Has Petrucci's guitar playing become simpler over the years?

[adastra]

Just wanted to raise a question on this subject.
I'm not asking if "Petrucci has become worse playing guitar".
I'm asking if you think that "Petrucci guitar playing in Dream Theater albums has gotten more simpler and not as complicated/creative as before".

IMHO,  Petrucci's guitar playing on the early 90's was way more creative and cooler than nowadays.  Nowadays his playing is more straightforward than before. For example , "Take The Time"  has a lot happening guitar wise;  Funky playing, Cool solos etc.

But yeah, I still think that Petrucci does lots of cool stuff on the latest albums. I don't want you guys to think that IMO everything he does nowadays is "simpler".

So, What is Your opinion?  

Peace!

[Crow]

Totally. One issue I have with DT12 is a lack of anything interesting happening guitar-wise outside of instrumental sections, because it's mostly just power chords or generic metal chugging.

[jakepriest]

I feel like there has been an absence of interesting guitar melodies since Octavarium. But especially on DT there is only one riff that stands out to me (the first riff in Live, Die, Kill) and I don't like any of the solos.

[rumborak]

Overall I would slightly say "No", even though I probably would have said "Yes" had the question been specifically about his solo. Those I think have gotten less interesting over the years. Somewhere around ToT he replaced a lot of his bluesy stuff with chromatic runs and sweeps.

[Crow]

Somewhere around ToT he replaced a lot of his bluesy stuff with chromatic runs and sweeps.

Breaking All Illusions says hi. But in general I'd agree with you there as well, I guess.

[JiM-Xtreme]

I'd say less stylistically diverse, but not simpler. I too would love to hear more of the funky/bluesy stuff that we heard on tracks like TTT, LITS and so on.

[The Stray Seed]

I'd say less stylistically diverse, but not simpler. I too would love to hear more of the funky/bluesy stuff that we heard on tracks like TTT, LITS and so on.

This.

[Perpetual Change]

I'd say less stylistically diverse, but not simpler. I too would love to hear more of the funky/bluesy stuff that we heard on tracks like TTT, LITS and so on.

Agreed.

[SuperTaco]

I'd say less stylistically diverse, but not simpler. I too would love to hear more of the funky/bluesy stuff that we heard on tracks like TTT, LITS and so on.

You said it. I've been addicted to TTT again lately.

[1neeto]

I think he has been departing from the over the top wankery and becoming more melodic. Listen to TBP solo, it's super simple (I suck at guitar and I can play that solo no problem) but it happens to be my favorite solo of that album. Every single note on that solo carry tons of emotion, it's just very tasty. You don't need the crazy sweeps and runs he does on songs like ITNOG or CM to make a killer solo.

[Phoenix87x]

I'm not sure if it has become simpler per se, but I personally find it a lot less interesting, but having listened to him for almost 20 years now probably has something to do with that too.

For the majority of my guitar playing existence, I would cite JP as my primary influence, but I haven't listened to DT12 since october or ADTOE since god knows when. I respect his more recent work, but always find myself going back to the earlier material.

[TheGreatPretender]

I think he has been departing from the over the top wankery and becoming more melodic. Listen to TBP solo, it's super simple (I suck at guitar and I can play that solo no problem) but it happens to be my favorite solo of that album. Every single note on that solo carry tons of emotion, it's just very tasty. You don't need the crazy sweeps and runs he does on songs like ITNOG or CM to make a killer solo.

I'm hoping it's just the direction he decided to go this time around, and not a sign of a trend. I certainly hope to hear plenty of wankery on the following album.

[wolfking]

Definitely less diverse and experimental. Simpler, but technically not that much simpler.  I still voted yes.  He is also more repetitive these days IMO.

[DTFANATIC]

I would agree that his playing in the 90's was way more complicated than his playing on his newer albums. Aside from solos, his riffs were sort of complicated, like in Take the Time.
I don't believe he's lost his edge. But he definitely had more intricate playing back then. He's still superbly fast, so I wouldn't say that's simple at all. So overall, in a way yes, and no, his playing is somewhat less intricate as his earlier work. Solo wise, yes, it has become more simple. Other than that, no.

[ReaperKK]

I don't think it's become simpler but I do think it's become less interesting especially since JR joined the band.

