In the Air Tonight Drums tab video
Phil Collins
Make your own In the Air Tonight tab video, freeNo editing. No card. 10 minutes free.- Instrument
- Drums
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Tuning
- —
- Tempo
- 94 BPM
About this riff
The famous fill is technically straightforward—a syncopated tom pattern moving down the kit—so it's very approachable for beginners, with the real challenge being feel and dynamics rather than speed. Nail the timing of that iconic descending tom phrase and let each hit ring, since the whole appeal is space and impact rather than chops. Learning it is a great lesson in how a simple, well-placed part can carry an entire song.
Did you know?
The song's legendary drum sound was a studio accident: engineer Hugh Padgham accidentally hit the SSL console's reverse talkback mic while Phil Collins was playing, producing an enormous compressed, gated sound. It originated during sessions for Peter Gabriel's self-titled third album, and Gabriel immediately recognized its potential, reportedly saying it would revolutionize drum sounds and building a track around it. The dramatic drum fill itself doesn't arrive until well over three minutes into the song, after a long buildup of tension.
FAQ
Is this the real audio?
The audio is rendered from a high-quality SoundFont (FluidR3), so it plays for real. It is not the original master recording.
Can I make my own In the Air Tonight tab video?
Yes. Paste your tab into Tab2Vid and export a 9:16 or 16:9 video with real audio in about a minute. The free plan needs no credit card.