Simon Phillips drum lesson: recording tips

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Simon Phillips drum lesson: recording tips

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Күн бұрын

It's no secret that Simon Phillips has forged a phenomenal drumming career that shows no signs of stopping. From musical theatre and jazz, to tenures with massive names including Toto, Jeff Beck and Mike Oldfield, Simon's playing has added a touch of magic to an incredibly diverse spread of musical situations.
In the October 2014 issue of Rhythm Magazine Simon talks about how, decades into his career, he continues to find ways to improve his drumming, production and general musicianship.
We were also invited into Simon's personal LA studio to shoot some accompanying video. Here, he offers a neat trick to help give your fills a boost in the studio.
To read the most recent interview with Simon pick up the latest issue of Rhythm (295) Feb 2020 or subscribe at www.rhythmdrumnetwork.com

Пікірлер: 122

@NealNot 9 жыл бұрын

This man is the Yoda of drums. Wise he is.

@wildanS 8 жыл бұрын

+Jim B. He looks more and more like Donald Sutherland.

@NealNot 7 жыл бұрын

Though, as a drummer, I would have to disagree with Yoda in terms of the topic being extremely subjective. See, it depends what type of music you're playing. In some musical contexts, and sections, his advice is perfect, but in some other sections, it's very wrong. It's all about serving the song, and creating drum parts for each individual moment. For me personally, I feel that double bassing underneath your fills especially in hard rock, or metal gives many fills a much more powerful and impactful moment. Tricking the listeners ear many times into confusing simplicity with complexity. Which is never a bad thing. Then again.. that moment may only last for 3 seconds in an entire song, and the rest of the song may NOT call for that moment so.. the best advice on fills, is listen, live in the now, and try not to recycle too many fills. Never become predictable. The best drummers make left field, the right field. Drum On!!

@nexdrums 7 жыл бұрын

yeah but the thing is not related to double bass mate

@MykWazowski 7 жыл бұрын

Nail on the Head.

@johnconneally 4 жыл бұрын

Not Neal nah neil peart

@slickyjorj 9 жыл бұрын

The groove must never stop....Love that quote.

@FirebrandVOCALS 8 жыл бұрын

When Simon phillips speaks ..... I will listen, the guy is a Master

@FirebrandVOCALS 8 жыл бұрын

One of the greatest drummers ever ......

@nexdrums 7 жыл бұрын

indeed, check how he plays 33/8 lol

@esongsore 4 жыл бұрын

Simon has such a great depth of understanding. I don't record live drums in my studio.....but I gain a insane amount of insights listening to him talk about drum tuning, playing, setup, miking and recording. Such an excellent musician overall.

@MrAlidawson 10 жыл бұрын

Your so right on the bass drum tom fill thing, it has only taken me 30 years to figure that one out!

@nexdrums 7 жыл бұрын

lmao XDDDDD

@arreaba 4 жыл бұрын

you had to study physics a bit better in high school

@hefewiseman Жыл бұрын

thanks for donating your time and knowledge! sounds great.!

@SteveMonti 7 жыл бұрын

most tasteful drummer - he has my total admiration

@TheStudioDrummer 4 жыл бұрын

Simon is one of my all time faves. One thing to point out here: He is accenting the quarter notes that the Bass Drum *would* be playing, on the toms. In other words- He is playing the Bass Drum parts on the Toms. This the is the element that keeps the groove going. Brilliant.

@AngryShredder2004 Жыл бұрын

It's so subtle but it's extremely noticable in the mix

2 жыл бұрын

THIS! This is so true! I am actually so grateful that such master like Simon says that and its just not all in my head. Once I've removed kick drum from tom fills, the drum track breathes!

@FanaticDrummer 6 жыл бұрын

Thats why I love the drumming in Ghost. Its so damn tasteful and appropriate. Super clean, heavy and the fills are not littered with kick hits. Some people think its “simpler” but honestly its not, it takes finesse and more control to cancel out certain sounds mid fill or groove. Listening to Ghost made me appreciate the simplicity in writing effectively. Especially in metal.

@joerico9461 2 жыл бұрын

The groove Master, Thanks for your time.

