Are the majority of Dream Theater fans musicians?

[Zydar]

I am self taught, fairly good, jam in bands and some recording.

[EstyMaJ]

I started off playing drums way back in Jr High and took some lessons and later on i took up guitar and play by ear mostly and later took some classical lessons .
And now i still play both but just recently hooked up with a really talented musician looking for someone to lay down some drum tracks for some original stuff he wrote , I jumped on the offer !! going into a pro studio and recording was something i always wanted to do and i loved every minute of it , so far we have recorded two songs and he still wants to work on more so i guess I'm dong alright. 
Still Jam in a band but its always off and on .
Anyway I started playing Drums when i was 14 and guitar around 17 and still play both @ 46 years old still lots of fun !!!! 

[elizaalltiedup]

I dabble a bit, and I enjoy it and want to get better... but I lack focus and discipline, so I never make a lot of progress. If my pace were any slower, I'd be going backwards. >_>

[Edan the Man]

I dabble a bit but it's not really for me.

This.

[Cruithne]

There's a gap between the 2nd and 3rd options that I inhabit - I had several years schooling of the piano and trombone as a kid, but when it comes to the guitar I'm entirely self-taught and it's been 20 years since anyone tried to give me a formal music lesson.

My theory's far and away better these days than it was when I was theoretically being taught it (I hated learning the piano) and I know my way round an electric guitar well enough to keep me happy, but "excellent" would be something of an over-statement

Technically I am a recorded musician too, but only one solo (that I'm not proud of) on a track on a game that was released a very long time ago!

[Summers]

I am self taught, fairly good, jam in bands and some recording.

[The Silent Cody]

Third option, I started playing bass guitar 12 years ago. With my fisrt band we're playing Metallica covers (first one was Nothing Else Matters ), then I were in a few crappy bands that doesn't mean anything for local people When I moved to bigger city I started to play in a band which was known a lot by local metal fans. I was spotted by some people and now I'm preparing for my first in life two weeks tour But I have very low amount of money as a reward, I just love doing it

[?]

I can play keyboards pretty well and I'm an amateur at guitar myself.

[Dellers]

Option three I guess. I learned sax in a school band from I was like 7, and have been playing since (although a bit on and off the last five years after I finished school and stuff). Self taught bassist and guitarist, although I kind of suck at guitar playing. I just use it to record stuff, which strangely enough works ok (I managed to play a cover song featuring like 7 different guitar sounds decent enough). I'm more serious as a bassist, and that's what I consider myself to be. I play lots of different stuff, but not much Dream Theater. While John Myung can follow Petrucci at those speedy licks (like 3:39 in Breaking All Illusions), my fingers are slower (my speed limit is the same lick at maybe 110 bpm), but as far as I don't need to play those kind of shreddish licks I'm fairly good. More of a funk player actually.

[PS Head]

Have been playing guitar for 30yrs and keyboards for 20yrs.I have played and recorded in many bands over the years and the last 15yr i have concontrated on keyboards which i adore playing.My main influences have always been rock,but as much as i love prog(and i do so so much)have never been good enough to play anything like DT,Frost* or Genesis.

[lyfeternl]

Option 3 for me. I have been playing guitar for 10 years and I'm glad I picked it up, though won't divulge which band somewhat 'inspired' my musical thirst.

I am sure I'm not the only one but, I experience this vicious cycle of DT both giving me the desire to become better at my instrument while at the same time making me want to just throw everything in a wood-chipper and  in their glory.

[Guitalguy]

I am self taught, fairly good, jam in bands and some recording. Been playing guitar for about 3 years, my band has done some demos, and are currently preparing the recording for an EP that we will be trying to make an official release for.

[E.S.]

I'm a self taught musician, making money playing gigs. I'm also a studio geek, mixing, editing, recording etc...
DT was a VERY good inspiration to practice and learn to play properly. It's nice to pull out some flashy tricks every now and then, whenever it's needed. Most of all, though, they gave me a better understanding of harmonies and rhythm.
It seems to me that a lot of DT fans are musicians, on many different levels.

[tofee35]

I used to consider myself a drummer, but now I'm a guy that plays electronic drums with bad triggers...I'm not sure if either of those fall under musician since I know nothing about notes, chords, or any other jargon. I can definitely hit the (mesh) skins though.

[lyfeternl]

I used to consider myself a drummer, but now I'm a guy that plays electronic drums with bad triggers...I'm not sure if either of those fall under musician since I know nothing about notes, chords, or any other jargon. I can definitely hit the (mesh) skins though.

I always cringe when someone mentions playing on electronic drums...*shutters*

Drummers might not know/understand notes, chords, etc. but time signatures and beats are just as 'musical' to me. Personally, I've always wanted to learn the drums and MM might give me the inspiration to follow through with it. However, I think I'll hold off on the poly-rhythmic "three-time-signatures-at-once-while-I-spin-a-drumstick" for later on...

[Millais]

good question.
i'm grade 7ish trumpet.
also i'm self taught piano up to about grade 4/5ish

[Metropolis Pt. II]

I don't jam in bands, but I still pick the third option.

This. The rest of the description was definitely the closest. While I have messed around and jammed with other people occasionally, I don't play in bands, but I definitely do some recording, am self taught, and am a decent player.

I'm in the same camp as Blob.

[Dream Team]

  The graph is a giant middle finger, like most bell curves.

[Ryzee]

I'm self taught, etc.  Most people tell me I'm very good, but since John Petrucci is my guitar idol, I think I fucking suck.

[Metropolis Pt. II]

 

[lyfeternl]

I'm self taught, etc.  Most people tell me I'm very good, but since John Petrucci is my guitar idol, I think I fucking suck.

