Besides his drumming, I love portnoy's real personality. He's so level headed, well spoken, humble, and, obviously, on top of it all, is a complete master of his instrument.
I like his humilty for the ability he has and the connection he creates with his fans. Thanks Mike. I'll be listening to DT when I am elderly because the music is incredible.
I love the drum intro in Honor Thy Father, he really knows how to bring something that sounds so heavy and on beat in to an up beat pattern, and then back on beat. Brilliant.
Mike is my favorite drummer and I can say that he's the best progressive drummer because he always uses every part of the kit, thats what makes him special... he's the best!
gotta love that intro he does for honor thy father. I like the combo a bit later of synth, guitar and double kicking after the 2nd verse, before the 2nd prechorus as well :)
arguments over who's better than who are pointless. The way I see it, 90% of drummers in metal are better than me, and I can still learn from all of them. even if I don't like their style. Portnoy is one of the best of all time. whomever else shares that with him...that's up to you guys.
im a guitarist i love dream theater to death and to look at this drum video i still cant belive its helping me as a guitarist in some ways ....surprising no educational YES
I ASSUME that he would because I'm sure a college like Berklee would ask you to improvise. He'll probably have the same kind of story as Steve Smith (Journey's drummer). Steve Smith plays that rock music that everyone can play from Journey's band, but when he played jazz everyone was blown away! Probably the same with Mike. If he's won 23 awards for Modern Drummer, I think it'd be okay to assume he's good at jazz/improvisation.
please dont judge a musician without hearing a range of their music. listen to any album of dream theater's and you will hear diverse levels and styles of playing around a structured theme. Such as "Scenes from a memory" or "Awake"
its not about the crazy shit. its about the passion and love for what you do and how to do it well. this man is a genius. have you heard some of the time signatures this guy plays in? every song is a piece of originality and art that is engineered to fit with the music, not to show off and try to look cool.
Thing about having massive epic kits like this is that i find its kind of like owning a hummer and only driving out to get mcdonalds. Mike uses pretty much every drum in his arsenal, which i find cool, and an exanple of skill.
So far, their newest album is the best IMO. All of the songs on there are beautifully written, great lyrics, great riffs, great vocals, great everything. Haven't heard a song on there I didn't like. (Even though there are only 6 songs :P)
Not the first time this happens : his very own transcription is inaccurate. After the first four groups (RLRLKK) the fill on the record goes on ONLY on the snare drum (RlrlrlRlrlrl), right before the cymbal/bass drum unison. The Pull Me Under fill in an earlier video is another example...
That's the funny part about pro drummers..."drumming is easy, talking is hard." Tommy Igoe and Kenny Aronoff are the only two pros who don't stammer and bluster on their DVDs.
My boy Mike! Long Beach says whats up bro! Who wouldve thought it huh? You, a world famous drummer that will go down in rock and roll history! Havent seen you in quite a while dude. Keep rockin bud. Maybe well see ya in LB again sometime... Your old school bud...Bobby Vee.
@iplaythedrumsalot They did not kick him out, he left. But he later wanted to come back but was denied by Dream Theaters lawyer. Since they already had signed with the new drummer
I agree, but I don't entirely believe it's their fault. Roadrunner Records is notorious for pressuring their artists into making music preferred by Roadrunner's sponsors and audience, rather than the music the artists want to make. It's hard to fight, since a musician has to eat.
They are like two small cymbals stacked over each other, they have basically no sustain, and they sound really percussive. Costs way way waaaay too much for the sound they make, but they're usefull for doing accents and such.
Great point and comparison to Steve Smith. I agree. Make no mistake here, I think Mike is GREAT and his mastery of odd time is Godlike...But, a great Jazz drummer must drive the band in a different way...would love to see Mike in THAT type of a setting ...(Like when Peart did Burning For Buddy. Was a different view of HIM. Cant say I was overly impressed.) A drummer like Dave Weckl to me has skills, dynamics and feeling. But each great drummer has his OWN style...THAT sets them apart.
If you can get by his ego though he's a pretty good guy. Petrucci on the other hand is perhaps the most humble musician I've ever met, and was an extremely nice guy too.