@davidcole8200 Жыл бұрын

He's absolutely right. Another technique is to do rolls between the bass drum and your lower tuned toms which frees up a hand to do other things, such as hitting the cymbals while still into the roll. I'll call it a power roll. It sounds pretty cool and there are many ways in which you can do it.

@malekkushimuzik3580 2 жыл бұрын

One of my biggest influences ever since the early 90s. As a producer, the separation of the toms and foot to avoid cancellation, is a MAJOR JEWEL!!!!

@stevendavid5370 3 жыл бұрын

Simon you are Commander Spock of the drums. Your logic and approach to drumming is logical.

@DrummingChronicles 7 жыл бұрын

Simon Phillips....always on point

@synthesizersdotcom 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks Simon, this is a very important tip and it will change how I play.

@alidonli 6 жыл бұрын

Great lesson, and a timely one for me. Thanks RM :)

@kariiamba7324 4 жыл бұрын

Thankyou Simon for the tip. You are a master of drumming.

@cehson 5 жыл бұрын

The fill sounds much better when he demonstrates the tip, awesome :)

@evensteven8129 4 жыл бұрын

This is brilliant and his advice is gold.

@MichaelClaudio13 9 жыл бұрын

One of the greatest drummers.

@steveanderson831 4 жыл бұрын

I'm using this quarantine time to improve my drum skills and this is helps a lot. He's a great drummer, teacher and that kit!

@EarthtonesCymbals 5 жыл бұрын

The moment when you realize that keeping it simple is the way to go. I have done this for many years.

@davepowelldrumz Жыл бұрын

will be using this technique next weekend when i record the new @dirtyrats album.

@MichaelClaudio13 9 жыл бұрын

Simon was my first drummer I got into when I started playing, I would love to meet him I saw him with Toto when I was 8 yrs old most amazing set!

@UCS0608 Жыл бұрын

Simon, together with Phil Collins (especially in his Genesis drumdays) is one of my biggest influences. Simon, I got to know around 1978, Phil around 1972.

@0bbb13 9 жыл бұрын

you have a strong feel and touch it. great lesson drum sir, regards from indonesia...

@drumsjackson2022 4 жыл бұрын

Incredible drummer, engineer, clinician!!!!....

@aliciamarulandabonilla9073 2 жыл бұрын

Espectacular.

@31dwa 9 жыл бұрын

Genius.

@capezyo 6 жыл бұрын

Excelent, thank you...

@ColdSleep 5 жыл бұрын

Great advice, you can really hear the second fill open up!

@ADAMKTN 5 ай бұрын

Fantastic

@sergiobulaciomiranda3404 4 жыл бұрын

Siempre claro y preciso Mr. S.P.

@erick-erickson968 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent Simón!! Master of drums

@giant1band455 8 жыл бұрын

Excellent tip. Simon knows his stuff! Could be somewhat genre specific, such as such as the rare occasion that you have a live drummer playing EDM or some Big Band "4 on the floor" styles etc. However, in most cases with those 2 styles, you may not need a ton of Tom Fills cluttering up your sonic clarity.

@hefewiseman Жыл бұрын

..BTW I saw you guys ,Greg Howe and the gang at Fasching maybe 3 years ago.. great show.. great guys too..

@bretdorton 6 жыл бұрын

This is why you are so great!

@carlosalbertogomez1391 5 жыл бұрын

So many drummers do that!!! I leave the kick out of my fills and also close the hats so the only thing you hear is the filll,unless you do it for musical reasons.that small detail makes a world of a difference on your drumming.

@0Imtheslime0 3 ай бұрын

Dave Weck mentioned this in his 90´s videos.. He would play a groove, on playback it sounded like a triplet groove. Same thing almost.. Is really HOW you play it.

@victorygah 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks Simon.

@drumiqcom 10 жыл бұрын

love your Drumsticks )))) using them and also letf handed

@DanMowry 7 жыл бұрын

Just masterful.

@davidcole8200 Жыл бұрын

Good advice.

5 жыл бұрын

100% it has to be the drummer first..and the sound of the drums.. I have recorded very tasty drums with minmal mics. 3 is maybe my favorite minimal setup.... you can get a nice sound with one condenser for sure.. even a solo SM57 placed right will sound cracking and dense...just not huge in the low end lose some of the toms and kick but you can tell they are there - which can be beneficial as well, as Simon does talk about! The cancelling out of tones or even pushing of them. Thanks for sharing these videos he sounds really great and is a very clear instructor.

