Author Topic: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?  (Read 3442 times)

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Offline rumborak

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Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« on: October 07, 2010, 01:49:39 PM »
Was suggested by a friend of mine, and it would certainly be *the* time to do so. He is currently just playing for another band with minimal organisational/artistic input, so he probably has a lot of time on his hands.
I always thought he wasn't particularly strong in dynamics, i.e. a lot of his playing is 100% or 0%, but little in-between. One of the reasons I love Gavin Harrison's playing so much is because he changes his dynamics so much.

Thoughts?

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Offline Samsara

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2010, 01:51:15 PM »
No time like the present. Hell, it'd be cool to see how much better even HE can become by re-inventing himself and learning more. He's obviously got the technical chops to perform anything.
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Offline EPICVIEW

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2010, 01:52:25 PM »
? why would MP do that? he is currently playing in a Metal Band,.. I dont think NOW is that time for MP to have that sort of "revelation"?

I dont get the timing...
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Offline Nick

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2010, 01:52:32 PM »
I think it's a great idea for any drummer, but I don't see MP as that type. Neil Peart has always been a technical and stylistic perfectionist, and Neil has always worked to improve both of those aspects of his game. On the other hand Portnoy has said that since Dream Theater started he basically has had time to play and do his thing as best he can and has never really focused on those things very much. It would be nice to see him do it and see the results, but I don't think it will happen.
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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2010, 01:53:58 PM »
That's a great idea!  Someone should suggest it to him.  I wonder if he has a website or forum?


But seriously, now would be the perfect time, and it would probably put his head in a better place, too.

Offline EPICVIEW

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2010, 02:04:15 PM »
That's a great idea!  Someone should suggest it to him.  I wonder if he has a website or forum?


But seriously, now would be the perfect time, and it would probably put his head in a better place, too.


Hmmmm... Maybe Im wrong .. Im not sure, but it would appear he is on tour?..or is that tour for AX7 over..I have no been following it that closely
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Offline Marvellous G

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2010, 02:06:11 PM »
I think it's a great idea for any drummer, but I don't see MP as that type. Neil Peart has always been a technical and stylistic perfectionist, and Neil has always worked to improve both of those aspects of his game. On the other hand Portnoy has said that since Dream Theater started he basically has had time to play and do his thing as best he can and has never really focused on those things very much. It would be nice to see him do it and see the results, but I don't think it will happen.

All this, specifically the bolded part.

Offline phentalmyst

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2010, 02:10:12 PM »
along these same lines, i think its funny how MP is (oops! WAS) the only member of DT to not be habitually practicing, especially given his OCD-ness. yet another reason why i think someone like donati who rehearses up to 8 hours a day (:metal) would be much more suited for said vacant throne...

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2010, 02:11:45 PM »
Great Idea and MP could put all that angst and energy into bringing new styles into his playing.
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Offline Tick

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #9 on: October 07, 2010, 02:12:52 PM »
I don't think from stuff he has said he has any interest in reinventing himself.
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Offline ReaPsTA

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #10 on: October 07, 2010, 02:22:16 PM »
At least on the Whirlwind, MP did a lot of stuff that I can't imagine him doing in Dream Theater. The fills in particular had an extra bit of spice to them. I dunno if playing more prog oriented stuff qualifies as reinventing himself, but it seems to make him stretch himself more as a drummer.
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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #11 on: October 07, 2010, 02:28:58 PM »
That's a great idea!  Someone should suggest it to him.  I wonder if he has a website or forum?

But seriously, now would be the perfect time, and it would probably put his head in a better place, too.

