He did not learn to read music
When Phil Collins was honing his skills on the drums as a child, he opted to avoid learning how to read music. Instead, Collins admits that he created his own system in order to play along with the TV and radio.
Collins trained under Lloyd Ryan
Despite this high-profile training, Collins never committed to the technical aspects of the craft. Collins says, “I’ve always felt that if I could hum it, I could play it.” He goes on to admit that this wasn’t a great attitude to have and he still wishes he was more technically proficient.