Author Topic: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion  (Read 12469 times)

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Offline TAC

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #35 on: May 24, 2018, 07:57:46 PM »
Well, there *is* always more.  Maybe not more albums, but there's always more to learn. And there's always more to know...
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline The Walrus

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #36 on: May 24, 2018, 08:26:52 PM »
I understood that reference.  :biggrin:
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Offline pg1067

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #37 on: May 25, 2018, 09:59:26 AM »
Oh for god's sake!  The man has meat to smoke and iron to pump!   :biggrin:
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Offline 7enderbender

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #38 on: May 26, 2018, 08:37:23 PM »
Interesting question and many good replies so far. As a guitar player myself and DT fan from the very early days I regard him highly for a number of reasons: impact on the style and making it way bigger/bringing it really into existence, tone and skill level, equipment development.
Other than that I always cringe a bit when this turns into a competition. There really are no winners and losers here and there are so many great players of all styles. So the rankings are meaningless to me.
Other than pure skill I love the emotions he gets across together with the test of the band. And I always am at a loss when I hear ye olde blues players complain in their socks, sandals and cargo shorts that he (and others) play so fast and that all those effects and distortion and seven strings are totally unnecessary (citing Clapton as exhibit A).
My only criticism would be that things can become a bit problematic in my book when he owns the complete writing process and writing of lyrics. There are a few juvenile moments that could have prevented with more editing by other band members or producers. Maybe that would have spared us the entire last album.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #39 on: May 26, 2018, 09:50:54 PM »
Expanding a bit more on the Al Di Meola influence topic, I was listening to some old Di Meola tunes and found this very interesting thing:

Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway has a riff (https://youtu.be/b0aMCpRZPZE?t=2m18s) that sounds very very very similar to this JP riff (https://youtu.be/xWnDCYDlBYw?t=4m17s).
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline Peter1960

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #40 on: May 27, 2018, 02:41:01 AM »
This has been an interesting thread which I have enjoyed being a guitarist myself.

For me, the sign of the really great guitarist is their versatility. Several guitarists are usually mentioned as being “great” due to what they do in the context of their bands music. Dave Gilmour does fantastic dreamy melodic solos, Angus Young plays great blues based solos within a hard rock structure.

However, could Dave Gilmour play “Eruption”? Could Angus Young play “The Dance of Eternity”   ? Could Eric Clapton play “Flight of the Wounded Bumble Bee ?
If Guitarist A could not play some of Guitarist B’s parts, are they considered inferior to Guitarist B ? Or is the ability of Guitarist A in terms of “what they do” considered more important in establishing “greatness”?

In my opinion, the greatest guitarist who ever lived is Gary Moore. He could play rock, metal, jazz, fusion and blues, but also had the ability to write songs. However, I believe that what really sets him apart from everyone else is his skill with melody and feel.

For me, a guitarist who cannot or does not play melodic or tasteful solos will never be truly great.  A lot of guitarists will agree with me when I say that it is easier to play a flashy, fast solo then a melodic solo – after acquiring a decent amount of technique, anyone can play a fast run using picked notes or legato, or both, but playing a great melodic solo that really moves people is NOT easy to do. Gary was a master in this type of playing.

However, I have never heard Yngwie or EVH play consistently tasteful melodic guitar. Some people might say that it isn’t in their style, or the musical style or sound of their band doesn’t lend itself to incorporating melodic parts in their songs. So, are we then going back to what I said at the beginning, whereby guitarists are judged on what they do in the context of their bands music and are considered great by what they CAN do, rather than what they CAN’T do ?

Lets consider JP. Amongst metal guitarists, he is the best in my opinion; not only can he riff, shred and play power chords better than the rest, he has other strings to his bow. He can play complex intricate parts in the prog vein, plus, he is also a great melodic guitarist who can display the “feel” that I like to hear (Lines in the Sand, Breaking All Illusions, The Spirit Carries On, The Best of Times, end of Octavarium, to name but a few). However, I would argue that we haven’t seen the versatility that Gary Moore has displayed, or even that JP is probably capable of.

Could JP play fusion ? Almost certainly – he has the technique for it and Al Dimeola is one of his influences. Could he play blues ? I am typing this listening to “Since I’ve Been Loving You” from the “Uncovered 2003-2005” album. Great guitar work – although possibly a little overplayed.