That would depend on Portnoy's musical experience outside of DT or Liquid Tension Experiment. But, judging by the way they write for LTE, he would be a very good improvisor
The reason why his kit is so big, is because theres an attatchment to his kit which is smaller to include a second drummer or for simpler dream theatre songs.
Anyone who's ever played on a Mylar head will disagree with your stick control theory. When I started marching, I hadn't even heard of the Moeller technique and we used all wrist and a little arm; no finger. We still had control. Things changed a bit when we switched to Kevlar, but I still don't touch the Moeller stroke because contrary to your opinion, I think it lacks control.
I've been seeing a lot of comments trashing Portnoy---all I know is this--the guy is a phenomenal drummer who defintely raised the bar on progressive rock drumming when he came out w/ DT over 20 years ago, end-of-story. Any of you clowns trashing him, let's ee you play ANY of the stuff he played, with the SHOWMANSHIP he dsplays,w/ the caliber of musicians he plays with, in front of 50,000 people. Yeah------didn't think so!!
actually, he's playing triplets but finishing on the one at 4:36 which is seven strokes at the snare. Yep, nerdy but so is this kinda music and I love it!
I'm sure that there is VERY large herd of drummers that don't agree with your opinion. I thought we went over this, but your taste doesn't necessarily mean it's the best taste or the only taste for that matter. You support YOUR favorites, and we can support ours. If you constantly talk bad about others (MP & Peart)what do you honestly think the responses will be.
I see your point, but I think he just appears that way because we're not used to seeing a professional drummer speak articulately with no fear of being put on the spot. Most drummers stutter and have eye contact issues when put in the limelight behind their kit.
it sounds like an extended intro of Act 1/ Scene 2: I. Overture 1928 from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, but I could be wrong. A lot of DT stuff builds on riffs in different albums.
@metalheadscansuckit See, this is the kind of thing Mike didn't want people misinterpreting. He also clearly said in that interview he had wanted to take a break a year ago, before The Rev even died. It's not because of A7X.
ive got the entire studio discography on my page as a setlist (not my vids tho). from their first album (the one before Metropolis is on), to A Dramatic Turn of Events. Enjoy!
Seriously bro. You must've not seen or heard much vids or music. Check out more, it just simply speaks for itself. You WILL NOT be dissappointed. TRUST ME.
its a matter of "getting used to". there is no such thing as what you will feel comfortable. you would have to get used to it. i personally like to play with converse a little tightened up
No one doubts Portnoy's ability to play music. I just don't think he makes music. I have heard him, seen him, and met him, and he seems to be to be a pretty unhappy guy. Lots of dedication and practice are one thing, loving music is another. I loved Dream Theater's first two albums, Portnoy should have stayed a drummer and let that be that.
need to fix a typo there, his name is thinchaps, and for those of you who feel the need to listen to rrdrums play, try not to piss your pants from the laughter
hey Imsorry110, try playing in the time signatures that portnoy plays in for three hours straight every concert, meticulously writing and memorizing every lick...memorizing 25 years worth of songs
Even before opening it. I KNOW IT"S WORTH IT. GO GET YOURS =]. I haven't seen any of his dvd sets or anything before. But i have seen some of it on youtube and they helped me come up with new ideas for fills. That was only like a three minute segment. Imagine what you can learn from SEVEN HOURS
On July 1, 2009, the album debuted at #6 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, with first week sales totaling 40,285. I guess the new Dream Theater Cd should be in the landfill too. Your comment "Time will prove out that most of my statements are factual" are obviously backfiring. DT have been going strong for over 20 years. Then again they may want to look out for that new cd in the works from Asia. It may put DT out of business.
Ive never heard a bad sounding Tama snare, I play Tama superstar and the snare even on the low priced kit sounds fantastic powerfull cutting it just screams when I nail out rudiments on it not only that but the big di cast rims make a huge pop tama drums are tuff and sound great!
"be an inovator not an imitator" that's what makes Portnoy and Peart such great drummers. They both make great contribution to their bands.