Hmmmm... Maybe Im wrong .. Im not sure, but it would appear he is on tour?..or is that tour for AX7 over..I have no been following it that closely

I don't mean today, I mean now as in "at this point in his career".  Finish the A7X tour, then time some time off, take the break he's been saying he wants (but never takes), and rethink things.  Neil did it, and he's supposedly one of Mike's heroes.  Neil made news early in his career as "the guy from Rush with the huge-ass kit" but quickly proved that it was not all show, that he actually used every piece of his kit, and to the fullest effect.  It always seemed to me that Mike latched onto the "huge-ass kit" part and didn't go much further.  His work with Dream Theater does tend to be all-or-nothing, as rumby said, 0% or 100%.  Sure, lots of fun little fills and things, but "subtlety" is not a word that comes to mind.

The best drummers know how to contribute to every aspect of the song, not just play balls-out all the time.

Offline Ħ

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2010, 03:17:56 PM »
No.  Mike is a terrific drummer.  To see him switch to an instrument where he'd be mediocre at best would be facepalming.
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Offline GuineaPig

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #13 on: October 07, 2010, 03:19:21 PM »
No.  Mike is a terrific drummer.  To see him switch to an instrument where he'd be mediocre at best would be facepalming.

Yeah.  I for one think that Rush has been going downhill ever since Peart gave up the drums for the mandolin.
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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #14 on: October 07, 2010, 03:30:36 PM »
It was brought to my attention that perhaps this should be moved to General Music. Given that MP is a former member now and that this deals solely with him and his drumming and has no direct link to Dream Theater I am inclined to agree.
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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #15 on: October 07, 2010, 04:17:22 PM »
No.  Mike is a terrific drummer.  To see him switch to an instrument where he'd be mediocre at best would be facepalming.

Yeah.  I for one think that Rush has been going downhill ever since Peart gave up the drums for the mandolin.

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Offline rumborak

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #16 on: October 07, 2010, 04:22:09 PM »
No.  Mike is a terrific drummer.  To see him switch to an instrument where he'd be mediocre at best would be facepalming.

You're not good with reading OP's, are you?

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Offline ZBomber

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #17 on: October 07, 2010, 04:23:05 PM »
He SHOULD do that, but since he never practices I doubt he would ever try and rediscover/reinvent himself on the drums.

Offline antigoon

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #18 on: October 07, 2010, 04:23:14 PM »
I think it would be nice, but I also feel like his comments about practicing are kinda revealing. I know he's a busy man and all, but if he wanted, he could make some time to practice.

Besides from the whole quitting drinking and drugs thing (which is huge, not discounting that in any way), he doesn't seem like a guy who seeks to really improve himself.

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #19 on: October 07, 2010, 04:24:55 PM »
No.  Mike is a terrific drummer.  To see him switch to an instrument where he'd be mediocre at best would be facepalming.

You're not good with reading OP's, are you?

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Offline faemir

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #20 on: October 07, 2010, 04:26:08 PM »
I always took his lazy drum practice etc to be a tradeoff for our awesome Dream Theater stuff. He has to be far less pressured and busy now, so I wouldn't be surprised and would in fact be very happy if he did some improving, not that he needs it that much.

He likes Opeth, maybe he should talk to Martin Lopez.

Offline TempusVox

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #21 on: October 08, 2010, 11:15:53 AM »
To compare MP to NP is kind of silly actually. You're talking about comparing their perceived respective levels of committment. Everything MP does it seems is geared towards being RECOGNIZED as one of the greatest drummers around. NP does not care about the recognition factor (although to be appreciated is certainly an added bonus), his personality is such that he is driven to always be better than HE thinks he is. It's not about what others think of his playing, or style, or whatever. That type of dogged committment is almost nearly impossible for most people to pull off. It's like comparing the work ethics and abilities of Jerry Rice, with another NFL legend Tim Brown. Both had great careers and were great receivers, but Rice had a work eithic that was almost impossible to duplicate. NP is that way. He is always looking for ways to improve his ability, and analyzes what he does because he is a very cerebral individual. That doesn't mean that MP is any less talented because he is not cut out of the same cloth as Neil, but his personality is not the same. How do we know what MP does or doesn't do to work on his abiltiy and technique? We don't really. We only know that Neil gets excited about the "journey" and lets people know what he's doing. He likes to talk about the process, and how he thinks he's found another wrinkle, or edge to work at and develop. That's not to say that MP is lazy. Really? lazy? C'mon people!
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Offline abydos

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #22 on: October 08, 2010, 11:30:35 AM »
He's been saying that his work with DT doesn't leave him much time to do any practice other than playing the songs on tour. Now since this is no longer the case it would be great for him to work on that, I feel it will have a positive effect on his playing and inspiration as well.

