Author Topic: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)  (Read 24217 times)

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Offline DT89

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Hello everyone, some of you may remember that I transcribed Distance Over Time last year and sent out Guitar Pro 7 and PDF files for free. Now I'm doing the same for all of Dream Theater's studio releases from the 90s. I decided to completely redo all of these albums because the old books all have errors and inaccuracies (some more frequently than others). Also because the isolated guitar tracks are available for these albums. Today I've released my transcription of A Change of Seasons (title track only), and will be releasing the rest of the albums chronologically in the coming weeks. I've also done short lesson videos for each song, here's the full playlist:

Dream Theater - "How It's Played" Lesson Videos

Now you may be wondering, "why should I trust this guy's transcriptions?" I am a professional transcriber with many official tab books to my name (link below). Also, I won JP's Match the Master contest in 2016: Meeting John Petrucci

Link to all of my official tab books:
Tab books

If you'd like to get the tabs, please email me via the "contact me" form on my website: Contact Me
« Last Edit: May 01, 2023, 11:58:58 AM by DT89 »

Offline PetFish

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2020, 07:36:12 PM »
Awesome!

I have all the DT/JP tab books over the years but I can't play a large chunk of it cuz of... inaccuracies.  Yeah, that's it, it's not cuz I suck at all, so finally having accurate ones will mean I can finally do it!

I suggested this to you last time as well, but doing the tabs for LTE would really be great since they've never existed officially.  Even just doing the "cool" tracks (Paradigm Shift, Another Dimension, etc) and not the weird or jammy ones would be totally tits.

Offline RaiseTheKnife

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2020, 08:23:51 PM »
Very cool, Evan!  I already have the Tempo of the Damned and Fabulous Disaster books, so these corrected versions will be a welcome addition.  Will they also release via Sublevel Books?  My only request is to print them in a standard musical book size, as the smaller format is constrained by two bars (plus tab) per page.  EDIT:  I just reread the post and it clearly says that you're sending out PDFs, so no printing.

By the way, the original I&W book included transcriptions by John Petrucci, and the Awake book states it was "Edited by John Petrucci" right smack dab on the cover.  So maybe he's to blame for the inaccuracies, lol?

Also, I second the above request of the much overdue LTE book.

Offline Lonk

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2020, 10:07:31 AM »
Awesome!

I have all the DT/JP tab books over the years but I can't play a large chunk of it cuz of... inaccuracies.  Yeah, that's it, it's not cuz I suck at all, so finally having accurate ones will mean I can finally do it!

I suggested this to you last time as well, but doing the tabs for LTE would really be great since they've never existed officially.  Even just doing the "cool" tracks (Paradigm Shift, Another Dimension, etc) and not the weird or jammy ones would be totally tits.

Right? We should stop buying all those "Official" tab books with a bunch of inaccuracies, making it impossible to learn the song by reading the tabs/music.

Thank you for doing this Evan.
Vmadera has evolved into Lonk

Offline DT89

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« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:30:52 AM by DT89 »

Offline Northern Lion

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2020, 01:31:11 PM »
DT89, you are awesome!  Thanks for this.  How much do you charge for the DT books?
"You call it facial hair, I call it awesomeness escaping through my face"

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2020, 03:03:16 PM »
DT89, you are awesome!  Thanks for this.  How much do you charge for the DT books?
They're completely free. Just contact me via my website https://www.evanbradleytranscriptions.com/contact and I'll send you the download link. I actually updated a couple measures last night and re-sent the download link to everyone who had already requested the tab. If you didn't receive the update, feel free to email me again.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2023, 02:04:32 PM by DT89 »

Offline Volante99

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2020, 04:28:07 PM »
Do you have transcriptions for Awake? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tab for the Lie outro solo that’s ever been close to accurate.

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2020, 06:13:05 PM »
Do you have transcriptions for Awake? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tab for the Lie outro solo that’s ever been close to accurate.
Yes, I have full books completed for IAW, Awake, FII, and SFAM. I'll be releasing them in that order in the coming weeks. The only songs that aren't included are Wait For Sleep and Through My Words, since there's no guitar on them.

Offline gborland

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2020, 10:44:07 AM »
The only songs that aren't included are Wait For Sleep and Through My Words, since there's no guitar on them.