Besides his drumming, I love portnoy's real personality. He's so level headed, well spoken, humble, and, obviously, on top of it all, is a complete master of his instrument.
I like his humilty for the ability he has and the connection he creates with his fans. Thanks Mike. I'll be listening to DT when I am elderly because the music is incredible.
His drum set sounds soooooooooooooooooooooo nice.
yep, combined with the way he hits the drums with his technique, you get killer drums
What mike portnoy plays in dream theater is only just a part of drumming. He's drumming has gone way beyond. Mike portnoy is the best
I love the drum intro in Honor Thy Father, he really knows how to bring something that sounds so heavy and on beat in to an up beat pattern, and then back on beat. Brilliant.
Portnoy's work ethic never ceases to impress me.
Mike is my favorite drummer and I can say that he's the best progressive drummer because he always uses every part of the kit, thats what makes him special... he's the best!
I don't play drums, but I can see the immense work that goes behind Portnoy's sound.
Dream Theater is the best!
Honor thy father is one of his greatest songs. The time signature changes are phenominal.
gotta love that intro he does for honor thy father. I like the combo a bit later of synth, guitar and double kicking after the 2nd verse, before the 2nd prechorus as well :)
true man, hes a combo between velocity and creativity, hes amazing!!!
Mike Portnoy really is a class act guy, one of the best drummers of all time too.
The song is : Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper
from Images and Words album (1992) ;)
"Metropolis - Part I- 'The Miracle And The Sleeper'"
It's a track from their 1992 Godsend album, "Images and Words".
his toms are the the greatest things i have ever heard.
arguments over who's better than who are pointless. The way I see it, 90% of drummers in metal are better than me, and I can still learn from all of them. even if I don't like their style. Portnoy is one of the best of all time. whomever else shares that with him...that's up to you guys.
im a guitarist
i love dream theater to death
and to look at this drum video i still cant belive its helping me as a guitarist in some ways ....surprising no
educational YES
I ASSUME that he would because I'm sure a college like Berklee would ask you to improvise. He'll probably have the same kind of story as Steve Smith (Journey's drummer). Steve Smith plays that rock music that everyone can play from Journey's band, but when he played jazz everyone was blown away!
Probably the same with Mike. If he's won 23 awards for Modern Drummer, I think it'd be okay to assume he's good at jazz/improvisation.
Insanely amazing drummer, makes me wish I kept playing!
He was the second youngest drummer inducted in the drummer's Hall of Fame as I recall Neil Peart was the youngest one.
please dont judge a musician without hearing a range of their music. listen to any album of dream theater's and you will hear diverse levels and styles of playing around a structured theme. Such as "Scenes from a memory" or "Awake"
It's called Metropolis - Part I (The Miracle And The Sleeper). Great Song!!!
Mike Portnoy the master omg i love that guy..! was there in oslo - norway 29.09.07
Talk about thinking outside the box, this guy is the master of new ideas, its scary good.
Mike is the best drummer ever, love him!!! Rock on!!!!
its not about the crazy shit. its about the passion and love for what you do and how to do it well. this man is a genius. have you heard some of the time signatures this guy plays in? every song is a piece of originality and art that is engineered to fit with the music, not to show off and try to look cool.
Happy birthday, Mike! Stay cool! We love you!
Thing about having massive epic kits like this is that i find its kind of like owning a hummer and only driving out to get mcdonalds. Mike uses pretty much every drum in his arsenal, which i find cool, and an exanple of skill.
Honor thy Father is the Best DT song ever made.. The Drum intro is just too good..
The First song of the vid' is Metropolis, Part 1(the miracle and the sleeper). It's from the album Images and Words.
man i love how he plays with the simple bass pedals Iron Cobras
He's the Neil Peart to Heavy Metal. He's got an awesome punch to his style to this type of music, not just a bunch of fast useless noise.
So far, their newest album is the best IMO. All of the songs on there are beautifully written, great lyrics, great riffs, great vocals, great everything. Haven't heard a song on there I didn't like. (Even though there are only 6 songs :P)
that drummer is one of the best in the world without doubts
Not the first time this happens : his very own transcription is inaccurate. After the first four groups (RLRLKK) the fill on the record goes on ONLY on the snare drum (RlrlrlRlrlrl), right before the cymbal/bass drum unison. The Pull Me Under fill in an earlier video is another example...
