Veteran drummer Steve Smith of Journey fame was faced with a classic grunge song, Alice in Chains‘ “Would?,” for the latest edition of Drumeo‘s “For the First Time” series.
The recurring segment features a drummer who is a given a song they’ve never heard before (with the drum parts removed), and they must construct their own part from scratch before laying down a final take over the original stems.
“Steve, are you ready to join a grunge band?” asks Drumeo host Brandon Toews, to which Smith confidently replies, knowing his assignment will require some added energy to his playing: “I am — go a little more nuts or something.”
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During his initial listen to the drumless version of the song, Smith already starts to pick up on the right tempo based on Jerry Cantrell’s rhythm guitar and the prominent bass playing of Mike Starr. The changes in the song clearly surprise Smith, however, especially the melodic bridge section that rides out the song to its famous final line.
“Have you ever heard that song before?” asks Toews, with Smith replying, “Never heard that song before — Drumeo strikes again!”
Working out his approach with Toews, the drummer deduces that he’s going to have to pay close attention to the shifts in tempo between the verse, chorus, and bridge.
“There’s some interesting guitar rhythms that happen in the choruses — I might pick up, I might not … I’m not sure; I’m just gonna have to play with that,” says Smith, talking it out. I like the dynamic shifts. It has a range of dynamics that’s cool.”
Smith’s professional talents come into play immediately, as he’s able to glance at a chart to gather more about the song structure before attempting his first playthrough, offering a laid back, somewhat jazzy interpretation of the drum part, with lots of tom work. The second take has more force behind it, louder hits, and is a marked improvement over Smith’s first attempt.
“Mitch Mitchell,” says Smith of his stylistic approach to the track, referencing the Jimi Hendrix Experience stickman.
For the final runthrough, Smith melds the tom-heavy pounding of his first take and the heavier hits of his second, paying close attention to the tempo shifts and mostly nailing them. It’s a bit too loose for Alice in Chains, but it is interesting that the 71-year-old drummer found common ground in classic rock, indeed miming a very Mitch Mitchell-style for the iconic grunge song.
Finally, Smith gets to hear the original recording with Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney’s playing.
“Killer — super cool,” says Smith. “I love the tom parts. And his drum part is more syncopated than the guitar part.”
Toews then sums up the session by concluding, “Steve, you’re ready to join a grunge band.”
Stream the clip below, and if you’re looking to pick up the drums or improve your skills, Drumeo is offering a 30-day free trial for new members.