroslav]

Congrats;)

[@erics.4113]

Triplets are my favorite animal

[@ExpertofEverything]

When a guy is sat at a kit with gym gear on and a sweatband you know you're in for something special.

[@racinghaarrleykeen]

Fantastisch ❤it 😎👍

[@thomasschuldt4557]

It's amazing what video post production software can do today. Really cool! 👍😂😂😂Now... Shitstorm... Begin. Or read till the end and see I'm just kidding and a massive SP Dan! 🙏👍💥

[@tomgio1]

Most of us can't do this level, but you'd be surprised what you're capable of. Non-drummers out there: tap your right foot on the ground, thinking of Michael Jackson's song Billie Jean as your tempo. When the "whmm........whmm" comes in, zone in on the first "whmm". That is the "one" of the beat (ignore the 2nd whmm). Get comfortable with that, it comes around every 4 beats. Next, think of the very last part of I Want to Hold Your Hand, you know, "hand hand hand, hand hand hand, HAND." Gently tap your finger or hand on the table while your foot keeps going. Start your hand/finger on the One beat (the first whmm) thinking hand hand hand, hand hand hand from the Beatles song. Tough part - you'll be tempted to match your hand with your foot, so ignore your foot - just keep it going steady (boom boom boom boom) while zoning in on your hand/finger tap. Before long, you will have performed a 3 against 4 polyrhythm...congratulations! Btw, I'm sure someone out there may have a better cheat code than me for this, so please jump in! I'm all about spreading the word o loving the drums!

[@williamtomkiel8215]

the sound is CRAZY immersive when up-mixed into DTS:X in an ATMOS HT

[@Michael_Michaels]

You know shit is about to get real when you add the "poly" prefix to any drum pattern.

[@keepthemetalflowing]

Oh come on Simon, I can burn toast and drink water and slam a door at the same time - top that pal!

[@felixg1123]

I started to keep up but then I forgot what i was doing and why. Moving on to French Horn!

[@alasdairstuart3394]

❤

[@mattkeating9103]

This is unbelievably difficult. It’s like patting your head and rubbing your stomach while moving one leg clockwise and the other leg counter clockwise

[@djohanson99]

Sinner from Judas Priest. He a great drummer. Listen to that tune.

[@StarshipTrooper2050]

Simon brought the double kick into metal….Dissident Aggressor…..

[@Canuck1000]

@@StarshipTrooper2050 I would say more in "Call for the Priest".

[@dhollsynthmusic]

yeah i'd definitely need two brains to attempt this.

[@cognitivephonetician]

Wow.

[@Itsallwrongbutthatsallright]

SP - for sure one of the GOATS !

[@Fester_]

Nice without headphones.

[@MrFchank]

Watched him do this in a clinic. Literslly caused me to go and buy Octobans. Ssdly,I ended up selling them because not everybody is Simon!!

[@johnnynephrite6147]

Neil used to do this while doing calculus in his head.

[@SoCalFreelance]

...wait for it

[@mrmr1964]

Trust me, for those that do not drum - this is extremely difficult to do

[@nedlerswedlers19]

I know its a different genre but Vinnie Paul's polyrhythm from Panteras primal concrete sledge along with other tracks are amazing. Give them a listen even though the music might not float your boat the drums are amazing. A true human metronome.

[@dan.j.boydzkreationz]

Fair but Vinnie only handled a single polymeter, where this guy, and others like Danny Carey handle basically two polyrhythms simultaneously.

[@haypayne8937]

Best

[@marksmith7896]

Damn.........I give up !!!!

[@Ojb_1959]

I bet he wears “Led Boots” on his off days.

[@AZnomad]

Could someone write that out so I can know what he’s doing and try to do it?? Just the rhythm of the left and right hand and bass, not the drum placement

[@jaromor8808]

and when the drummer is also the singer of the band..... 👀

[@ChristopherDillman]

Martin Short should have done a character study of Simon.

[@satevo462]

Danny Carey laughs in triple time.

[@soujrnr]

I had to go take four Ibuprofen after trying to unpack that.

[@85ddrummer]

What’s playing the doubles on the snare?

[@85ddrummer]

At least it sounds like a snare. Is it the kicks?

[@djplayskeys]

Yes it’s the kicks, he’s not going full force so he’s not getting the standard ‘thud’ we are accustomed to hearing. Another way he’s a mad genius, working his gear to get less conventional sounds to achieve the effect he wants.

