Chad Smith

A relaxed, slightly-behind-the-beat feel that gives the groove weight without rushing.

Practise: Play a simple backbeat groove intentionally a hair behind the click, staying consistent.

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations: pocket and touch

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

Quiet snare hits between backbeats that thicken the groove without adding volume.

Practise: Play a basic groove and add ghost notes on the '&' of each beat at low volume.

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations: pocket and touch

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

Dense, even 16th-note hi-hat patterns that drive the funk grooves.

Practise: Play continuous 16ths on a closed hi-hat while adding sparse kick and snare underneath.

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations: pocket and touch

Kick and hi-hat patterns built to interlock precisely with a syncopated, active bass line.

Practise: Sing or loop a busy bass line and match your kick pattern to it exactly.

Comes out of: Stage 2 — Core grooves: 16th-note hi-hat funk

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

A wide-open, powerful snare and crash combination used for choruses and big moments.

Practise: Play the same groove twice: once ghosted and quiet, once with a huge open backbeat.

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations: pocket and touch

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

Keeping the groove relaxed and unhurried even as intensity or tempo rises.

Practise: Play an uptempo groove while deliberately relaxing the shoulders and staying behind the click.

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations: pocket and touch

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

Short, economical fills that hit with maximum impact using minimal notes.

Practise: Practise one-beat fills only, aiming for power and precision rather than complexity.

Comes out of: Stage 4 — Fills & transitions: simple killer fills

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

Blending 16th-note funk hi-hat work with a big rock backbeat in one groove.

Practise: Layer a rock backbeat over a 16th-note funk hi-hat pattern and hold it steady.

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations: pocket and touch

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss

Off-beat kick placements that add funk flavour without disturbing the backbeat.

Practise: Keep snare on 2 and 4 while experimenting with syncopated kick placements underneath.

Comes out of: Stage 2 — Core grooves: 16th-note hi-hat funk

Heard in: Higher Ground · Give It Away · Suck My Kiss