The Enduring Genius of Stewart Copeland’s Groundbreaking Groove on ‘Walking on the Moon’

Brandon Toews of Drumeo dove into the genius of Stewart Copeland‘s groundbreaking groove on The Police song “Walking on the Moon”, noting that even though the song is from 1979, this unique drum phrase still feels incredibly novel.

We break down how Stewart fused global rhythmic influences with cutting-edge technology to create a drum part that still sounds decades ahead of its time.

Toews looked at the gear and effects Copeland used to create this sound.

Before recording the album, Stuart had just bought a Roland Space Echo, a device guitar and keyboard players use to echo and repeat sounds. …Without the Space Echo, you lose that futuristic sound. …After experimenting with the space echo, Stuart discovered a one-repeat delay that worked perfectly for his high hat [music] patterns. He also used the space echo to create a wobble effect, repeating two notes back instead of one.

He also invited commentary from legendary drummers such as Mike Portnoy, Brooks Wackerman, and Chad Smith, all of whom had very nice things to say about Copeland.

You know, after the drummers of the 70s, Stewart might have been like my next drumming crush. His high hat work was very influential on me, and he had such a personality on the drum set. So yeah, that’s a perfect example.

The Multi-Faceted Genius of Stewart Copeland