Nate Smith Drum Workshop Live From Guitar Center Hollywood

Join us LIVE with Nate Smith at GC Hollywood on Tuesday, 8/27, at 6pm! Nate will be doing improvised drum performances, showing off his gear from @LudwigDrumsHQ, @VicFirthCompany, @ZildjianCompany, and @EvansDrumheadsOfficial and will be answering YOUR questions!

Chapters
03:25 - Intro with Nate Smith and Steve from Guitar Center
04:55 - Nate Smith on the Public’s Reactions to His Music
06:40 - A Look at Nate Smith’s Ludwig Drum Kit, Zildjian Cymbals and Vic Firth Sticks
10:27 - On the Experience of Developing a Signature Drum Stick with Vic Firth
12:00 - Nate Smith on “Day and Dusk”
14:34 - Nate Smith Performing “Day and Dusk” at Guitar Center Hollywood
19:40 - Nate’s Approach to Melodic Drumming
22:20 - Nate Smith on His Early Influences
29:05 - Nate Reminisces About His First Drum Kit and Early Musical Experimentations
32:39 - On the Connection Between His Time in Marching Band and His Development as a Player
34:25 - How Nate Smith Keeps Time in Complex Pieces
37:47 - Nate Smith on “Processional (for Aaron)”
40:47 - Nate Smith Performing “Processional (for Aaron)” at GC Hollywood
44:44 - Nate Smith on Space, Feel, Pocket and Groove
46:35 - On Composing “Processional (for Aaron)”
48:00 - Nate’s Take On Dampening/Muting Drum Heads
51:10 - Nate Smith On Playing With Energy and Expression Without Overpowering the Band
54:12 - Nate On His Ghost Note and Hi-Hat Techniques
58:27 - Nate Smith on “Whisk”
59:52 - Nate Smith Performing “Whisk” at Guitar Center Hollywood
01:02:39 - Nate On His Technique When Playing with Brushes
01:05:13 - Nate On Playing a 3-Piece Kit with The Fearless Flyers
01:11:10 - Nate On Universal Characteristics of Good Collaborators
01:13:48 - On Navigating Creative Disagreements
01:15:25 - Nate Smith On His Writing/Creative Process
01:18:01 - Nate Smith on “Run On”
01:19:01 - Nate Smith Performing “Run On” at GC Hollywood
01:22:22 - On Jay Dilla’s Influence on Rhythmic Language
01:29:00 - Nate Smith on His Practice Routine
01:30:15 - On Locking in With Bassists
01:31:17 - Nate On His Single-Hand Hi-Hat Technique
01:32:45 - On the Value of Playing Along with Records vs. a Metronome/Click Track
01:36:02 - Nate Smith on His Favorite Ludwig Kit
01:36:40 - Nate On How He Handles Burnout and Stays in Playing Shape
01:39:00 - Nate Smith’s Predictions About the Future of Music
01:41:35 - Nate Smith on “Wait For It (for Steve Jordan)”
01:43:38 - Nate Smith Performing “Wait For It (for Steve Jordan)” at Guitar Center Hollywood

[dominikn]

The virtuoso, the maestro, the legendary Nate Smith. Thank you so much for uploading. The wisdom shared here is timeless - an invaluable resource of inspiration for generations of musicians to come.

[junebugsmithington]

Hands down, one of the most technically gifted drummers alive today!

[RoeShamBoe]

i've only ever heard him play so it was great to hear him speak and man this dude has some good wisdom

[cobra]

Nate belongs to the exquisite group of the best drummers on the planet.

[iwannostyle]

Thank you, Nate! You are such an inspiration! ❤🥁

[antbell__abmg]

Like water for Choc was/is a great album. DJ Premier and Dilla on the Beats for that album with Questlove as executive Producer.. Excellent!! Nate you are timeless!! Love your drumming and musical knowledge/background. This workshop was awesome!

[martinlawrence]

Awesome stuff…so much inspiration and education from Nate! 👊

[gusdario]

That was great! Thanks for sharing so much great information with us

[believeinittobe]

"I think of the click track as another instrument." YES YES YES.

[MrDarkstar]

Like Water For Chocolate. It's a great album. Didn't expect that to be mentioned. Glad that the universe keeps the funk coming.

[williamkjwilliamkj]

Living Colour is such a great band. Will Calhoun is so underrated.

[ayoungethan]

Love it, so good. Audio was decent, allowed me to clearly hear every demonstration.

Metronome is another instrument only the band can hear.
Pocket is when instruments are playing with a synchronized feel.
Feel is your approach and relationship to time pulse, both the beat and the possible subdivisions.

[SaintMont]

What a great performance but also what an accurate interview it really was.
Thank you Guitar Center for making it happen.

[familytreemusic]

At the very top of his generation of drummers.
Alongside Chris Dave, the master of post Dilla drumming.

[HendriXDrums]

“I’m not a crash cymbal person” …(doesn’t even hit the crash once in two hours)

[markyoull]

Insightful, inspirational. Great workshop from the great Nate. Thanks for posting

[poerava]

What did we do to deserve this?

Master

[slavisajelenkovic]

What Chad Smith and Will Farell did years ago Nate could do with Eddie Murphy...