I had an idea for this topic for some time, but this gave me the suggestion to open a thread about it:
It's funny, my earliest thought about DT - based on comments I'd read before actually hearing the music - was that DT is not a band for "normal" people like me, only for musicians or nerds with a high IQ
So, question: how many of you like DT first and foremost for their musical ability, and how many are instead in "just" because they happen to like the songs and the style of the band regardless of the actual skills required to craft said songs?
I'm not a musician, I don't consider myself ignorant of music, but surely I am not able to grasp things a musician can. I took singing lessons for several years, and I don't even remember when I was briefly introduced to piano; I know which are the notes on a keyboard, and I have a good ear to recreate easy melodies and I can play Beethoven's Ode to Joy on a keyboard, and that's it. Discussions about drum fills and chord progressions on guitars are completely alien to me. I "know" and recognize that the guys in DT are immensely skilled, but what I don't know is if a song, a solo or a melody that I happen to like requires a godlike skill of the instrument, or it's actually very easy.
And point is, I "don't care". Not in a dismissive way, but in the end, knowing if a part is insanely difficult or not, has a little impact for me on the liking of the song. I make an example, in comparison, with a drum intro every metlhead knows: the Painkiller one. I love it, because it's so badass and pumps you up for the song. Is it very difficult and requires days and days of practice to learn it? kudos to Scott Travis, but that wouldn't make me appreciate the intro that much more. It's something very simple that anyone who mastered double bass could do in their sleep? I don't care, I still love the intro.
Same for Dream Theater songs. I happen to like the music and I dearly love James as a singer (so his voice is basically the "instrument" I pay attention to), that's why I'm a fan, and while I surely realize, recognize and appreciate the evident and immense musicianship of the other members, the difficulty and craziness of a musical section will never be the defining factor in my appreciation of a DT song.
Anyone else like me or I'm in the vast minority among DT fans?