Old school Petrucci was a lot more tasteful guitar player IMO. His solo's and jams from the until the awake era seemed a lot more alive and unique. I'll take bombay vindaloo or To Live Forever jam over the BTL or Hollow Years solo from Budokan.

Some of my favorite playing from him from NAMM '94:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNRX_5o2YD8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy6TaEH0URg

[a8ac]

IMHO,  Petrucci's guitar playing on the early 90's was way more creative and cooler than nowadays.  Nowadays his playing is more straightforward than before. For example , "Take The Time"  has a lot happening guitar wise;  Funky playing, Cool solos etc.

I agree on everything you said, I was thinking the same thing days ago, Also I could see in LALP, petrucci's playing isnt as clean as it was before, and in some scales he was just picking fast but he wasn't actually hitting the notes. That was a bit of a letdown for me..

Petrucci is still an amazing guitar player and my favorite member of the band, but I would like to see more creativity and variety on the next albums.

[Crow]

I think he has been departing from the over the top wankery and becoming more melodic. Listen to TBP solo, it's super simple (I suck at guitar and I can play that solo no problem) but it happens to be my favorite solo of that album. Every single note on that solo carry tons of emotion, it's just very tasty. You don't need the crazy sweeps and runs he does on songs like ITNOG or CM to make a killer solo.

He can be melodic and still have wankery though. It can be really effective if you have a mostly slower solo with quicker runs and more and more speed as it goes on. The Best of Times and Breaking All Illusions are two great examples of that. Take The Time's outro solo is too, and Hell's Kitchen's solo also qualifies in that category. Naturally, I love all those solos as a result of how well they flow and how strong the melody is~

[Rodni Demental]

Wankery has such negative connotations as a description of play style. 

Honestly, being able play some of the stuff that gets a reputation for being 'musical wankery' is actually not easily accomplished. And to be able to improvise and have knowledge of the scale structures and chord progressions that you're working around at those speeds is nothing short of incredible. I know it's probably not exactly news to anyone, but it truly is impressive to actually play and I know it's not what some people are used to, and depending on your mood, certain music like this can be a bit too intense, but I can be blown away by some of these 'fast' section, it tears by brain open and I'm just shocked at what I've heard.

And I'm not just talking like: play really fast to show ur m@d skillz. I'm talking about fast stuff that is actually well formed and well composed. It just blows my mind when I hear certain passages like: Tickle section of Lost Not Forgotten, guitar/keyboard solo in Constant Motion/A Rite of Passage and just really focus in on that stuff, it's so hard to keep up with the notes that your brain almost explodes and I get a huge adrenalin rush.  I guess my point was, the term 'wankery' almost feels like it detours the potential of ones perception from what something can truly be. Not to mention limiting to have as a framework for appreciating music.

[orcus116]

He hasn't updated his musical vocabulary in awhile so he has seemingly been using the same playbook for many albums in a row. He's still a damn good guitar player but every guitar solo has a "been there, done that" feel/sound to it.

[TheGreatPretender]

Wankery has such negative connotations as a description of play style. 

I stopped caring about that. I only use it in a positive way. I love musical wankery and think that DT's next album should be full of it.

[1neeto]

I think he has been departing from the over the top wankery and becoming more melodic. Listen to TBP solo, it's super simple (I suck at guitar and I can play that solo no problem) but it happens to be my favorite solo of that album. Every single note on that solo carry tons of emotion, it's just very tasty. You don't need the crazy sweeps and runs he does on songs like ITNOG or CM to make a killer solo.

He can be melodic and still have wankery though. It can be really effective if you have a mostly slower solo with quicker runs and more and more speed as it goes on. The Best of Times and Breaking All Illusions are two great examples of that. Take The Time's outro solo is too, and Hell's Kitchen's solo also qualifies in that category. Naturally, I love all those solos as a result of how well they flow and how strong the melody is~

That's why he's my favorite guitar player. He has a great balance of technicality and melody. Great call on Hell's Kitchen, I love how that song flows and his guitar work there is just about his best. I always try to play it but I get lost when he goes in World Domination Mode.   

[moof]

He hasn't updated his musical vocabulary in awhile so he has seemingly been using the same playbook for many albums in a row. He's still a damn good guitar player but every guitar solo has a "been there, done that" feel/sound to it.

Exactly. I don't think his playing has gotten 'worse' but I do think it's gone a bit stale.