This sounds like the drum fill at the end of "Glass prison". Great song.
That's the funny part about pro drummers..."drumming is easy, talking is hard." Tommy Igoe and Kenny Aronoff are the only two pros who don't stammer and bluster on their DVDs.
My boy Mike! Long Beach says whats up bro! Who wouldve thought it huh? You, a world famous drummer that will go down in rock and roll history! Havent seen you in quite a while dude. Keep rockin bud. Maybe well see ya in LB again sometime... Your old school bud...Bobby Vee.
mike is a beast!! His technique is perfect
his kit sounds so damn good!!!
@iplaythedrumsalot They did not kick him out, he left. But he later wanted to come back but was denied by Dream Theaters lawyer. Since they already had signed with the new drummer
I agree, but I don't entirely believe it's their fault. Roadrunner Records is notorious for pressuring their artists into making music preferred by Roadrunner's sponsors and audience, rather than the music the artists want to make. It's hard to fight, since a musician has to eat.
They are like two small cymbals stacked over each other, they have basically no sustain, and they sound really percussive. Costs way way waaaay too much for the sound they make, but they're usefull for doing accents and such.
Great point and comparison to Steve Smith. I agree. Make no mistake here, I think Mike is GREAT and his mastery of odd time is Godlike...But, a great Jazz drummer must drive the band in a different way...would love to see Mike in THAT type of a setting ...(Like when Peart did Burning For Buddy. Was a different view of HIM. Cant say I was overly impressed.) A drummer like Dave Weckl to me has skills, dynamics and feeling. But each great drummer has his OWN style...THAT sets them apart.
If you can get by his ego though he's a pretty good guy.
Petrucci on the other hand is perhaps the most humble musician I've ever met, and was an extremely nice guy too.
you are ridiculous if you think mike portnoy's drumming is basic. he is one of the most technical and diverse drummers around.
portnoy is very underraeted he deserves more credit
Thank you Gabriel.
Greets from Belgium.
i think you can learn more from mike than any other drummer out there
wow the bass sounds awesome in this
Portnoy & Peart = World's Greatest Drummers!
That would depend on Portnoy's musical experience outside of DT or Liquid Tension Experiment. But, judging by the way they write for LTE, he would be a very good improvisor
The reason why his kit is so big, is because theres an attatchment to his kit which is smaller to include a second drummer or for simpler dream theatre songs.
Anyone who's ever played on a Mylar head will disagree with your stick control theory. When I started marching, I hadn't even heard of the Moeller technique and we used all wrist and a little arm; no finger. We still had control. Things changed a bit when we switched to Kevlar, but I still don't touch the Moeller stroke because contrary to your opinion, I think it lacks control.
I've been seeing a lot of comments trashing Portnoy---all I know is this--the guy is a phenomenal drummer who defintely raised the bar on progressive rock drumming when he came out w/ DT over 20 years ago, end-of-story. Any of you clowns trashing him, let's ee you play ANY of the stuff he played, with the SHOWMANSHIP he dsplays,w/ the caliber of musicians he plays with, in front of 50,000 people. Yeah------didn't think so!!
that first pattern was the first "metal" fill i learned. it's really fun, haha. you could also do 2-2 instead of 4-2
whoa thanks for almost blowing my speakers out. super distorted. and my speakers are real low right now.
I'd recommend the stax, any size! They actually come with a max splash, which you'd enjoy as well!
actually, he's playing triplets but finishing on the one at 4:36 which is seven strokes at the snare. Yep, nerdy but so is this kinda music and I love it!
His drums sound awesome in this clip
Neil is not more technical. Mike shows some of the crazy stuff i've never heard from Peart.
Both are stellar drummers, and great influences.
the song in the beginning is metropolis pt1 from images and words album
The drum set sounds really cool. Very clear explanations. Thanks for sharing!
god damn the fill at the beginning of honor thy father is so siiick
no band can hold a candle to Dream Theater...just the best!