Agreed. JP even went so far as to call us all out on our "suck" in his OTBOA tutorial videos on Guitar World 

[Herrick]

None of those options work for Herrick so here's my story: I played flute and saxaphone (alto & tenor) throughout most of my schooling days. In my later teenaged years, I started playing bass guitar. Years later, I switched to guitar because it was much more prevelant in the music I loved (Metal). I have an Ibanez RG7621. I am not good at guitar. I'm not even average. Pretty bad So I'm somewhere between options 3 & 4. Let's call it 3.5 - I am a self-taught guitar player who mostly dabbles (I learn a few songs here and there).

[tofee35]

I used to consider myself a drummer, but now I'm a guy that plays electronic drums with bad triggers...I'm not sure if either of those fall under musician since I know nothing about notes, chords, or any other jargon. I can definitely hit the (mesh) skins though.

I always cringe when someone mentions playing on electronic drums...*shutters*

Drummers might not know/understand notes, chords, etc. but time signatures and beats are just as 'musical' to me. Personally, I've always wanted to learn the drums and MM might give me the inspiration to follow through with it. However, I think I'll hold off on the poly-rhythmic "three-time-signatures-at-once-while-I-spin-a-drumstick" for later on...

...yeaaah one of the many downfall of apartment living

[The Hiryuu]

I've had a moderate amount of training (A year or so of private guitar lessons, a year of music theory classes in school)...but while music isn't exactly my source of income, it's unquestionably the central focus of my life. I stay in my cruddy job primarily because the hour flexibility and ease of taking time off lends itself well to my musical endeavors.

[Ice9ine]

Interesting data and replies people. It appears we are a mixed bag, yet the graph shows most of us do play an instrument and are involved in bands and recording in one way or another.

Nice work!

[Dr. DTVT]

I'm somewhere between the 3rd and 4th option.  I can play guitar and keyboard, but I've never been in a band, although when I had a two roommates who played drums and guitar we jammed occasionally.  My roommates were both fellow grad students so they weren't professional either.

[Dusk Till Dawn]

I have been playing drums for 20 years and I am mainly self taught.  Metallica and DT were huge influence growing up.  I played in a few bands and did some recording.  It was always the METAL!  Funny now I play in a band that plays classic rock from the 60's to the 90's.  We get good gigs and the music is fun.  But I still love the METAL

[TheCor]

Most people tell me I'm very good, but since John Petrucci is my guitar idol, I think I fucking suck.

Yeah, I know the feeling.  Most people in my area have never been exposed to any kind of Petrucci-esque playing, so even my sloppy attempt at it blows their minds.  Every time I hear someone say "THAT WAS AMAZING!" after a gig I think to myself, " If you think that was cool, you really need to listen to better guitar players!" but of course I always just say "Yeah, thanks!"

[Ryzee]

Most people tell me I'm very good, but since John Petrucci is my guitar idol, I think I fucking suck.

Yeah, I know the feeling.  Most people in my area have never been exposed to any kind of Petrucci-esque playing, so even my sloppy attempt at it blows their minds.  Every time I hear someone say "THAT WAS AMAZING!" after a gig I think to myself, " If you think that was cool, you really need to listen to better guitar players!" but of course I always just say "Yeah, thanks!"

Yeah man, this exactly. 

[1neeto]

Not a musician, or a ba one at the very least, my 12 year old son plays better guitar than me. My sister plays much better piano than me. My only "gift" is a fairly decent vocal range.

With that said I'm gonna admit that I enjoy DT purely as a listener, I enjoy the complexity behind their playing and find myself counting the measures to try to figure out their time signatures. Once the measures get into the double digits I get lost lol! But really I just enjoy the music whether it's a simple 4/4 or some crazy 134/64 lol!

[Elite]

Between the 2nd and 3rd option. I'm a well schooled musician, play in 4 different band, make some money with them and I've recorded stuff. I also make some money by teaching others, but as I am still a student, it is not really my primary income, nor do I think it will be unless one of my bands gets big.

[angelillo]

with all respect... I think that the fans that take the time to check this and other DT forums... are probably somehow hardcore-ish fans... and are either very internet oriented people (LOL) or musicians... so I think this is a bit biased... it should be more like
"Are the majority of the DT forumers musicians?"
Again with all respect...
BTW I am not a musician...

[ZirconBlue]

I picked the second option, although I think that might be overstating things a bit.  I played tuba in high school and college, and now play contrabass bugle in a Drum & Bugle Corps. 

[jdprsaga]

I picked #2,

my two brothers and i took classical music (organ, violin, music reading, french horn) for about 10 years since i was 5 years old, at 12 i started playing guitar mostly self taught around that time, one of my brothers did had professional guitar training with a guy from berklee who graduated and is friend with frank gambale. and my brother used to teach me what he learned in his classes, and share his books, altho it wasn't the same.

The thing is, i love playing music, i love playing guitar, but i know i don't want to do that for living, i had a band, we had a couples of hits in the early '00  in Guatemala/el salvador, but when i noticed i had to choose between being in the band or drop college, i realized i liked more what i was learning in school than being in the band.. so i dropped the band.

John Petrucci is on my top 3 list of guitar players (can't decide who is #1) altho i must say he doesn't have almost any influence in my style other than some technique from his tutorials videos, i guess my style is more kind of beck/blackmore mix but not good tho.

my brother does do music for living, he owns an studio now and he is a producer and he teach music in college and have endorsement from a chain music store from central america. He was the one who got me to dream theater and progressive music back in '93 but i don't know why he lost interest on it long time ago.

[Ultimetalhead]

Going to school for music education right now, so I'd probably pick the first one.