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Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: ReaPsTA on March 19, 2010, 08:25:42 PM
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Are there any riffs on BCSL that don't sound like they were written by JP or JR? For what it's worth, here's a list of confirmed Myung riffs/grooves I know of:
- The bass groove under the final guitar solo in Lie
- The riff for the "back on my feet again" section of Strange Deja Vu
- The riff under the BTL trumpet solo
Based on this really limited sample, it seems like Myung's riffs have a really rapid tension and release in them. The same overall characteristics can be heard in his bass grooves in general, and in his improvisations such as Moonbubbles and Solar Groove.
So in my search through BCSL to find an example of Myung's writing, I came up mostly empty. Except for one riff:
"LET ME INTRODUCE
MY BROTHER!!!"
Yep, that one.It's all just speculation, but if Myung wrote anything on BCSL, that feels the most obvious. Moves really quickly and not a lot of sustained tone.
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Intro to AROP?
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Intro to AROP?
Simply because the bass is so prominent, you have to wonder. That whole song gives what for him is an abnormally large compositional space.
Also, the 5/4 solo riff in ANTR kinda sounds like his writing.
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I wish the band/JMX himself would elaborate more on what he was doing during the writing sessions. It's just shrouded in mystery...
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John is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him
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He's my favourite member of the band, I just wish he'd add more to it, or tell us what he's already added :P
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I dont get how a you can be that talented of a musician in a band like dream theater and not write all of your baselines. I just doesn't make sense why he would allow it.
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Jordan gave away that they wrote the album as a trio (JP/JR/MP) in an interview, so you're not likely to find anything written by JM on it.
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Jordan gave away that they wrote the album as a trio (JP/JR/MP) in an interview, so you're not likely to find anything written by JM on it.
No wonder why it sounds like LTE with vocals :P
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Jordan gave away that they wrote the album as a trio (JP/JR/MP) in an interview, so you're not likely to find anything written by JM on it.
No wonder why it sounds like LTE with vocals :P
Another odd post. BC&SL sounds like LTE? Am I missing something?
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Jordan gave away that they wrote the album as a trio (JP/JR/MP) in an interview, so you're not likely to find anything written by JM on it.
No wonder why it sounds like LTE with vocals :P
Another odd post. BC&SL sounds like LTE? Am I missing something?
I don't get it either.
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Yep, but it has no Tony Levin, that's why it doesn't sound that much like LTE. :biggrin:
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Yep, but it has no Tony Levin, that's why it doesn't sound that much like LTE. :biggrin:
That, and the fact that it doesn't sound like LTE at all.
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Yep, but it has no Tony Levin, that's why it doesn't sound that much like LTE. :biggrin:
That, and the fact that it doesn't sound like LTE at all.
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Jordan gave away that they wrote the album as a trio (JP/JR/MP) in an interview, so you're not likely to find anything written by JM on it.
Then why would he still has a credit on all those five songs? It doesn't make any sense, I think that JR meant that JP/JR/MP wrote majority of the album not every note and arrangement and everything of the whole album... And I saw that interview BTW
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From everything I've heard over the last few years, there's very little contribution from JM at all these days. From what I gather he also just shows up for shows, plays, and then leaves again.
So yeah, I don't think anything on BCSL is from him.
rumborak
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From everything I've heard over the last few years, there's very little contribution from JM at all these days. From what I gather he also just shows up for shows, plays, and then leaves again.
So yeah, I don't think anything on BCSL is from him.
rumborak
That's a sad thought... I'd like to know as much as everyone else how much JMX contributes to the album-writing process these days, but I wouldn't want to pester anyone in the band about it to the point that it becomes annoying and irritating for them. I believe that, no matter how much JMX writes or doesn't write, the band AND Myung are comfortable with what they are doing at this point in their career. If he didn't want to be there or felt like he wasn't getting enough input, he'd probably let them know. He may be quiet, but I doubt he's a push-over.
-Marc.
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If he didn't want to be there or felt like he wasn't getting enough input, he'd probably let them know.
