Neil Peart

NUTHA JASON said:
i am glad that both types of band exsist. it is as impressive to me when a band can perfectly reproduce their cd as rewrite them for a show. one day i will be lucky enough to see rush live (i hope).

j


i waited 20 years to see them. i got to see them in 2002 in pittsburgh. it was magic. neil...well, what can i say. i was so moved it brought tears to my eyes.
 
Neil Peart is a craftsman and his passion for drumming comes through in his performances. He puts great emphasis on composition and his approach is always one of continual growth. He is also indirectly responsible for countless commission checks to music store employees selling multiple-tom-double bass-dozen cymbal sets as first kits to innumerous kids in suburbs throughout America!

TOMANO
 
Neil Peart is my main influence and I think he is the best at what he does bar none. He has the respect of every drummer around because of his professionlism and his dedication to the art of drumming. He is also the most humble drummer in the world. I am a better person and drummer because of Neil and RUSH.

www.shakedowncruise.com
 
I sat(actually stood) on the 3rd row last year for their 30th tour.

I made the mistake of watching his footwork on a few songs.

My God!

I'm not smart enough to say why he is so good.

But he is the best that I have ever seen in 43 years.
 
ive been thinking a lot about danny carey vs neil peart sort of thing. i know they play differnt types of music but they would have to be pretty damn close to each other on the list of best rock drummers. what do you guys think?
 
DogBreath said:
I've been a fan of opera my whole life. One of my favorites is The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro). I’ve listened to it so many times over the years on tape that I know almost every note by heart. One year for my birthday, my girlfriend bought tickets for us to see The Marriage of Figaro at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is Los Angeles. We were young, and not rich, and we were probably the only couple there who didn't drive up in a luxury car. The place was beautiful, and the seats were great. The lights dimmed, the music started, and I was transported.



The opening scene takes place in the bedroom that will be shared by Figaro and Sussana after their wedding. Figaro is on his knees measuring the space that will be occupied by the nuptial bed. He calls out the numbers "Cinque... dieci.... venti... trenta!" exactly as I had heard them hundreds of times before, and I felt a thrill seeing the expression on his face while the familiar words were called out.



On and on the evening went, all the words exactly as I knew they would be, but now living things; all of the notes perfectly played by the orchestra. When the curtain fell for the last time the crowd was on its feet. This classic piece of musical theater had been executed faultlessly by a group of talented artists who realized that perfection is sometimes best expressed through perfect reproduction.



When I saw Rush in concert many years ago, the songs were performed with amazing precision. I was astounded at how closely the music matched the memories I had of all of times I had listened to the albums and heard the singles on the radio. Many bands riff and vamp. Many bands actually suck live and only achieve greatness through digital manipulation and post-production editing. Lightening, it is said, cannot strike the same place twice. Rush can strike home, with laser-like accuracy, over and over. Not all art is made better through riffing and improv. Some art is perfect just the way it is. I am thankful that Neil Peart has the ability to play my thoughts and memories just the way they are in my mind and heart.

Put so eloquently I might add. Neil is my ALL time favorite. His percision is not impossible to match but if you attempt it, you will have to pack a lunch or two (that includes all the Gatorade you will sweat out). I was introduced to Neil on the Live album "All the Worlds a Stage." That solo is still in my head to this day." I had never heard a kit used so completely as Neil's. Add to that his ability to write lyrics that remain with you. He is definitely one of the most influential drummer's of the last half century. I for one like that he can stick to the piece as written. There are things I listen for when I see a band do a gig. Especially if they do covers. One is precision. How close to the piece are they? Heard a cover of Stairway to Heaven once. The band did a wonderful job until the end. You all know the spot. "When all are one and one is all." He butchered it, completely and utterly. He didn't do the fill as Bonzo did it. They had done such a great job up until then. I left afterwards, I was so disgusted. Sounds a little trivial, I know but that is something thats important to me in the music. Especially classics like Stairway. Anyway, my 2 cents. Ciao. Rich The Builder.
 
morphe said:
Am i the only one who's noticed that neil peart isn't that tight when performing live?

YES!! I've seen Rush in concert 15 times, 8 TIMES from NO further away than 5th row! I've seen Neil drop a stick 1 time! ONCE!!!
And that was during a VERY quick flair pattern during A RAIN STORM!! At Nissan
Pavilion in Manassas, Virginia during the Test For Echo tour!! A BIG thunderstorm
came up 1/2 way through the show and SOAKED the stage!! BUT, Alex, Geddy, and
"THE BEST ROCK DRUMMER OF ALL TIME", Neil Peart, kept playing the whole time,
without stopping! Consument professionals! CONSUMENT PROFESSOR!! NOW, can
you say you've seen him any more than that? Any CLOSER than that? I DON'T THINK
SO!!! Neil Peart INVENTED THE WORD TIGHT!!
 
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Helllo..I'm new to this GREAT site.I'm a 25 -year guitar player, goin back to my roots, to play drums again..I'm researching all the equipment now. When I saw Peart's name, I had to respond. He is absolute precision, measure by measure, unwavering, unflinching..To have the timing and feel that he has, he's a true inspiration..And having gone through what he has, personally, and still come back to the music, that's incredible..
I've been influenced by Rush since day one..PEART RULES!!!
 