Using my earlier principle of “can Guitarist A play all of Guitarist B’s parts ?” – is there anything that JP can’t play as well as someone else ? Is he “slower” than Herman Li ? Possibly, but arguably JP is the better “all round” player. So, at the end of the day, it comes down to versatility – or at least in my book.


Offline ReaperKK

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #41 on: May 27, 2018, 06:26:32 AM »
JP is a very versatile player but he has his style and he sticks to it, most players do. However to be great I don't think it's a necessity to be able to play the parts of other great players, i.e. people like Andy McKee and Michael Kelsey would take JP to task on his acoustic chops. I think being a great guitarist is more about having a voice than anything else.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #42 on: May 27, 2018, 06:31:43 AM »
Agreed. Being able or unable to play someone else's parts means jack squat, if you ask me. David Gilmour could never play Eddie Van Halen's parts, but so what?  Good luck getting Eddie Van Halen to write a solo as universal as Comfortably Numb.  And I am big fan of EVH the guitar player (not the person).

Offline TAC

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #43 on: May 27, 2018, 07:07:07 AM »
In my opinion, the greatest guitarist who ever lived is Gary Moore. He could play rock, metal, jazz, fusion and blues, but also had the ability to write songs. However, I believe that what really sets him apart from everyone else is his skill with melody and feel.

For me, a guitarist who cannot or does not play melodic or tasteful solos will never be truly great.  A lot of guitarists will agree with me when I say that it is easier to play a flashy, fast solo then a melodic solo – after acquiring a decent amount of technique, anyone can play a fast run using picked notes or legato, or both, but playing a great melodic solo that really moves people is NOT easy to do. Gary was a master in this type of playing.

Peter, my brother, you must've read the OP!

I'm on a Gary Moore kick, and what is amazing about him is, especially live, is that he has many extended solos that just seem to flow. He always seems to know exactly where he's going with perfect execution.

Lets consider JP. Amongst metal guitarists, he is the best in my opinion; not only can he riff, shred and play power chords better than the rest, he has other strings to his bow. He can play complex intricate parts in the prog vein, plus, he is also a great melodic guitarist who can display the “feel” that I like to hear (Lines in the Sand, Breaking All Illusions, The Spirit Carries On, The Best of Times, end of Octavarium, to name but a few). However, I would argue that we haven’t seen the versatility that Gary Moore has displayed, or even that JP is probably capable of.

Could JP play fusion ? Almost certainly – he has the technique for it and Al Dimeola is one of his influences. Could he play blues ? I am typing this listening to “Since I’ve Been Loving You” from the “Uncovered 2003-2005” album. Great guitar work – although possibly a little overplayed.

As high of esteem that I hold Gary Moore, I actually consider JP right up there. To me, he's this generation's Gary Moore. His melodic note holding solos really set him apart and totally reminds me of Moore. His playing across the board is so amazing.
He basically does so much with his DT playing, but I would love to hear him do some other things.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline rumborak

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #44 on: May 27, 2018, 08:19:49 AM »
Completely agree on all being said here, but I must confess that I wish he ventured more out of his comfort zone playing-wise. The last time he used a Strat was 20 years ago I think.
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Offline AngelBack

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #45 on: May 31, 2018, 09:02:06 AM »
I think we all agree that JP is in a pretty elite group of guitarists.  I have often wondered if he could have abandoned his "baby" (ref a different thread :biggrin:) and put himself on the market as a hired gun for a bigger name band and gotten more mainstream exposure and a fatter wallet.  And what band would he have been a good fit for?
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Offline ReaperKK

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #46 on: May 31, 2018, 10:43:48 AM »
Completely agree on all being said here, but I must confess that I wish he ventured more out of his comfort zone playing-wise. The last time he used a Strat was 20 years ago I think.

I agree with you. I found his playing was a lot more varied in the 90s and early 00’s

Offline gzarruk

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #47 on: May 31, 2018, 01:54:02 PM »
I think we all agree that JP is in a pretty elite group of guitarists.  I have often wondered if he could have abandoned his "baby" (ref a different thread :biggrin:) and put himself on the market as a hired gun for a bigger name band and gotten more mainstream exposure and a fatter wallet.  And what band would he have been a good fit for?