This for sure. Personally, I'd love to see more input from him. But if he's OK with how things are going now, then that's really all there is to it. And apparently, he is.
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From everything I've heard over the last few years, there's very little contribution from JM at all these days. From what I gather he also just shows up for shows, plays, and then leaves again.
So yeah, I don't think anything on BCSL is from him.
rumborak
That's a sad thought... I'd like to know as much as everyone else how much JMX contributes to the album-writing process these days, but I wouldn't want to pester anyone in the band about it to the point that it becomes annoying and irritating for them. I believe that, no matter how much JMX writes or doesn't write, the band AND Myung are comfortable with what they are doing at this point in their career. If he didn't want to be there or felt like he wasn't getting enough input, he'd probably let them know. He may be quiet, but I doubt he's a push-over.
-Marc.
This.
And rumborak, I did not have this impression when I saw the PN show. He seemed to really enjoy playing and at the end of the show he was smiling to the crowd and seemed quite happy so I don't think he comes to play the shows and leave. He may not contribute to the writing process anymore, but I'm pretty sure he still enjoys playing and touring.
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And rumborak, I did not have this impression when I saw the PN show. He seemed to really enjoy playing and at the end of the show he was smiling to the crowd and seemed quite happy so I don't think he comes to play the shows and leave. He may not contribute to the writing process anymore, but I'm pretty sure he still enjoys playing and touring.
I think you got me wrong here. I'm not saying JM isn't enjoying the playing anymore. I'm saying that most likely, that's the only thing he does (and enjoys) within DT. To put it bluntly, he made himself the classic "band musician" who takes the backseat in terms of musical and band direction, but instead focuses solely on the live performances.
rumborak
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Songwriting usually doesn't include the bass lines or drums. Songs start with a riff, either keyboard or guitar generated, and you can write an entire song without any drums or bass.
When the song is done, then the drum and bass player comes in and "writes" and records parts to it. As any musician that is published will tell you, you typically don't get a writing credit for writing the rhythm backing of a song. I highly doubt anyone other than JM writes his bass parts. I'm sure he does. MP "writes" his drum parts, but MP doesn't get songwriting credits because of those drum parts. It's for the lyrics and arrangement work.
Take Anthrax. Charlie Benante writes most of the band's songs. He's the drummer, but he plays guitar and writes the songs on guitar. That's why he gets songwriting credit. His drum work isn't counted as songwriting.
Now, to the issue of JM getting "credited" as "Dream Theater" on songs, (i.e. lyrics by Portnoy, music by Dream Theater, etc.), typically, a lot of bands have royalty agreements between them, that no matter who does the writing, they all a percentage share of the songwriting royalties. Those agreements vary from band to band, so unless they (one of the band) tell you how it is split up, you never really can tell who is getting the "monetary credit" from song royalties.
Hope that didn't further confuse things. I don't know how DT splits up anything, but the bottom line is, while I am sure Portnoy and Myung write their own parts, drumming and bass playing usually don't amount to a true "songwriting" credit. That's usually reserved for the folks that write the riffs and arrangements that make up an actual song, not the rhythm parts.
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Samsara, for Raw Dog JM didn't write anything. JR wrote the bass lines on the keyboard, then JM came in and learned them. And I don't think this was the first time happening that way. MP has said for quite a while that MP+JP+JR are the "writing nucleus".
JM getting writing credits might be partly to not single him out on the records, and because he maybe still does a few things here and there.
rumborak
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Yeah, the band have gone on record as saying sometimes JM is there writing with the band, but other times, Mike, John, or Jordan will come up with the bass part and he will learn it (and, I'm sure, embellish on it significantly, but that still doesn't really make him the "writer" of it, IMO).
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Samsara, for Raw Dog JM didn't write anything. JR wrote the bass lines on the keyboard, then JM came in and learned them. And I don't think this was the first time happening that way. MP has said for quite a while that MP+JP+JR are the "writing nucleus".
JM getting writing credits might be partly to not single him out on the records, and because he maybe still does a few things here and there.
rumborak
Interesting. If that is the case, it is pretty darn lame.