[@parallela.obscura]

Hello, Tool 😂😂😂

[@oliverroggenbuck7824]

It´s quite simple. His brain has multiple cores. One for each drum or cymbal. I just wonder if he also has multiple personalities accordingly 🤪

[@thamyras]

He's playing 3 over 4

[@gregodify]

That looks difficult.

[@christopherhansford6876]

All I can say is…ungh!!

[@AndreasKlanzer2384]

He drummed for Mike Oldfield

[@pauljurgen-romrig9616]

I bet he’s good at math.

[@andrewhall7930]

I listen to Joe Morello, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Tony Williams, and Max Roach, not to sound pretentious, but this just isn't impressive. Go Check out JOE MORELLO: the great drum solo on you tube.

[@NinjaSushi2]

I feel like he sped up at the end.

[@mancuniancandidatem]

That's because the whole first half was an illusion. He makes you think he is playing triplets but when the second beat arrives, the first part becomes 16ths grouped in threes over the bar line, taking three measures to resolve the pattern. If you learn to count it like that and then count from the beginning, he doesn't speed up at all.

[@NinjaSushi2]

@mancuniancandidatem I'll have to learn more about this.

[@olfoogy]

TIGHT!

[@asor8037]

Is it really tho?

[@olfoogy]

@@asor8037 I believe it is

[@asor8037]

@@olfoogy well, it's quite an objective thing. Play with a metronome, the metronome is absolutely perfect. how even is it compared to that? Turn off the metronome, and play as close as possible to what it was with the metronome. It will never be 100% as a human of course, but it can be quite close, closer than what Simon is here.

[@olfoogy]

@@asor8037 I think you are over thinking

[@asor8037]

@@olfoogy check out the "Ronald Bruner JR crazy metronome practice" clip, now that's tight.

[@WhyTheHorseface]

I mean, he’s no Jens Hanneman

[@bobbyhilda5880]

Instane. Isn't it polyrhythmic, "only" polymetric?

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

Yeah - that's not really even fair.

[@markb1764]

Neat, but can you dance to it

[@mancuniancandidatem]

I just did!

[@martafiorani1842]

I'm selling my drum kit

[@robertnobody]

This whole thing is available on DVD...Quality is horrible.

[@ConeJellos]

It was alright I guess.

[@Mike-ep4kv]

Isn’t this polyrhythmic rather than polymetric?

[@djplayskeys]

Depends on how you interpret it. He’s doing triplets on the kicks to the straight four hits on the bons, then starts a normal rock beat on the huge tom and snare. Since they are all the same tempo, you could call it polyrhythmic, just different figures within the time signature. Or call it polymetric, saying he’s playing straight time with his left hand, in a triplet time signature with his feet, and another different straight beat with his right hand. A true polymetric to me is something like King Krimson’s song Thela Hun Gingeet where the band plays in 4/4 and Fripp is playing in 7/8.

[@mancuniancandidatem]

​@@djplayskeysI have just been trying to figure this out, but took the count from the second beat between the gong drum and the snare. If you count the octoban/ bass drum ostinato over the second gong drum/snare beat then you can count them as groups of three sixteenths going over the bar line to complete over three measures of 4/4. Is this polymetric? If I listen to the octoban pattern as triplets, the second beat completely melts my brain.😅 All I need now is to drop $2000 dollars on octobans and a gong drum. He is a terrific drum salesman that Simon Phillips.

[@yeeeehaaawbuddy]

it's a polyrhythem, not a super difficult one at that.

[@fritzdrybeam]

Silly kit.

[@trevorsanders5303]

No where near as good as Bill Bruford

[@angelstrawn5493]

This was a complete waste of time. There is too much great drumming on YT to end up here.

[@trevorgrafflin5928]

I love to drum, but I am seriously not very good. I just cannot understand how he does the four drum rhythm, two footed bass and then the beat, and not f-k it up!!!!!

[@camc5483]

Practice practice practice!

[@timecone57]

Danny Carey improved on this…tool fan😂

[@tm4333]

Still doesn’t touch Polynesian Nightmare

[@dan.j.boydzkreationz]

Pneuma drumcam midsection goes further

[@verifiedtoxicangel2411]

Very impressive technicalities and hand foot independence, but thats about it. Bottomline is IS IT TASTY ? nah.....

[@hdmccart6735]

The comments here give me the awful impression that most of the commenters haven't watched the drumcam of Tool's Pneuma.