Like Nuno did playing with Rihanna? I don't think that'd be a good idea :\
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline pg1067

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #48 on: May 31, 2018, 01:55:57 PM »
I think we all agree that JP is in a pretty elite group of guitarists.  I have often wondered if he could have abandoned his "baby" (ref a different thread :biggrin:) and put himself on the market as a hired gun for a bigger name band and gotten more mainstream exposure and a fatter wallet.  And what band would he have been a good fit for?

Like Nuno did playing with Rihanna? I don't think that'd be a good idea :\

Katy Perry feat. John Petrucci.  Bosk, please relay this so it happens.  It NEEDS to happen!
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Offline bosk1

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #49 on: May 31, 2018, 02:01:43 PM »
:lol  Hey, there are lots of solid rock and/or metal guitarists that have taken full-time or part-time gigs backing up pop stars.  I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing.  First one I can directly recall being aware of was Stef Burns signing on with Huey Lewis and the News, and separately signing on as the guitar player for an Italian pop star whose name escapes me at the moment.  Wouldn't bother me.  And I don't think it should.  It is a good paycheck, steady work, probably a lot of fun, and you get to play in front of some pretty big crowds.  If a guitarist wants to do that, more power to him/her.
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Offline gzarruk

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #50 on: May 31, 2018, 02:48:54 PM »
I think we all agree that JP is in a pretty elite group of guitarists.  I have often wondered if he could have abandoned his "baby" (ref a different thread :biggrin:) and put himself on the market as a hired gun for a bigger name band and gotten more mainstream exposure and a fatter wallet.  And what band would he have been a good fit for?

Like Nuno did playing with Rihanna? I don't think that'd be a good idea :\

Katy Perry feat. John Petrucci.  Bosk, please relay this so it happens.  It NEEDS to happen!

Only if he gets to wear one of those shark suits while playing
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline Ninjabait

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #51 on: May 31, 2018, 02:50:57 PM »
I think we all agree that JP is in a pretty elite group of guitarists.  I have often wondered if he could have abandoned his "baby" (ref a different thread :biggrin:) and put himself on the market as a hired gun for a bigger name band and gotten more mainstream exposure and a fatter wallet.  And what band would he have been a good fit for?

Like Nuno did playing with Rihanna? I don't think that'd be a good idea :\

Katy Perry feat. John Petrucci.  Bosk, please relay this so it happens.  It NEEDS to happen!

I think JP would be a better fit on a Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, or Adele song tbh. I think he would overshadow Katy Perry who doesn't really have the vocal chops to balance out JP. He would really shine best on a more powerful singer's track, especially something upbeat and a hair more dramatic. Something like Demi Lovato's Confident would fit really well for a JP guest solo tbh

Offline tristl

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #52 on: May 31, 2018, 09:53:00 PM »
:lol  Hey, there are lots of solid rock and/or metal guitarists that have taken full-time or part-time gigs backing up pop stars.  I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing.  First one I can directly recall being aware of was Stef Burns signing on with Huey Lewis and the News, and separately signing on as the guitar player for an Italian pop star whose name escapes me at the moment.  Wouldn't bother me.  And I don't think it should.  It is a good paycheck, steady work, probably a lot of fun, and you get to play in front of some pretty big crowds.  If a guitarist wants to do that, more power to him/her.
The italian Singer he plays for(since very many years now) is Vasco Rossi, in my eyes „the“ italian Rock Star, he plays stadiums, last year a open air in Modena with 220 000 thousend people attending, very cool guy, you have to check him out :tup
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Offline vtgrad

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #53 on: June 01, 2018, 01:13:10 PM »
I tell my wife all the time (while I'm reaching to turn down my amp a bit) that I could listen to JP play for hours and not be bored with him... I love his style as he was my influence in picking the instrument up myself when I was 12.  His sweeps are awesome to me as well; maybe eclipsed by Waggoner in just the slightest bit.

I put him right up there with Gilmour (as mentioned many times in this thread), Page (I hear some acoustic Page influence with JP; think Along for the Ride), Satch, Vai (who i do sometimes find a little... sloppy), and Hendrix... actually, JP and Gilmour are probably tied for my #1 spot.  Funny how one influences the other and there is still a marked difference between them.