Admiration for an artist? Absolutely! Influenced by? Sure. Disagreements over one's style or application to his/her craft? Maybe...But to argue over whether or not a drummer drops his stick EVER is very bizarre to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying this thread, but I do find myself laughing quite a bit at some of the posts. It seems that some posters are the exact people Neil wrote about in songs like Limelight and Entre Nous.

TOMANO
 
"Neil Peart is the most popular drummer today. When it comes to voting in Modern Drummer or Drummerworld - Neil Peart is always the No. 1."

Right off of this site.
 
candlemass said:
I remember I got to have drum lessons at the same time I got to hear Moving Pictures for the first time, and my teacher was a huge Rush fan as well, and he gave me "Drum Techniques Of Rush". I still run to the book whenever I want to get inspiration for some drumline.

I have transcribed a few songs for the Rush Tablature Project, you might want to check it out!!

See you,
Edu

I have that book too. I was definitely a bit part of my learning growing up. Love it!!
 
The Exploration sections on his new Anatomy DVD are both very interesting. I feel if he played any of those for his solo it would certainly please many drummers in the audience. However, he makes a relevent point (on his anatomy dvd) in that his solo is focused on pleasing music lovers not just drummers. During the exploration he seems to play differently as these sections are not structured as is his solo. He seems looser and relaxed and his technique benefits from that (what a concept, huh?) Anyone else notice this?
 
quite comical, as a few have already noted, how some here are talking about how they saw NP drop a stick and even four times on one particular night! NOW HERE IS THE IMPORTANT QUESTION...did he grab a stick and keep playing all while keeping time? i'm sure he did because no one has mentioned that point in any of the the posts i've read. guys, get a life.
 
Hubby was switching to VH-1 yesterday inbetween plays in the Superbowl Playoffs and ran across a couple of specials on Rush ... the first was a recent-era live show in Germany, and some terrific shots of Neil, especially from a camera directly above his kit ... I'd love to see more drummers from that angle! ... what impressed me was how much of his drumming wasn't the mind-blowing fast-all-over-the-kit stuff everybody talks about, but just good solid grooves (still all over the kit though). I've always been very intimidated by the speed stuff, but I saw a lot of stuff I could understand, and some of it I think I could even learn.

The second show was an early 80's MTV-type video thing ... music was awesome, video was proclaimed by my Englishman to be "pants"! :cool: The drums were a lot more of the flashy BPM stuff, and I didn't find them nearly as catchy.

To sum up ... I like his recent work, and having seen it in detail, should I ever get a chance for a clinic or a lesson, I think I wouldn't be to initimidated to introduce myself as a fellow-drummer and have a conversation about how he does what he does.
 
After listening to the drum solo on his page I fell in love with his drum sound lol. I especially love his snare sound, anyone know what snare it is, heads he uses and how its tuned?I can tell its tuned high but how high and reso? Also what heads on toms and the other questions I have asked about the snare for the toms plz, cheers
 
Hello A thunder of Coxy,

I have the Work In Progress DVD and a section of the disc contains a discussion of Neils snare drums. He has an arsenal of snares with him in the studio. Each has a sound characteristic that he likes to have available when the situation warrents. So, it's kind of difficult to pin down specifics as far as the one-size-fits-all-situations recorded sound.

Daddy-o
 
Regarding the questions about the drumhead selections of his toms, all I can tell you is in his new "Anatomy..." DVD he uses DW coated clear batters and clear resos which I believe come with the drums from the factory and interestingly enough, as is standard practice among many drummers, the heads tend to be replaced. Apparently he is keeping them. They are basically Remo Ambassador-weight clear heads with an outer ring of white coating on the batter to help control overtones. His snare has a basic coated Ambassador-like head (not sure if it is Remo (the DW heads may be indeed made by Remo - anyone know?)) and the bass drum has a clear Remo Powerstroke 3 batter.

As far as tuning I guess he tunes his toms fairly tight (more so on the higher toms), even on the larger toms. Again this is a guess and is based on listening to R30 and Anatomy DVDs. The larger toms have quite a bit of ring. Compare this sound with the Rio concert; the larger toms sound really loose. Of course all of this observation is taking into account that the audio was engineered the same for both time periods. Mic'd toms tend to sound different than live drums so achieving the Neil Peart sound may be difficult in that regard. Long winded response but the best I can do. Perhaps others have further or even better insight. Best of luck.
 
neil doesn't just play drums, he goes to work.

his style is very unique... it's tight and controlled. the drum sticks seem to be extensions of his arms. he becomes one with the drum kit. it becomes part of him. it almost seems as though the two join together to make one single entity. neil is my favorite drummer. there's no one else like him. he makes the hardest things look so damn easy.
 
I'm a late fan of Neil Peart. I've heard him over the years since I was in the teens. I always liked Rush and his drumming but I always found other drummers to be my idols.

But Neil has been growing on me since his first DVD. I was amazed how his style of drumming evolved over the years and how intelligent he was and how well he spoke. Up to this point I never know he wrote most of Rush's songs.

I picked up Signals soon after and relived those great songs from my high-school years. I now admire him as a person and a drummer more than I ever had especially since watching his latest Anatomy DVD. He is a humble, respectful gentleman who is respectful of other drummers and he gives credit to many of them.

I bought Counterparts and wow did I miss this album altogether! What a masterpiece. What a disservice radio has done to music connoisseurs. What lyrics! (hence my signature).

He inspired me to improve on my drumming and persona. He is also the reason I'm poorer now trying to make my new setup like his too.
 
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