[davidolson22]

He hasn't updated his musical vocabulary in awhile so he has seemingly been using the same playbook for many albums in a row. He's still a damn good guitar player but every guitar solo has a "been there, done that" feel/sound to it.

That's what I'd lean toward to. Though he did experiment with new tones recently, he didn't really do any new styles that I recall.

[BlobVanDam]

I'd say less stylistically diverse, but not simpler. I too would love to hear more of the funky/bluesy stuff that we heard on tracks like TTT, LITS and so on.

That sums it up perfectly. I love the bluesier/rockier stuff on FII, and I'd love to hear more of that. He can still do it so well (just check out the G3 DVD), but he doesn't seem to incorporate that into DT's sound at all.
But JP is still a strong riff and solo writer, and hasn't had a bad album in that regard. I'd just like him to show off more of his range of styles.

[orcus116]

I agree with Blob 100%

[Polis]

IMO the DT12 album was one giant homogenous blob stylistically, coming from all the members of DT. JP does his metal thing/look guys I can play fast!, I still can't hear myung, rudess is really, really annoying and out of place now (though I like his personality), the multiple james voice is nauseating, and mangini's drum sound is absolutely retarded. DT wants to be so traditional, so "DT sounding" that they end up sounding really meh and not memorable. The last good DT album was Octavarium, and even then it was getting kind of overdone and tedious. I really tried to like this album, but my disdain for it somehow outgrew and beat my obsession with DT. 

[Mosh]

Not simpler as much as it's just less flashy. in the 90's it seemed like he was trying to show his worth among players like Morse, Vai, and Satriani. I feel like in recent years, now that he's an established guitar god, his soloing has taken more of a melodic turn. He still shreds and all, but it seems a bit more focused to me. Also, with JR in the fold, all his crazy technical stuff is found in the guitar/keyboard duels, rather than the solos. It was the other way around with KM and DS.

[BlobVanDam]

IMO the DT12 album was one giant homogenous blob stylistically

I take offense to that!

[1neeto]

IMO the DT12 album was one giant homogenous blob stylistically, coming from all the members of DT. JP does his metal thing/look guys I can play fast!, I still can't hear myung, rudess is really, really annoying and out of place now (though I like his personality), the multiple james voice is nauseating, and mangini's drum sound is absolutely retarded. DT wants to be so traditional, so "DT sounding" that they end up sounding really meh and not memorable. The last good DT album was Octavarium, and even then it was getting kind of overdone and tedious. I really tried to like this album, but my disdain for it somehow outgrew and beat my obsession with DT. 

You can't hear Myung? Are you listening to this through your smartphone speaker?

[erwinrafael]

IMO the DT12 album was one giant homogenous blob stylistically, coming from all the members of DT. JP does his metal thing/look guys I can play fast!, I still can't hear myung, rudess is really, really annoying and out of place now (though I like his personality), the multiple james voice is nauseating, and mangini's drum sound is absolutely retarded. DT wants to be so traditional, so "DT sounding" that they end up sounding really meh and not memorable. The last good DT album was Octavarium, and even then it was getting kind of overdone and tedious. I really tried to like this album, but my disdain for it somehow outgrew and beat my obsession with DT. 

You can't hear Myung? Are you listening to this through your smartphone speaker?

LOL! Even I can hear Myung from a smartphone speaker.

[Cable]

The initial post and title is misleading. You ask about his playing being simpler, then discuss his style and creativity. These two are different, and it's cool to discuss them, but confusing when they are rolled into one.

Technically he has improved lead wise. He has incorporated more legato, tapping and sweeping recently, and seems more consistent with sweeping live now. Rhythm playing has remained the same.

About creativity, I don't really think so as a whole. I found stuff good lead wise on BCSL, and Repentance IMO was his most soulful lead. When I compare solos to Awake especially from now, to me they are in the same vein. His blues playing is still there too. Rhythm as I mentioned has remained its stellar self, which makes up the majority of songs, and therefore the majority of importance.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't know, I have always thought that TTT and LITS were the outliers.  They were always unusual, even back.  I love the kinds of things he does on them, but they were always exceptions.  I would never hold them up as examples of "the way it used to be" because they were outside the norm even  then.

[rumborak]

This solo is still one of his best. IMHO.

[Outcrier]

IMO the DT12 album was one giant homogenous blob stylistically

I take offense to that!

 

[Tick]

I can easily say no. There is a lot to playing guitar grasshoppers.