Could you include those anyway? I can't even play silence as well as JP, so I'd love to see how he does it.
Graham Borland

Offline Volante99

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2020, 02:40:55 PM »
Do you have transcriptions for Awake? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tab for the Lie outro solo that’s ever been close to accurate.
Yes, I have full books completed for IAW, Awake, FII, and SFAM. I'll be releasing them in that order in the coming weeks. The only songs that aren't included are Wait For Sleep and Through My Words, since there's no guitar on them.

Niiiice. Welp, now I know what I’ll be doing all spring/summer.

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2020, 11:26:05 AM »
I updated this lick because while I had the correct notes, I was actually using a more difficult fingering than the way JP plays it live. Somehow I had forgotten that this part is shown clearly on Live at Budokan - Instrumedley.

I've updated my transcription, and if you'd like the free tab book, contact me via my website: https://www.evanbradleytranscriptions.com/contact

A Change of Seasons - How It's Played Episode 2
« Last Edit: October 12, 2023, 02:05:07 PM by DT89 »

Offline Volante99

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2020, 07:46:53 PM »
I updated this lick because while I had the correct notes, I was actually using a more difficult fingering than the way JP plays it live. Somehow I had forgotten that this part is shown clearly on Live at Budokan - Instrumedley.

I've updated my transcription, and if you'd like the free tab book, please email me at maytropolees@comcast.net or countuscany@gmail.com

Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons - How It's Played Episode 2

It’s always the fingering that’s wrong in most of the tabs online in general. It’s almost always easier to play it the way Petrucci (or any famous guitarist for that matter) does it.

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2020, 12:11:07 PM »
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:31:22 AM by DT89 »

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #14 on: April 10, 2020, 11:12:15 AM »
A Change of Seasons - How It's Played Episode 4

Stay tuned for my Images and Words tab book and lessons next week!
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:31:31 AM by DT89 »

Offline PetFish

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2020, 06:08:26 PM »
You guys all make it look so easy... and sound easy also.  I wish I knew how to record into my PC but every time I try to learn it seems overly complicated.

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #16 on: April 10, 2020, 09:50:33 PM »
You guys all make it look so easy... and sound easy also.  I wish I knew how to record into my PC but every time I try to learn it seems overly complicated.
I still consider myself a novice when it comes to recording. I connect my Fractal AX8 to a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 right into the computer. I use Audacity to record the audio, which is a free software. Like anything else, you need to just keep doing it to get better. Even if you just record yourself and never share it with anyone, it's a very humbling experience and will make the flaws in your playing readily apparent.

Regarding LTE tabs, I would do it in a heartbeat if I had access to the isolated tracks like the DT stuff. Having worked with Cynic and other bands who have provided me with the isolated tracks, I'm kinda spoiled now and don't want to go back to struggling just to hear things from an album mix.

By the way, the original I&W book included transcriptions by John Petrucci, and the Awake book states it was "Edited by John Petrucci" right smack dab on the cover.  So maybe he's to blame for the inaccuracies, lol?
Some parts of those books are pretty darn close (Voices solo for example), others are baffling in how wrong they are (Caught in a Web chromatic part). A microcosm of this is Under a Glass Moon. The solo (surely one of the JP transcriptions mentioned on the cover) is very close, but pretty much every rhythm part in the original book is wrong to some degree. I'll be dissecting the chorus riff specifically in an upcoming video.

I already have specific parts picked out to demonstrate for each song from IAW, Awake, FII, and SFAM, but if you guys have any requests or questions, please let me know!
« Last Edit: April 10, 2020, 10:01:37 PM by DT89 »

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #17 on: April 13, 2020, 11:21:21 AM »
My free Images and Words tab book is now available! The original book for this album has tons of errors and inaccuracies in it, which I'll be pointing out in my "How It's Played" series. My free book for A Change of Seasons is also available, and I'll be releasing books for Awake, Falling Into Infinity, and Scenes From a Memory in the coming weeks. Just contact me via my website https://www.evanbradleytranscriptions.com/contact for the book. 

Pull Me Under - How It's Played Episode 5
« Last Edit: October 12, 2023, 02:05:49 PM by DT89 »

Offline DT89

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« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:31:52 AM by DT89 »

Offline Lonk

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #19 on: April 14, 2020, 01:28:26 PM »
I will say, The past few weeks I've been listening to music at work since I'm alone in the office. Last week I started doing a run through DT Discography (Next week Systematic chaos).

