Three-time Grammy Award-nominated jazz drummer, composer and producer Nate Smith recently visited a full house at Guitar Center Hollywood, playing through original compositions and having an illuminating conversation about his musical influences, style, technique and equipment.

His diverse résumé includes work with leading jazz artists, such as Pat Metheny, Dave Holland and Chris Potter, as well as collaborations with The Fearless Flyers (featuring members of Vulfpeck) and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes. Smith’s 2017 Grammy Award-nominated album—KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere—is a celebrated modern jazz composition featuring R&B, pop and hip-hop influence, and has since been succeeded by four full-length records.     

Smith performed five pieces at the event: “Day and Dusk,” “Processional (for Aaron),” “Whisk,” “Run-On” and “Wait for It (for Steve Jordan).” He introduced each with a bit of background, and thoroughly explained many of the technical and theoretical concepts behind them. Attendees enjoyed nearly two hours’ worth of performance and workshopping, which was livestreamed for viewers at home and recorded to watch at any time (below). Here, we’ve also handpicked several choice topics from the night, so you can catch a glimpse of the happenings in Nate Smith’s own words.    

One theme throughout the evening was this: “I remind myself every day that I get to do the thing I’ve wanted to do since I was, you know, 14 years old. It’s really hard not to be grateful for this … You’ll hear that word a lot, ‘gratitude,’ tonight—you’ll hear that a lot.”

Nate Smith's Go-to Drum Gear

Smith talked through some of his favorite equipment, which includes Ludwig drum kits, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and EVANS heads. While not the barebones three-piece setup he has been known to employ (more on that later), he routinely plays a relatively modest kit, like the one demonstrated at this workshop.

Ludwig Drum Kits

“I’m a Ludwig artist, very proud Ludwig artist—shoutout to Ludwig drums. I really love what they’ve been doing recently … I’ve been playing Ludwig since my first Acrolite snare drum, the same snare drum we all bought in middle school. (jokingly) Well, maybe not you guys. I forget how old I am. There’s probably some people in here [thinking], ‘What’s that?’

“I started playing the drums around 1984, ’85. I was 10, 11 years old. My mom bought me an Acrolite snare drum … I still have that drum. I still play it … I’ve been a Ludwig player all my life, and I’m playing a hybrid kit, so the bass drum and floor toms are mahogany, and the rack tom is Classic Maple—Black Beauty snare.

Pictured: Nate Smith Playing a Ludwig Drum Kit On-stage at Guitar Center Hollywood

“There’s always been kind of been a classic sound associated with Ludwig drums. So, I’m really digging what the drums give back. I improvise most of the stuff I play … so, I really need that responsiveness from the drums. I need to feel like the drums are saying something.”

Zildjian Cymbals

“I come out of the jazz world, and I like a washy cymbal setup. I like cymbals that give me a lot of air, and a lot of, like, warmth and shimmer. The only crash cymbal I like is that one (points to Zildjian A Custom crash). I’m not a crash cymbal person, but I like the A Customs, I’ve always thought that they were the warmest, you know, sounding crash cymbals.

“I kinda got hooked on big hi-hats … I’ll talk about this, sort of, ‘lo-fi’ hi-hat sound, and nothing gives me that more than these (points to 15" Zildjian K Light hi-hats). These are my guys, here.”

Vic Firth Drum Sticks

“I had been playing a 7A and 8D and wanted to make something that was kind of in the middle of it. So, [my signature stick is] maybe a little longer than a 7A, and the shank is a little different, but it kinda has that feeling, you know? And I like the small bead for ride cymbal articulation, for me. This is where we landed, and I’ve been very, very happy with these signature sticks, and I’ve been really proud of ’em.”

Vic Firth Nate Smith Signature Series drum sticks strike an ideal balance of length and weight for the intricacy and nuance of his playing style.

Nate Smith On His Early Influences

A fan first, Nate Smith was delighted to reminisce on his musical upbringing and the drummers who inspired him to pursue his passion from a young age.  

“This is my favorite part, ‘cause I get to give my flowers to people. Early on, it started with my dad’s record collection. My dad was into instrumental R&B of the late ’70s, early ’80s. So, it was the Jazz Crusaders, Grover Washington, Bob James, Quincy Jones. And on those records, the drummers were Stix Hooper, Steve Gadd … Harvey Mason … it was drummers who could play that, sort of, in-between language of jazz information in the left hand, but strong groove and feeling. And a really strong pocket. That was the beginning—those were the first records I ever heard, and I was interested in what the drums were doing. Even if I didn’t really understand, I was interested in it.”

Left: Nate Smith, Right: Marvin "Smitty" Smith

Diving deeper, Smith discussed some of the earliest influences he discovered on his own, who helped him further define the identity he sought as a musician.

“I’m an MTV kid—grew up in the ’80s. At the time, Prince was on TV, and Bobby Z. was playing with him and The Revolution, and then Sheila E. was playing with him, and I adore Sheila E. And then I got into The Police … so I watched Stewart Copeland play the songs, and then when [Sting] put the Bring On the Night band together, I saw Omar Hakim play the songs. I have to give a lot of flowers to Omar, because Omar is probably the first musician, first drummer, I saw and thought to myself, ‘I wanna be him.’ He was so cool and played so beautifully … the way he played, the ghost notes in the left hand, it’s almost like the drums were speaking, you know? And I really, really loved that … I can sing all of Omar’s drum fills [from Bring On the Night].”