@MattReillyProductions 8 жыл бұрын

Awesome insight! Very interesting, even to a non-drummer!

@stephenkane3109 9 жыл бұрын

very nice - so true

@PanagiotisPapagiannopoulos 10 жыл бұрын

Simply Amazing!

@davidpardy 6 жыл бұрын

Great advice!

@jessejafrnd 3 жыл бұрын

Two examples of when it absolutely did work sonically and it did not make it sound smaller: Dave Grohl - Nirvana - song: Radio Friendly Unit Shifter Dale Crover - Melvins - song: Lizzy I think it comes down to proper phase correlation.

@Drumerbethel 3 жыл бұрын

i am glad that I learned to play the toms without hitting the kick in a fill. Someone told me to play that way, but I did not like it.

@kountouriotoukaterina3184 4 жыл бұрын

Master Simon

@baovo6 6 жыл бұрын

amazing

@fabiopirozzolo6348 9 жыл бұрын

W h a t a g e n t l e m a n.... and what a wonderful drummer

@zeinselzer2897 7 жыл бұрын

master, show as the way

@renatomarciano15 9 жыл бұрын

The mix starts in the drummer

@jonathanhuhn4364 7 жыл бұрын

Lol, if I had a nickel for every time Simon Phillips had a "concept"...

@RudrakshaChandel 3 жыл бұрын

One of the best fucking things I have ever heard

@davidsimpson2560 6 жыл бұрын

When it comes to drums, less is more!

@rhythmista7707 Жыл бұрын

Lets not foget that Mr. Phillips is also a producer and engjneer as well..

@TimWatsonDrums 8 жыл бұрын

hey that's great food for thought! thanks for the free info. Question, do you change your cymbal selection depending on the vocalist sonic register? Nice groove, very pocket!

@t3hgir 2 жыл бұрын

and that's where the left foot hihat slosh comes in :)

@PatrickSmullen 8 жыл бұрын

Great playing @kingcannonsimon and thanks for sharing tip. Can I ask would the toms/Kick cancel themselves out if recorded separately and included in the mix? How does this effect live performances?

@stixxnstonerz3450 6 жыл бұрын

Great advise. Would that be the same concept in a live setting too?

@derkarevalo412 6 жыл бұрын

He looked like "WHEN ROBERT PLANT BORROWED THE KIT FROM BONZO"... hehe peace Simon Phillip you da best guru

@dannobman07 9 жыл бұрын

He's right...Although keeping the kick pulse maybe proper at certain times , On the whole ...doing so would muddle up the track in my opinion .

@ianisaacs2340 5 жыл бұрын

Sweet, Since I started playing I left the bass drum out of fills unless it was it’s own voice (Bonzo triplets, hertas...)

@ianisaacs2340 5 жыл бұрын

Not because sonic space, but I was focused on the fill at hand! Lol

@theothertroll 2 жыл бұрын

So he finally learned to play correctly - got it 🧟‍♀️

@ronthompson95 2 жыл бұрын

Katy Perry was suggesting this recently as well in an article. Ok, not really…

@jables3377 3 ай бұрын

Are all his toms the same diameter?

@dekay2266 2 жыл бұрын

He reminds me of obi wan kenobi, the way he speaks, the wiseness etc. funny

@thecaptainsarse 5 жыл бұрын

The Professor.

@MegaUltimateHD 9 жыл бұрын

What are those headphones I see them everywhere

@percewoodbury1893 8 жыл бұрын

BeyerDynamics DT100

@Lauen 9 жыл бұрын

Huh, I've always been playing fills like that unless they incorporate things like left right kick kick sort of stuff. Guess I'm ahead of the game. I keep time with either my hihat or like nodding or something.

@LudwigSC93 3 жыл бұрын

So you're saying Neil Peart was wrong in what he did?

@serpentstudios7768 9 жыл бұрын

i'm playing open handed for cool songs

@tomesilva36 9 жыл бұрын

Thwomp Whompson Hey again!

@serpentstudios7768 9 жыл бұрын

@nexdrums 7 жыл бұрын

Yes Simon ,correct, in fact tom toms and bass drum dont have to be played together.

