Dave Grohl Fooled Everyone With This Nirvana Drum Part

In 1991, Dave Grohl records “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with Nirvana and creates one of the most iconic drum parts in rock history.

*The strange thing is, it came from disco.*

For 30 years, everyone heard it as the sound of grunge: raw, loud, and aggressive. Then in 2021, Dave finally revealed where a lot of his Nevermind drumming came from. It wasn’t punk or metal. It was The Gap Band, Cameo, and Chic’s Tony Thompson.

So how did a disco groove end up driving the song that changed rock forever?

In this video, we trace the story of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from Kurt Cobain’s attempt to write “the ultimate pop song,” through Dave’s love of disco, post-punk and hardcore (including Budgie from Siouxsie and the Banshees and Earl Hudson from Bad Brains), to the recipe that made the drum part his own.

We’ll look at the secret ingredient behind the song’s power: dynamics. That includes the tight verse groove, the open hi-hat on the “&” of 4, and the fill that drops straight back into the quiet verse without a crash. We’ll also show you how to play it on the kit, and why “Smells Like Teen Spirit” still hits just as hard nearly 35 years later.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome To Seattle!
01:20 – Kurt’s “Ultimate Pop Song”
01:40 – The Disco Secret
02:27 – The Post-Punk & Hardcore Influences
03:19 – Breaking Down The Iconic Intro
04:02 – Dynamics: The Secret Ingredient
05:58 – The Legacy Of Nevermind
06:26 – Why “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Matters To Drummers
16:30 – Final Thoughts

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Written by Drumeo