Chili Peppers Drummer Writes A Drum Part For a Different Band

I love watching musicians work.   So I thought it’d be cool to see Chad Smith - Chili Peppers Drummer Writes A drum part.  Not for the Chili Peppers, but for an already produced song by another band.  Let me explain…LOL

So, the website Drumeo is an awesome place to go to learn the drums, brush up on skills, and even see some of your favorite drummers perform.  A more recent series they’ve been doing is where they have an established or legendary drummer hear a certain song for the first time and try to add the drums to it.  It’s a cool concept and what’s very interesting is the approach by each drummer.

Some just sit back and listen, while others will start jamming right away.  Some make notes and construct parts, while others will just play what they feel for each section of the song.  Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers takes this approach….just jamming and doing what he feels.

In a video that was just recently published, he hears the song “Can You Feel My Heart” by the band BRING ME THE HORIZON for the first time.  Chad immediately just starts pounding away, not knowing at all where the song is going or what the actual drum part is.  It’s incredible to watch him craft a part that works for the song and is a lot of fun for him to play.

After the run-through, Chad, just like in previous installments in this series, hears the actual drum part of the song and digs it.  It’s fun to compare what he just performed with what was recorded for the final version of the released song.  If you haven’t seen this series yet, you don’t have to be a drummer to enjoy it.

Check out the Pepper’s Chad Smith doing his best “Bring Me The Horizon” Below!

Many times the guitars or vocals of a song stick out.  So, I thought today we could look at the Top 5 Rock Drumming Songs!  Because there are so many with an awesome beat and insane fills.

To get my data on which songs should make this list, I used the DHA listeners.  Each weekday at 4 pm I ask a question of the day at our DHA Facebook page.  Then I let that sit for an hour with comments pouring in.  I do First Call Last Call at 5, just in time for the ride home.  That’s where I use the listener's responses to piece together a set of music.  Our listeners are the best too.  They know their music and usually don’t get stumped by any question I throw at them.

There were certain bands or songs I expected to see in people’s comments and I did see them.  For instance, many people just said ANY song by Rush.  Which is a great answer.  But some also picked just one or two songs by them.  Some gave me lists of cool drumming songs.  And others mentioned songs that weren’t at the top of my mind when I was thinking of my own answer to the question.

When you think about it, this question is all just an opinion.  And it really doesn’t matter if someone considers the drumming in the song as skillful or technical.  As long as it “hits you” the right way and it makes you tap your foot or air drum, then it’s a great drumming song!

Being a drummer myself, I have so many I could list, but thankfully I don’t have to answer my own question each day lol!  Because I’ll say this….my opinion changes with the wind sometimes lol!  It’s even hard to name my all-time favorite drummer.  We could debate that for hours.

This is one of those songs you can't help but tap along to. And it's not just that awesome drum breakdown in the middle. The whole song has a great groove that Neil plays so well. It's a lot of fun to play if you're a drummer too! https://youtu.be/auLBLk4ibAk?si=5Erw_gdt1Q4wFw2E

This one is just fun.  Uptempo and in your face, loud drums.  It's also got a cool double bass thing happening in the chorus that's pretty exciting to hear.  Hard not to tap on the steering wheel when you're driving to this one. https://youtu.be/PvF9PAxe5Ng?si=eejgaftGC_CxJkJP

How do you pick just one John Bonham part?  Just like Neil!  His parts are big and iconic and drive the song.   This beat isn't exactly hard, you just need to feel it in your bones as you play! https://youtu.be/uwiTs60VoTM?si=xnnN8Ki4KTyJLggN

Keith Moon....a true legend.  He had some amazing parts.  And he was so wild behind the kit, like he was just banging away with no regard for the song.  But that wasn't the case.  His parts worked so well each and every time. Check out this performance..... https://youtu.be/UDfAdHBtK_Q?si=yWlUwMmjZdDpfZmD

Sure, that intro is impressive.  But Alex Van Halen also had some awesome patterns and rhythms he would use in the verses and choruses too.  This beat in general is a swinging, but hard rocking good time! https://youtu.be/6M4_Ommfvv0?si=4cpFTX0GuNff5Hpl