@billpeart 6 жыл бұрын

Its fine until you want the bass drum and tom strikes simultaneously. I don't believe the answer is to adjust my playing to recording equipment that is already obsolete by the time I'm using it.

@michielvanderheyden4960 9 жыл бұрын

If you have huge toms like this guy then yea I agree, but with my own personal toms.. not so much.

@michielvanderheyden4960 8 жыл бұрын

A year later coming back to this video, this is something I want to try out hahah

@michielvanderheyden4960 8 жыл бұрын

***** Sorry? Nono sir thanks for the reminder mahaha

@nexdrums 7 жыл бұрын

no but he is right, I have a funk/jazz tamburo ash, toms and bass drum together in the fills are nok... better to follow what he suggests

@DrunkDuckXD 6 жыл бұрын

thats good, I thought I just sucked 🤣

@DavidOakesMusic 3 жыл бұрын

But never hit a crash cymbal without a kick.

@plopperator 5 жыл бұрын

I'd love to play the drums but they sound so horrible when they're right in front of you. Way too harsh and bangy. Here they sound great and I could listen to them all day.

@steventasker235 9 жыл бұрын

Bass drum in fills is good, not too much but with feel it makes fills sound much more dynamic and much harder to play! A hundred times better than that shitty fill he was doing

@stihlextreme9357 3 жыл бұрын

You’re cool and all! Legendary even! But man! Wake up to the real world! Not everyone has a studio let alone £5000-8000 worth of kit in hair home! This is the time of hardship lol

@schlonzschuppe4516 6 жыл бұрын

thats science not wild music.

@jsilence418 9 жыл бұрын

Hey Simon there are bunch of no bodies here that would dis agree with you, sorry boys you were saying ?

@user-hm3ur9ki5h 3 ай бұрын

He is such a bad drummer it is so simple what he dus....

@gamerdareswins2825 9 жыл бұрын

Ha I don't agree... First thing my drum tracher said was to never stop the bass drum as it's the heartbeat of the beat itself. Keep going with it even through a fill.

@gilesstelfox 9 жыл бұрын

GamerDares Wins He's not talking about it from a drumming point of view, he's talking about it from a recording point of view. The waves would superimpose each other and make it sound boxy and phase cancellation would occur. Therefore the kit sounds smaller. If you stop the bass drum, it will be easier for the toms to breathe. Don't be ignorant to knowing how to work in a studio recording environment if you want to be a good drummer.

@gamerdareswins2825 9 жыл бұрын

Giles Stelfox i know how to work in a recording studio. I studied sound at college and have 5 EPs and 1 album under my belt.

@gilesstelfox 9 жыл бұрын

You think that's got anything on 30 years experience as a professional session musician? Whatever he says is going to work, it's Simon Phillips! I am also studying production, but at degree level and have multiple EPs and Albums under my belt, and have drummed on many sessions, you do not play the bass drum at the same time if you want a big rock sound.

@gamerdareswins2825 9 жыл бұрын

Giles Stelfox yeah but I'll bet you're shit though. I mean come on lot's of session musicians are overrated fucks. And bands like the foo fighters are famous. Taylor whats-his-face who plays for them was a session musician and i know 14 year olds who would shit on him. Heck i know 8 year olds who would. Get over yourself.

@michaelengle9062 9 жыл бұрын

Giles Stelfox exactly. how many hit albums has this drum teacher played on?

@askyles91 7 жыл бұрын

This is bullshit. Using 100 mics will cause phase cancellation. 3 mics is all you need if you want the biggest sound

@ytnsanw 6 жыл бұрын

I think you need to call Mr. Phillips forthwith and inform him of this, because obviously in spite his 40-odd years of top-tier studio drumming experience playing with/for the biggest names in music AND his 45-odd years as one of the most respected studio engineers/producers (with an encyclopedic knowledge of mics and studio equipment), he appears to be blissfully unaware of this. However, once the mighty Alex Skyles has informed him of the error of his ways, I'm quite sure he will happily admit the error of his ways and atone...

@hugolafhugolaf 6 жыл бұрын

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@stevendavid5370 3 жыл бұрын

Simon you are Commander Spock of the drums. Your logic and approach to drumming is logical.