I'm sure that there is VERY large herd of drummers that don't agree with your opinion. I thought we went over this, but your taste doesn't necessarily mean it's the best taste or the only taste for that matter. You support YOUR favorites, and we can support ours. If you constantly talk bad about others (MP & Peart)what do you honestly think the responses will be.
I see your point, but I think he just appears that way because we're not used to seeing a professional drummer speak articulately with no fear of being put on the spot. Most drummers stutter and have eye contact issues when put in the limelight behind their kit.
it sounds like an extended intro of Act 1/ Scene 2: I. Overture 1928 from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, but I could be wrong. A lot of DT stuff builds on riffs in different albums.
It's called The Great Debate. Its on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
"Metropolis Pt.1" from the "Images and Words" Album.
he's a great man,not only as musician,but in general.I wish I could meet him and go to a pub for example :)
@metalheadscansuckit See, this is the kind of thing Mike didn't want people misinterpreting. He also clearly said in that interview he had wanted to take a break a year ago, before The Rev even died. It's not because of A7X.
Unbelieveable sound.
ive got the entire studio discography on my page as a setlist (not my vids tho). from their first album (the one before Metropolis is on), to A Dramatic Turn of Events. Enjoy!
Master,Master of Drumsticks
Iluminated man! Genius!
Yup! Gotta love Mike
Seriously bro. You must've not seen or heard much vids or music. Check out more, it just simply speaks for itself. You WILL NOT be dissappointed. TRUST ME.
any good musician shouldn't be compared they have something to offer.
Portnoy + A7X = Epic
i hope som day i can get back in to drumming keep on rocking bruther
In my opinion, the best rock drummer out there along with Neil Peart.
its a matter of "getting used to". there is no such thing as what you will feel comfortable. you would have to get used to it. i personally like to play with converse a little tightened up
it's Metropolis - The Miracle & The Sleeper
from Images & Words
No one doubts Portnoy's ability to play music. I just don't think he makes music. I have heard him, seen him, and met him, and he seems to be to be a pretty unhappy guy. Lots of dedication and practice are one thing, loving music is another. I loved Dream Theater's first two albums, Portnoy should have stayed a drummer and let that be that.
@l0rdoflol Metropolis Pt.1 from Images and Words (one of their best song). This version is from the Score DVD with an orchestra backing (even better).
i spent 60 bucks on this. didn't open it yet. hope it's worth. saw torrents but i still ended up buying it. GO PORTNOY
In the intro, it is Metropolis, off of Images and Words
need to fix a typo there, his name is thinchaps, and for those of you who feel the need to listen to rrdrums play, try not to piss your pants from the laughter
Drums/percussion and of course making RR envious, jealous, resentful...perhaps?
hey Imsorry110, try playing in the time signatures that portnoy plays in for three hours straight every concert, meticulously writing and memorizing every lick...memorizing 25 years worth of songs
Even before opening it. I KNOW IT"S WORTH IT. GO GET YOURS =]. I haven't seen any of his dvd sets or anything before. But i have seen some of it on youtube and they helped me come up with new ideas for fills. That was only like a three minute segment. Imagine what you can learn from SEVEN HOURS
Metropolis es una grandiosa cancion!
larga vida a Dream Theater!
saludos desde Peru!
an Amazing Long Island drummer!!
On July 1, 2009, the album debuted at #6 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, with first week sales totaling 40,285. I guess the new Dream Theater Cd should be in the landfill too. Your comment "Time will prove out that most of my statements are factual" are obviously backfiring. DT have been going strong for over 20 years. Then again they may want to look out for that new cd in the works from Asia. It may put DT out of business.
he's not TRYING to keep it the same speed. if you would've listened to him you'd know that he'd play it in normal speed first, and then slow it down.
i think his ocd has led to the perfect drum sound.. his snare/toms/bass couldn't sound better
Ive never heard a bad sounding Tama snare, I play Tama superstar and the snare even on the low priced kit sounds fantastic powerfull cutting it just screams when I nail out rudiments on it not only that but the big di cast rims make a huge pop tama drums are tuff and sound great!
Great drummer and love the Knicks shirt!