The 5 Nate Smith Beats Every Drummer Should Know

Grab your transcription here.

It was time to circle back to Nate. It’s been since 2017.

And while I get a lot of comments to the tune of “why bother knowing ANYBODY’s beats? Why not just make up your own?” - encouraging me to explore the difference between having influences and copying others wholecloth - I’m going to assume most everybody reading this understands why we study the greats.

And Nate’s had a great step-wise career. When he was playing with Dave Holland, jazz nerds everywhere rejoiced.

When he joined Chris Potter’s Underground, we were like “yaaaaaay next chapter!”

But who anticipated the rocketship to mainstream stardom Vulfpeck and Fearless Flyers would launch? That’s why Nate now has a gaggle of new fans who only know him from the new stuff.

Well, allow me to be your tourguide through the multiple stages of Nate’s career. I’ll show you what I think are 5 essential Nate beats, as well as how to play them.

And if you’re the type of drummer who sees Nate play a flawless solos and thinks “I wish I could do that” - but instead feel like you’re tripping over yourself most days when you go for a fill or solo, you might be interested in 8020/Drumflow Coaching, an intensive 12-week live coaching cohort I’m running with my partner in crime, Jacob Evans. It’s open again for the first time since April, and if you’re one of the first 50 people to sign up, you’ll get a bonus 1:1 with me. (I never do those anymore.)

We made a video, with much more info.

Is Everything You've Heard About Hand Technique a Lie?

I'm used to thinking...

Chris Dave, with his index fingers extended along the sticks...

...J-Rod Sullivan, with his "perfect" thumb and forefinger fulcrum...

...Nate Wood, with his more middle-of-the-hand grip...

...and Tony Williams - well, don't get me started.

So...is there a right or a wrong way to hold the sticks?

But I had a place to start: what if I held them intentionally wrong, then worked backward from there.

In this video, you'll learn:

• All the seemingly contradictory ways I learned

• How not to hold the sticks, and what we can learn from that

• The new first-principles, and why I ultimately think Jacob's right

• and more

enjoy!

Struggle To Play Loud on Drums? Try These 2 Things

Playing louder isn't as simple as just playing harder. Try it sometime. Put on a pair of tarmac ear muffs, and try to play as hard as you can.

Today's guest teacher, my coaching partner Jacob Evans, struggled with lower back injury because he played with bad mechanics. So he developed a system to play at full volume for longer, without injury.

So - how do we do it? Jacob says by emulating the pros: drummers who've played big venues into middle age. And if you watch drummers like these, you'll start to notice a few key mechanics in common. And it's these mechanics Jacob attempts to teach me in today's lesson.

Enjoy!

Low Cymbal Drummer Vs High Cymbal Drummer

Today I bring you a video about a simmering rivalry nobody's talking about:

 It's low-cymbal drummers vs high-cymbal drummers. 

Assuming you've got enough character and integrity to choose a side, I'd recommend either REALLY low, or just APPALLINGLY HIGH. 

 There are merits to both approaches. 

Low cymballers are often classic, stylish characters, and first principles thinkers. On the kit, low cymbals keeps things close together, and allows small movements. 

 High cymballers, though there's a long tradition, tend to be iconoclastic instagrammers, bent on world domination. But they won't balk if you wear PJs all day, or eat Chipotle for every meal. They seem like my kinda folks. 

 In practice, high cymbal kits make you feel ensconced within cymbals, and the larger distances between and among surfaces make playing a high cymbal kit more of a physical enterprise. 

 This debate would almost be settled, were it not for the unwelcome presence of a third contingent. The stackers...

P.S. If you're interested in a live, high-touch online coaching program to take your drumming to the next level in 2022, check out what coach Jacob Evans and I are launching this month. Anybody who enrolls in the next few days will get access to the exclusive, jointly-coached cohort, where you'll get a live seminar with me every week.