Got to mention Paul Waggoner (who is influenced by JP and Vai) and Romeo too.  Give an honorable mention to Tosin because of the uniqueness of his slap style and seamlessly working it in with traditional shred and sweep style.

I don't know Gary Moore's sound and style enough to comment on his influence on JP, but I think that JP can be described as taking the very best parts of his influences and mashing them together to make his own voice... as another post said, I've never heard anyone else do this and still sound unique. 
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Offline bosk1

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #54 on: June 01, 2018, 01:41:23 PM »
:lol  Hey, there are lots of solid rock and/or metal guitarists that have taken full-time or part-time gigs backing up pop stars.  I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing.  First one I can directly recall being aware of was Stef Burns signing on with Huey Lewis and the News, and separately signing on as the guitar player for an Italian pop star whose name escapes me at the moment.  Wouldn't bother me.  And I don't think it should.  It is a good paycheck, steady work, probably a lot of fun, and you get to play in front of some pretty big crowds.  If a guitarist wants to do that, more power to him/her.
The italian Singer he plays for(since very many years now) is Vasco Rossi, in my eyes „the“ italian Rock Star, he plays stadiums, last year a open air in Modena with 220 000 thousend people attending, very cool guy, you have to check him out :tup

Yes, that's the one.  Thanks!  :tup  I couldn't recall the name off the top of my head. 
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Offline TAC

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #55 on: June 01, 2018, 08:49:57 PM »
Listening to my Astonishing Abridged right now. JP's solo in When Your Time Has Come is sneaky amazing.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline pcs90

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #56 on: June 01, 2018, 09:45:47 PM »
One album where JP really shines in my opinion, which I don't think has been mentioned on this thread yet, is An  Evening With JP and JR. Some fantastic stuff on there and he's stretching a lot more than in an average DT show.

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #57 on: June 04, 2018, 08:54:08 AM »
One album where JP really shines in my opinion, which I don't think has been mentioned on this thread yet, is An  Evening With JP and JR. Some fantastic stuff on there and he's stretching a lot more than in an average DT show.

Fantastic album. I still spin it from time to time. My buddies and I used to joke that "In the Moment" was JP making his case for being the greatest guitarist on the planet.

Offline Podaar

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #58 on: June 04, 2018, 12:32:49 PM »
One album where JP really shines in my opinion, which I don't think has been mentioned on this thread yet, is An  Evening With JP and JR. Some fantastic stuff on there and he's stretching a lot more than in an average DT show.

Fantastic album. I still spin it from time to time. My buddies and I used to joke that "In the Moment" was JP making his case for being the greatest guitarist on the planet.

His lead playing and tone on Truth is my favorite of his career. I really wish he'd bring that lead tone back and use some of those jazzier licks.
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Offline Peter Mc

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #59 on: June 04, 2018, 03:40:42 PM »
I think the Steve Morse influence comes more from a technique perspective over a musical/melodic application. John always talks about how useful to him were the alternate picking exercises he learned on a SM clinic while he was on Berklee. JP developed his own sound, but the technique approach he got form Steve remains present. Still, I always thought his solo during the baroque-esque part on Illumination Theory sounded inspired by Steve Morse, for example.

Other big influences he always mentions are Alex Lifeson (this one is pretty obvious), James Hetfield/Metallica for the tight rhythm guitar playing and sound, and Al Di Meola (that bass and guitar part in the middle of Raise the Knife always reminded me of Di Meola's playing).

On my personal guitarists ranking, Petrucci  is #1. He has all the chops and speed to be an overkill shredder like Yngwie, but he ALWAYS plays with the right amount of emotion/feel and melodic sense, instead of just playing a thousand notes for the sake of it. Others I really like are Guthrie Govan and Kiko Loureiro. Bumblefoot is very very very good too.

Good post. I agree with pretty much all that.

Personally, I think Alex Lifeson and James Hetfield are his most obvious influences. He spends the majority of the music playing rhythm parts and Alex's chord voicings and James' power chord work shine through as big influences on JP.

