Chad Smith Archives - Modern Drummer Magazine

Chad Smith

Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.

Modern Drummer 2022 Readers Poll Winners

It is time to announce the winners of the 2022 Modern Drummer Readers Poll. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks for your artistry and contributions towards the history and evolution of modern drumming. Thank you for your recordings,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 31, 2022

Introducing...

My name is Mark Griffith, I am a professional musician who happens to play drums. I tour, play locally, record, do clinics, masterclasses, teach, and I write. I started writing for Modern Drummer under Ron Spagnardi’s leadership 25 years ago,…

Mark Griffith
Mar 31, 2022

UNLIMITED CHAD

It’s becoming an annual event on my calendar. Chad Smith and I seem to talk every February. And since we talked last, Chad has been very busy. He has just recently completed another Ozzy Osbourne record, a new Eddie Vedder…

By Mark Griffith Photos By Travis Shinn
Mar 31, 2022

Chad Smith’s Red Hot Chili Peppers Audition

I grew up in Detroit and moved out to California in August of 1988. Through a friend of a friend, I got the audition with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. My friend knew a girl who was dating John Frusciante.…

By Chad Smith
Mar 31, 2022

Transcriptions:

“Salute to Kareem,” Mother’s Milk; “Suck my Kiss,” Blood Sugar Sex Magik; “Breaking the Girl,” Blood Sugar Sex Magik;“Readymade,” Stadium Arcadium; “Dark Necessities,” The Getaway; In this month’s cover story and interview Chad Smith talks about R&B and funk drumming,…

Excerpted from Chad Smith Legends
Mar 31, 2022

Chad and Charlie

In 2018, Charlie Watts made an appearance on Drum Channel’s The Chad Smith Show. To celebrate Watt’s imprint and impact on drumming, we are currently offering the complete interview for free at drumchannel.com, but here are a few tidbits from…

Modern Drummer
Oct 29, 2021

2021 Readers Poll Results

Celebrate Your Choices for the Extraordinary Drummers of the Past Year It’s that time again for the Modern Drummer staff to thank the community for making possible our annual Readers Poll. Your enthusiasm for all things drumming, your knowledge of…

Modern Drummer
Jul 20, 2021

Chad Smith

Remembering Neil Peart I spent my sophomore year listening to 2112. Up until that point I had an older brother who listened to a lot of English rock albums. Led Zeppelin was probably my favorite, and John Bonham’s drumming was…

Modern Drummer
Jan 1, 2021

What Song Are You Working on Now?

“Metropolis—Part I” by Dream Theater .@ptrlcc “Chemical Warfare” by Slayer .@nickkcuevas “Hemispheres” by Rush . The first section is so tough on the hi-hat.@mconrad332 “Around the World” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers .@_rywill22 “Just like Heaven” by the Cure…

Modern Drummer
Sep 1, 2020

Chad Smith

The longtime Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer is enjoying a wave... TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine 47 Years of Archives (500+ Issues) 40+ Drum Channel Subscribe…

Modern Drummer
Sep 1, 2020

Chad Smith’s Three Basic Beats to Infuse with Your Own Thing

You can get ten different people playing on a basic drumset, playing a basic rock beat, and they will all sound different. We each have a signature, and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s not “my way or the highway”—it’s about…

Modern Drummer
Sep 1, 2020

18 Drummers to Follow on Instagram

Worldwide pandemic or not, we’re all spending more... TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine 47 Years of Archives (500+ Issues) 40+ Drum Channel Subscribe Now All Access…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Reggie Quinerly and Steve Gadd take the reins, Chad Smith with Joe Satriani, Claus Hessler's Camp Duty Update, and more

Reggie Quinerly proved himself as a strong, swinging, fluent, and sensitive drummer accompanying the likes of Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano, and Greg Osby, as well as on his first two discs as a leader. Taking a left turn,…

Modern Drummer
Jul 31, 2018

On Ringo Starr

The Shock of the New

by Billy Amendola
May 31, 2017