Play the recording of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." You can use a CD or MP3 player with ear plugs. Make sure you are able to stop and start the music without having to leave your drum set. You will be playing the song one section at a time, so pausing and resuming will be a routine task while learning to play "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Hit the bass drum to the tempo of the intro. You will learn to play the beginning fill before moving on to the actual beat of the song. Play the bass drum while listening to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" until you are comfortable and ready to move on to the next step. If the tempo is too fast, stop the music and master step one slowly.
Hit the snare drum to the tempo of the intro. Before attempting to put these two elements together, master the beat of the snare. Stop the music if you feel that the beat is too fast. Play the snare at your own pace until you are ready to play along with the music.
Combine the bass and the snare. Play the two parts together slowly, then attempt to play the intro along with the music.
Add the hi-hat. Break the song into small sections and practice playing each drum sound separately. There are three major drum sounds to the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit": bass drum, snare drum and hi-hat. You will feel more comfortable adding the hi-hat once you've mastered the bass and snare.
Play the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Start by playing through the song at your own pace, then attempt to play along with the music. Playing along with the music will help you to accurately find the song's tempo. If you do not sound like Dave Grohl, continue to practice until you achieve this goal.