When it comes to leads, JP is an interesting case. I think that's where guys like Steve Morse have influenced him, but he's pretty unique in that he meshed together the technicality of a guy like Morse, shredders like EVH or Hammett, etc... and melodic players like Gilmore. The primary thing that has always attracted me to JP's work is the balance of technical, shred, melody, feel, etc... I feel like he grabbed parts of a bunch of styles and put them together in a way I've never heard any other player. 

He did a video lesson series with Guitar World recently, where he breaks down how he develops parts and talks specifically about the influences on his playing. It's a good watch even for non-guitar players -

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJx9Kft4NuQ

Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5lRLQPMZ3M

Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF0O4qBfXuY

Episode 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m3OHVPa1kk

Episode 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pUnrsHGgqE

Episode 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGnEy9COP88

If memory serves, particularly in Episodes 3 and 4 (and maybe 2) he goes into some pretty interesting detail as to how he heard bands or guitar players doing certain things and combined those things together to create "his" sound.

Oh and yea, I'd say JP is my favorite guitar player ever. I don't know enough of Gary Moore's stuff to make the connection, I'll have to check out more of his work.

I saw one of those I think where he was talking about riffs and power chords. He indicated that he had taken stuff from Rush and Queensryche and meshed it together to get his sound. He then went on to play around and played some really cool riffs which is sometimes where I think his playing is lacking in DT as there are not lots of really memorable riffs. This is perhaps by design as there is a lot of very technical playing and unusual time signatures but would love to hear some more of those huge Queensryche style riffs he was playing in the video.

Overall he is definitely one of my favourite guitar players, as others have said, he can pretty much do it all. He can do epic melodic Gilmouresque solos, full on technical shredding solos and everything in between. He has definitely borrowed from Satriani, Vai, Steve Morse, Lifeson and Gilmour to name a few. Not sure he is enough of a pioneer to have his name mentioned in those circles though or he’s crossed over into the public consciousness to create something memorable enough to be mentioned with the likes of Clapton, Page, Van Halen, Knopfler etc.

Like I said then, one of my favourites along with Richie Sambora, Mark Knopfler, Satch and Gilmour but maybe not, objectively speaking, one of the greats.

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #60 on: June 05, 2018, 07:22:53 AM »
I saw one of those I think where he was talking about riffs and power chords. He indicated that he had taken stuff from Rush and Queensryche and meshed it together to get his sound. He then went on to play around and played some really cool riffs which is sometimes where I think his playing is lacking in DT as there are not lots of really memorable riffs. This is perhaps by design as there is a lot of very technical playing and unusual time signatures but would love to hear some more of those huge Queensryche style riffs he was playing in the video.

I'd respectfully disagree, I think JP has written some very memorable riffs throughout DT's career - especially considering that a lot of DT's stuff is odd time signatures or complex arrangements.

Offline The Walrus

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #61 on: June 05, 2018, 10:38:09 AM »
I think JP's riffs haven't been that great, generally speaking, for over a decade. The Count of Tuscany was the last super awesome riff I can think of (I love that fast gallop, odd meter stuff in the first part of that song). Then maybe a couple songs on Systematic Chaos, but very little if anything afterwards has a sick riff that I can immediately recall. The Looking Glass is cool, but almost everything else on DT12 is snooze-worthy.
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Offline mikeyd23

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #62 on: June 05, 2018, 10:49:55 AM »
I think JP's riffs haven't been that great, generally speaking, for over a decade. The Count of Tuscany was the last super awesome riff I can think of (I love that fast gallop, odd meter stuff in the first part of that song). Then maybe a couple songs on Systematic Chaos, but very little if anything afterwards has a sick riff that I can immediately recall. The Looking Glass is cool, but almost everything else on DT12 is snooze-worthy.

If we are looking at the last 10 years in particular that would be from BC&SL on, right? Off the top of my head some stand out riffs would include - ANTR (main riff), TCoT (riff you mentioned), OTBoA (main riff), BITS (main riff), BAI (tons of good riffs throughout, especially the fast stuff in the second verse), TLG (riff you mentioned), BTV (main riff), Ravenskill, MoB, etc...

Are we just talking heavy riffs? Cause TA has tons of awesome clean or acoustic riffs - A Life Left Behind, Heavens Coves, etc...