Smith also cites drummer Steve Jordan as a major influence, particularly for his playing on David Sanborn’s 1992 cover of Ornette Coleman’s “Ramblin’,” remembering, “I heard that record playing and I asked my dad, ‘What is this?’”

The Significance of Space, Feel, Pocket and Groove

Identifiable hallmarks of his modern jazz drumming, Smith took time to explain the symbiotic relationship between space and feel, and ultimately how those dictate, or are nearly synonymous, with pocket and groove.

Pictured: Nate Smith On-stage at GC Hollywood

“Space is the place. [Jazz composer] Sun Ra said it best: ‘Space is the place.’ I hear the words feel, pocket and groove a lot … Feel, in musical terms, is the amount of space between musical events, between notes that a musician expresses. So, every musician has a different feel, every musician has a different relationship with time … regardless of the instrument … Miles Davis had incredible time. Betty Carter, the great singer, had incredible time. I think both of them understood the use of space, and the suspense it can create with a listener.

“The space is what draws listeners in. To me, that’s the most important component of music. Silence is the most important component.”

Playing a Three-Piece Kit With The Fearless Flyers

Nate Smith lends his immense talents to a groovy supergroup, The Fearless Flyers, playing only a kick, snare and hi-hat.

“It’s terrifying, it really is. There is nowhere to hide, man. I had never met any of the Vulfpeck guys. Cory Wong emailed me out of the blue … ‘Hey man … we’ve got this idea for a band—it’s called The Fearless Flyers … it’s gonna be me, you, Joe Dart and Mark Lettieri.’ And I said, ‘Okay—yes.’

“I came to L.A., we set up at this dude’s house … I showed up, and there was this (shakes head, laughs in comic disbelief) [totally dilapidated three-piece kit] … so, we did the record. We did the thing.

“It is cool to play a stripped-down kit. It’s great. It really forces you to do a lot with a little and make it interesting. It really, also, showcases your limitations, too. With three pieces, how interesting can you make a 90-minute set? And loud, too … these are, like, three guitar amps on stage and kick, snare and hi-hat, you know? And everyone can see—every time I drop a stick it goes viral, everybody can see every single, hear every single mistake … there’s no place to hide.”

What Makes a Good Musical Collaborator?

As someone who has successfully collaborated with a who’s-who of prominent fixtures in the jazz world and beyond, Smith has a measurable amount of expertise when it comes to identifying the key traits of in-demand musicians.

“One thing that’s great about [many of the musicians I’ve worked with] is that they kind of come in open to ideas. Everybody’s listening. The best musicians listen way more than they play … That openness is a part of the collaborative vibe.

“You have to have conviction about what you wanna do, but other times, if it is a collaborative environment, there has to be some flexibility.”

Nate Smith Dishing on the Creative Process

An insight into how he captures and develops flashes of momentary inspiration, Nate Smith’s process may not differ much from your own.

“When I’m composing something, it starts on piano. I have so many voice memos on my phone of incomplete piano ideas. And I also have a lot of incomplete beatboxing ideas in my phone, too. So, sometimes it’ll start with a clave in my head, that I’ll sing into my phone … and I’ll think to myself, ‘Alright, well, maybe I can develop that.’

Pictured: Nate Smith Answering Questions at Guitar Center Hollywood

“Most of the tunes that I write start at the piano. I’ll find four chords that I like, and I’ll play them over and over again, and I’ll record it. And I’ll listen to it, put it away, come back and say, ‘Those four chords sounded good together, let me see what else I can do.’ It’s a very long, long process.”

Asked how he knows a composition is complete or when a mix is ready to print, Smith, humorously understanding it’s easier said than done, stated, “You have to just stop. You gotta just stop, man.” An additional nugget of wisdom from a friend: “Sometimes you have to abandon the art you’re working on … just walk away.”

Nate Smith On His All-Time Favorite Ludwig Drum Kit

“All-time favorite? I’ve only had, like, two [Ludwig] kits, which are the newer ones—I’ve never owned a vintage Ludwig kit.”

He then looked at the camera and, in jest, shared a message with his endorser, joking that he’s long overdue to own an old-school kit. Preferably, it would be a 1960s Club Date in blue.

Nate Smith's Predictions About the Future of Music

Speaking directly to the drum workshop, Smith said, “I don’t think this (gesturing to the room and audience) is ever gonna go away. I really hope not. I really hope that this is at the core of it, where people are gathered to hear music.” He believes in the power of the “communal experience” when it comes to creating and performing music.

Smith briefly acknowledged the latest wave of innovation, in which artificial intelligence can now be used to generate songs based on user prompts. He doesn’t fault those who are striving to create this reality but has little interest in it himself.

Pictured: Nate Smith With a Signed Drum Head at Guitar Center Hollywood

Regarding his personal relationship with music and the future, he said, “I’m just going to be trying to get better at playing the drums and composing music.”

Nate Smith believes this passion is a lifelong pursuit, and creatives can be notoriously hard on themselves. Writer’s block, plateaus in technical improvement and self-doubt are struggles virtually every musician faces. To overcome these hurdles himself, he likens musicianship to a “marathon,” recognizing that patience and grace are necessary throughout the journey. If you stick with it, “You can only go—hopefully—one direction, and that’s getting better. That’s what I’ll be doing, hopefully.”