Offline Perpetual Change

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #23 on: October 08, 2010, 11:33:47 AM »
I actually agree with what Tempus has said, though I'd extend it to another big difference which I think was missed: fan interaction. With Portnoy, it's not just about the recognition. It's about the fans. Having had the opportunity to see Mike play with DT three times, and once "up close and personal" with Transatlantic (I was literally right in front of his kit the whole night-- gotta love the kit being frontstage and all), it's apparent to me that Mike is totally made for the live environment. The amount of charisma he has onstage is simply unbeatable. The way he feeds of the fans during his performances is unreal.

With Peart, there's always been this weird kinda distance between him and the fans. He's a great drummer; there's really no denying that. But there's frequently this kinda perceived apathy towards fan-affection from him too. I know it's not that he doesn't care about the fans, but he CAN come across that way. The stuff that makes Peart uncomfortable is the same stuff that basically fuels Portnoy.

Offline rumborak

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #24 on: October 08, 2010, 12:16:33 PM »
How do we know what MP does or doesn't do to work on his abiltiy and technique? We don't really.

Well, I believe he said it himself somewhere (Lifting Shadows?) that sound check and onstage is essentially his practice. So, these statements aren't just pulled out of our butts.

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Offline ZBomber

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #25 on: October 08, 2010, 01:13:40 PM »
Yeah, I'm pretty sure hes openly admitted a few times he doesn't practice anymore because he doesn't feel the need to.

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #26 on: October 08, 2010, 02:06:18 PM »
Right, but the question was "Should MP...?" not "Do we think he would ever...?"

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #27 on: October 08, 2010, 02:12:32 PM »
You know, Neil in the early 90's said he didn't think he could learn anymore in interviews but after playing in the Burning For Buddy tribute concert, it changed his mind and he went on to learn from Freddy Gruber.
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Offline ZBomber

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #28 on: October 08, 2010, 02:26:48 PM »
Right, but the question was "Should MP...?" not "Do we think he would ever...?"

Sorry, I didn't specify... I was addressing this post:

How do we know what MP does or doesn't do to work on his abiltiy and technique? We don't really.

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #29 on: October 08, 2010, 02:34:54 PM »
How do we know what MP does or doesn't do to work on his abiltiy and technique? We don't really.

Well, I believe he said it himself somewhere (Lifting Shadows?) that sound check and onstage is essentially his practice. So, these statements aren't just pulled out of our butts.

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #30 on: October 08, 2010, 03:27:39 PM »
Right, but the question was "Should MP...?" not "Do we think he would ever...?"

Sorry, I didn't specify... I was addressing this post:

How do we know what MP does or doesn't do to work on his abiltiy and technique? We don't really.

I figured as much, but thought I'd make the point anyway, since it still applies.  Whether we think he will and whether we think he should are definitely two different questions.

Offline Gorille85

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #31 on: October 08, 2010, 03:43:38 PM »
I don't think MP would...He will take the time off to be with his family and stuff like that. It's clearly not a priority for him because he always seem to squeeze in collaborations with other projects and stuff. If it was important to him, he would take the time to do it. So I don't see how this will change now.

Offline antigoon

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Re: Should MP do a Neil Peart and rethink his instrument?
« Reply #32 on: October 08, 2010, 04:15:49 PM »
Well to be fair I think his drums are a higher priority than his family is :P