Mike Portnoy

Yay. I've been searching for a thread on my favorite drummer. Now, first off yeah, he uses his entire kit. But he cah also play on a smaller kit. They played a small show in some place (can't remember), and he still had his aweseome sound. And he's creative in using his set up too. He's the only drummer I know of who can play a duet with the keyboardist! I know there are better drummers. But he's the one tops it for me.
 
lfdy said:
For me (and a lot of other drummers), a five piece doesn't get boring , because there are so many possibilities with it. You don't have to have a 20 piece kit to make great music.

But if you look at it musically, there's nothing wrong with a big kit.

But if a drummer makes great and superb music, intresting styles and fills, one a five piece, imagine what the same guy could've done one a huge kit :)
And btw, I think it's wrong to say that Mike's kit is so fricking huge, he just use two kits pit together as one. And the "big" side of the kit is actually much smaller than other metal/prog drummers use.
 
figure_02 said:
But if a drummer makes great and superb music, intresting styles and fills, one a five piece, imagine what the same guy could've done one a huge kit :)
And btw, I think it's wrong to say that Mike's kit is so fricking huge, he just use two kits pit together as one. And the "big" side of the kit is actually much smaller than other metal/prog drummers use.

Yeah, sure, but i didn't say that there's anything wrong with having a big kit.

I'm just saying that it shouldn't be boring, playing on a 5 piece.
 
lfdy said:
For me (and a lot of other drummers), a five piece doesn't get boring , because there are so many possibilities with it. You don't have to have a 20 piece kit to make great music.

That is so totally true. Each piece can be used in multiple ways. Rim shots/clicks can also be done on the toms, and you can even get something nice out of your kit when you hit only the rims from time to time.
 
figure_02 said:
His feet are pretty fast, listen to "Beyond This Life". Also, dont call it metal, cause it's not, it's progressive rock/fusion.
Fusion? I think not. Tell me one DT song where Fusion is involved. And yes, Dream Theater music have heavy metal influences. Just listen to the entire ToT album for example and Panic Attack from Octavarium. It's progressive hardmetal.
 
Re: Mike Pourtnoy

Joe Morris said:
I saw Dream Theatre 2 years ago. I walked out after 6 songs. All I have to say about Mike Portnoy is he had really cool shoes.

I dont get how some people dont give portnoy the credit he deserves. He is very good. I doubt you people are nearly as good as him.
 
Re: Mike Pourtnoy

METAL_DRUMMER said:
I dont get how some people dont give portnoy the credit he deserves. He is very good. I doubt you people are nearly as good as him.

Careful there, you're talking to somebody with a page on Drummerworld...

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Joe_Morris.html

I think Joe is fairly qualified to decide where he gives credit and why.
 
Robin said:
Fusion? I think not. Tell me one DT song where Fusion is involved. And yes, Dream Theater music have heavy metal influences. Just listen to the entire ToT album for example and Panic Attack from Octavarium. It's progressive hardmetal.

Sure they have metal influences, but the ToT album was special, it's the only thing that's rally heavy, and even that's not heavy metal, and mike like to call it progressive rock, with bits of fusion and metal...
 
Re: Mike Pourtnoy

figure_02 said:
But if he is qualified, he should know more about drumming than to just say that Mike only has "cool shoes".

Either that or he knows enough about drumming to say that. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
 
Re: Mike Pourtnoy

finnhiggins said:
Either that or he knows enough about drumming to say that. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

Well...

--) I'm not a Dream Theater fan, and I've never seen them live.
--) I usually enjoy Joe's posts very much. The fact that he takes some of his time to share his views with us is just simply great.
--) He certainly has the credibility to judge someone else's work.

But I'm surprised to see a pro drummer expressing such a "mean" comment about another pro drummer, without any more justifications. I mean, you can like or dislike Portnoy's style, that's ok. But he is among the most influential rock drummers of the last decade. There's gotta be something more about his drumming to comment on after seeing him than ... his shoes.
 
Re: Mike Pourtnoy

finnhiggins said:
Careful there, you're talking to somebody with a page on Drummerworld...

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Joe_Morris.html

I think Joe is fairly qualified to decide where he gives credit and why.
I'm sorry but so? it's not "METAL_DRUMMER" who should be careful, It should be Joe Morris himself. To talk like that ( in a public forum ) about one of the worlds most greatest drummers is definitely not cool.

Memo to Joe : It's not "Dream Theatre", it's "Dream Theater"
 
figure_02 said:
I cant agree any more with Robin and shuffle, would've loved to hear a explanation (sorry for my english, is that word spelled that way?) from Morris himself on that comment.

Well, you could always PM and ask. But I don't think he really needs to explain himself, Portnoy's style is most certainly one which has a lot about it that people might not enjoy. I personally don't - I don't really like the way he phrases in odd meters and I find his playing rather lacking in subtlety or articulation. I've also studied with people - notably a really great bassist, whose name I won't bring into the conversation - who've said similar things to what Joe said about DT in concert.

It's fair enough to disagree and say that you enjoy what Portnoy does, and that he's one of the most influential rock drummers of the last decade. Those are pretty obviously both true. But I don't think any of you are in any position to make assumptions about other people's playing or knowledge of the drums just because they don't like Portnoy. There's an awful lot to love about the drums that Mike quite simply never approaches, so if you're more of an Elvin Jones or Bernard Purdie guy than a Neil Peart one then I can quite understand not seeing the appeal of Portnoy and DT.
 
portnoy can play...i just find dream theater a bore. i also tend to think of him as a neil peart clone.i don't hear a lot of stuff that grabs my ears musically.on the other hand,the 2 jelly jams cd's with myung,morgenstein and tabor,to me are some cool pop songs with a hard rock,progressive edge and if they ever tour,i'm there!
 
I don't see what there is to hate about Portnoys playing. It has a nice mix of mostly everything in it, only thing that I think is missing from his playing is more doubles, and even tripples. Whats nice about Portnoy is how unique his style is, you can almost right of the bat know it's him playing. And he's god at playing in odd time signatures, mad props for that and being able to make it sound good musically with dream theater. Great band.
 
Yeah, I kinda just lost some respect for Joe...Wheather you like Mike or not, it's just not cool for another Pro drummer to talk in a negative way about another pro drummer in a public forum. Kinda of strage seing Joe made that post about that dick at one of his clinics who said he "didn't think he was really that good". Joe got pretty pissed at that kid, yet has no problem comming to this forum and bashing Mike.

And Finn, NOBODY made any assumptions about Joe's playing or knowledge because he doesn't like Mike. They just think it's strange he would come out and say something like that. Joe's playing speaks for itself and we all know that.
 
mad props for that and being able to make it sound good musically with dream theater

Isn't that what it's all about? Who cares if he's not playing complicated multi pedal ostinatos, or blazzing chops. He fits his band about as perfect as one could.
 
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