I’ve talked about Nate Smith before, but I’ll say it again – WOW. He just never ceases to blow me away with his drumming and overall musicianship.

I first heard about Nate Smith when I purchased a record called Follow the Red Line by Chris Potter Underground. I don’t remember how or why I picked that album up but I’m SO THANKFUL I did. When I heard the drumming on the album – I was hooked. The drummer was, of course, Nate Smith. Since picking that album up I’ve been following/studying Nate for the last 7 years, and feel that he is finally beginning to get some of the credit he deserves for the KILLER level of player he is.

The video above is a transcription of a tune he performed recently for an installment of NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. The riff comes from a tune entitled “Rambo”, and it is the last song they play. I think this specific section of the song showcases perfectly how Nate is one of today’s most musical players out there. Nate and his band are able to take a VERY complicated rhythmic concept (metric modulation) and make it feel SO groovy and swampy.

In the “A” section of the tune, Nate is playing a quick 3/4 feel on drums, while the rest of the band is playing dotted quarter notes against that feel. The dotted quarter note pattern the rest of the band is playing is a group of 5 repeated notes, which means the figure ends up on the beginning of the measure (or downbeat) every 5 measures. This implies a 5/4 time signature based on the dotted quarter note. When they transition into the “B” section of the tune, they actually modulate to the dotted quarter note becoming the main pulse, abandoning Nate’s faster 3/4 quarter note. (Yes that is all VERY confusing to read, if you listen/watch the video it will make MUCH more sense).

This is what I admire most about Nate. His ability to make EVERYTHING feel groovy. Whether he is playing funk, jazz, soloing, or playing behind a soloist, he grooves. Whether he is playing something really simple, or extremely complex, he grooves. He also has a unique time feel that I think is impossible to replicate and is totally an outpouring of his unique DNA as a human.

So, check out the transcription video above (and the full concert for that matter), and then fill in your email below to get a copy of the transcription PDF and a free play along track I created to simulate this riff. If you are already on my email list, fear not, you already had this stuff delivered to your inbox!

Shedding with the play along track should help you get some real world application with how metric modulation can be extremely musical, contrary to popular belief!