Watch Chad Smith break down Red Hot Chili Peppers drum beats and fills in a virtual masterclass with Drumeo

In a band where every instrumentalist is a hero of their instrument, it takes a special player to stand out. That’s exactly what Chad Smith has done with his drumming since joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers over 30 years ago.

With 10 studio albums under his belt, there’s a lot of beats and fills for Chad to reflect on, and recently he made the trip to Drumeo HQ to film an hour-and-twenty-minute breakdown of some of his most iconic drum beats and fills.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Grooves & Fills | Chad Smith - YouTube

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Hosted by Drumeo’s Brandon Toews, the virtual masterclass covers songs from across Chad’s career in the band, with a focus on tracks from Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication while also taking in By The Way (title track), Stadium Arcadium 

(Charlie) and The Getaway (The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie).

During a pause from playing, Chad took a moment to pay his respects to late Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, who he was close with.

As well as recalling some early memories of touring with Taylor during his tenure with Alanis Morissette, Chad recounts asking Taylor to be the godfather of his son, Beckett.

“I said, ‘Taylor, do you think you could be the godfather for Beckett? He goes, ‘Yeah, yeah. What do I have to do?' I go, 'I don’t really know…nothing.’ He says [deadpan] ‘Yeah, I can do that.’”

Chad Smith's Drumeo masterclass

• Suck My Kiss 
• Give It Away 
• Blood Sugar Sex Magik
• The Power Of Equality 
• Mellowship Slinky In B Major 
• Breaking The Girl 
• Scar Tissue 
• Around The World 
• Otherside 
• By The Way 
• The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie 
• Under The Bridge 
• Charlie 
• Can't Stop

Red Hot Chili Peppers are on a world tour in support of latest album, Return of the Dream Canteen throughout 2023. Click here for a full list of dates.