Drum beat in the style of “In the Air Tonight” — Phil Collins
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Song grooves
· Simplified drum grooves in the style of famous songs — not exact transcriptions.
Phil Collins’ 1981 song is famous for the huge tom fill that finally breaks the tension. Before it, the pulse is quiet and patient — play the verses soft so the fill can explode.
- Tempo
- 96 BPM
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Groove
- rock ballad beat
- Genre
- Pop
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Loop
- 8 bars
Drum pattern
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-stick | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
| Hi-hat | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor tom | ||||||||||||||||
| Snare | ||||||||||||||||
| Kick |
Each row is one drum, each column one step. Large dots are accents, small dots normal hits, faint dots ghost notes.
Who plays what: notes per bar
| Cymbal hand | 8 |
|---|---|
| Snare hand | 2 |
| Kick foot | 3 |
Every kick lines up with a cymbal stroke, which makes this one of the easiest coordination patterns to start with.
About this groove
At about 96 BPM it has a medium tempo: one beat lasts 625 ms and a 4/4 bar takes 2.5 seconds. Use the tempo buttons to slow it down while you learn.
Practice plan
How it differs from similar beats
Compared with “Rock Me Amadeus” (Falco, straight pop beat), this groove adds kick notes on 3& — and it runs 20 BPM slower. If you can already play that one, this is your next step. Rock Me Amadeus →
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” (John Denver) uses exactly the same simplified pattern, 14 BPM slower — a good warm-up before this one. Take Me Home, Country Roads →
Other songs with the same rock ballad beat
Similar drum beats
This is a simplified rhythm pattern in the style of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, written for drum practice. It is not a transcription of the recording and contains no audio, lyrics or artwork. Drums3D is not affiliated with Phil Collins.