Offline The Walrus

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #63 on: June 05, 2018, 10:52:53 AM »
I think ALLB is the only riff I think is really good (in the sense that it's instantly memorable and fun) from TA, honestly. Everything else serves the songs but doesn't really hit me as a 'sweet riff' like say Under A Glass Moon's, or Solitary Shell etc. Good call with A Nightmare To Remember - it's all right, doesn't blow me away, but it's better than others.

I was thinking mainly heavy riffs, though. DT12 is full of just boring power chords it seems; Enemy Inside has some nice riffage but it's kind of a bland style of riffing to my ears - TLG is much more interesting.
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Offline mikeyd23

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #64 on: June 05, 2018, 11:02:36 AM »
I think ALLB is the only riff I think is really good (in the sense that it's instantly memorable and fun) from TA, honestly. Everything else serves the songs but doesn't really hit me as a 'sweet riff' like say Under A Glass Moon's, or Solitary Shell etc. Good call with A Nightmare To Remember - it's all right, doesn't blow me away, but it's better than others.

I was thinking mainly heavy riffs, though. DT12 is full of just boring power chords it seems; Enemy Inside has some nice riffage but it's kind of a bland style of riffing to my ears - TLG is much more interesting.
Yea, DT12 is hit or miss in the riff department, he did a lot of chordal stuff on that record - Behind the Veil main riff is pretty killer though.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #65 on: June 05, 2018, 11:38:43 AM »
I think ALLB is the only riff I think is really good (in the sense that it's instantly memorable and fun) from TA, honestly. Everything else serves the songs but doesn't really hit me as a 'sweet riff' like say Under A Glass Moon's, or Solitary Shell etc. Good call with A Nightmare To Remember - it's all right, doesn't blow me away, but it's better than others.

I was thinking mainly heavy riffs, though. DT12 is full of just boring power chords it seems; Enemy Inside has some nice riffage but it's kind of a bland style of riffing to my ears - TLG is much more interesting.
Yea, DT12 is hit or miss in the riff department, he did a lot of chordal stuff on that record - Behind the Veil main riff is pretty killer though.

There's great riffs on Illumination Theory, though.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #66 on: June 05, 2018, 08:37:12 PM »
Our New World is a pretty bad ass riff, especially since that song is a rare occasion of DT writing what is basically a riff rock song.

Offline Peter Mc

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #67 on: June 06, 2018, 02:43:08 AM »
Agreed, not saying he hasn’t written any good riffs just that I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily his biggest strength and, again, this may just be due to DT’s style of music, they don’t generally do songs like a Back In Black or The Trooper etc.

Offline Ninjabait

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #68 on: June 06, 2018, 07:33:17 AM »
I think ALLB is the only riff I think is really good (in the sense that it's instantly memorable and fun) from TA, honestly. Everything else serves the songs but doesn't really hit me as a 'sweet riff' like say Under A Glass Moon's, or Solitary Shell etc. Good call with A Nightmare To Remember - it's all right, doesn't blow me away, but it's better than others.

I was thinking mainly heavy riffs, though. DT12 is full of just boring power chords it seems; Enemy Inside has some nice riffage but it's kind of a bland style of riffing to my ears - TLG is much more interesting.
Yea, DT12 is hit or miss in the riff department, he did a lot of chordal stuff on that record - Behind the Veil main riff is pretty killer though.

There's great riffs on Illumination Theory, though.

The re-entrance on IT is one of the coolest riffs ever written period. That whole section with the piano arpeggio riff is killer too.

DT's no Gojira, sure, but imo they have some great riffs from time to time. Panic Attack, Sacrificed Sons, OtBoA, BMUBMD, About to Crash (Reprise), Strange Deja Vu, and TDEN have some really great ones.

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: John Petrucci, The Guitarist Discussion
« Reply #69 on: June 06, 2018, 07:56:07 AM »
I think the other thing to keep in mind, a lot of bands will get a cool riff and base the whole song around it, that kinda makes the riff more memorable for a lot of people because of the repetition. Think about a song like Sad But True by Metallica - crushing riff and they sit on it for the majority of the song. DT doesn't do that. JP has written so many great riffs that pop up once in a complex DT song and last for 30 seconds of a ten + minute song and is surrounded by 20 other parts or sections.