When listening to Another day, I felt some desire to play the song. I don't know why but the song sounded more beautiful than ever and the guitar was much more stunning than ever before. Maybe I should give it a try  :metal

Thanks again for the upload
Vmadera has evolved into Lonk

Offline Drinktheater

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #20 on: April 14, 2020, 06:54:16 PM »
My free Images and Words tab book is now available! The original book for this album has tons of errors and inaccuracies in it, which I'll be pointing out in my "How It's Played" series. My free book for A Change of Seasons is also available, and I'll be releasing books for Awake, Falling Into Infinity, and Scenes From a Memory in the coming weeks. Just email me at maytropolees@comcast.net or countuscany@gmail.com for the book. 

Dream Theater - Pull Me Under - How It's Played Episode 5

Wow thanks for sharing this, I will definitely sending an Email!
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Offline DT89

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« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:32:05 AM by DT89 »

Offline RaiseTheKnife

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #22 on: April 15, 2020, 02:03:29 PM »
Evan, where did you find the isolated tracks for A Change of Seasons?  I would love to listen to the isolated instruments.

Offline Drinktheater

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #23 on: April 15, 2020, 06:45:04 PM »
I downloaded the Distance over time Book about a year ago and helped me play Bar stool warrior, and in my opinion its really close enough to the record, I am now reading the updated version and see all the corrections.

This will be an interesting study!

I have to brush up on my sight reading skills!
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Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #24 on: April 16, 2020, 11:23:08 AM »
This solo is actually much easier to play than how it's written in the original tab book.

Surrounded - How It's Played Episode 8

Also, I am not able to share the isolated tracks for these albums, but they're honestly pretty easy to find.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:32:22 AM by DT89 »

Offline PetFish

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #25 on: April 16, 2020, 03:46:31 PM »
Do you have a band or any original music we can check out?

Also, if you have a 6-string, it might be helpful to play 6-string songs on a 6-string instead of a 7.  I can imagine as a beginner, when trying to watch what you're doing, the 7th string will mess with them.  If I'm jamming with buddies who are new and I use my 7-string and trying to show them stuff it definitely confuses them.

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #26 on: April 17, 2020, 11:16:41 AM »
Metropolis Part I - How It's Played Episode 9


Do you have a band or any original music we can check out?

Also, if you have a 6-string, it might be helpful to play 6-string songs on a 6-string instead of a 7.  I can imagine as a beginner, when trying to watch what you're doing, the 7th string will mess with them.  If I'm jamming with buddies who are new and I use my 7-string and trying to show them stuff it definitely confuses them.
No band at the moment, but you can listen to some solos I've composed as a guest or for contests:
Failure of Milk - Automaton (around the 3:00 mark)
Eros - Visionary
McRocklin & Hutch - Italian Disco contest
Obscura - Emergent Evolution contest

I did consider that about the 7-string, but I have my 6-string Majesty tuned to D standard.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:32:37 AM by DT89 »

Offline DT89

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« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:32:46 AM by DT89 »

Offline Lonk

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Vmadera has evolved into Lonk

Offline PetFish

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #29 on: April 20, 2020, 09:55:04 PM »
You definitely deserve more Internet points for all this effort.

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #30 on: April 21, 2020, 11:16:14 AM »
Learning to Live - How It's Played Episode 11

Have you tried to tab out the live in Tokyo version of the solo?
I have not, perhaps I could do that in the future.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:33:02 AM by DT89 »

Offline Lonk

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #31 on: April 21, 2020, 05:41:44 PM »
If you do let me know, really interested on it.

Also, good job with these videos!
Vmadera has evolved into Lonk

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #32 on: April 22, 2020, 11:09:37 AM »
My free Awake tab book is available now!

6:00 - How It's Played Episode 12
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:33:12 AM by DT89 »

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #33 on: April 23, 2020, 11:09:40 AM »
One of the recurring themes with the old Dream Theater tab books: take an already difficult part and make it practically impossible by transcribing it in a horribly awkward way.

Caught in a Web - How It's Played Episode 13
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:33:21 AM by DT89 »

Offline DT89

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Re: Dream Theater tab books REDONE (because the old ones are inaccurate)
« Reply #34 on: April 24, 2020, 11:31:47 AM »
Anyone looking to improve their string skipping would do well to learn this section.

Innocence Faded - How It's Played Episode 14
« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 11:33:33 AM by DT89 »