Neil Peart

Program wrote: I have a friend who has been playing drums for a year, and has only been listening to Peart, even though I've showed him jazz drummers, and great guys like Bonham, Bruford etc. but he claims that they are 'amateurs'. What he and many other drummers in his situation don't realize is that Neil Peart started somewhere too, drumming didn't start with Neil Peart. He listened to Rich, Krupa, Bellson, Roach, Bruford, Alan White, Carl Palmer etc., and he learned how to keep time first - then developed his own style.

Program wrote: Neil's a great drummer, but I can only handle him in small doses now. I used to listen to a lot of Rush, but after about a year or so of that I discovered bands like Yes and started to listen to a lot more jazz - and I noticed how simply rigid the music of Rush can be at times (thanks to Peart). His drumming is almost too calculated (which is a word someone used earlier that I thought was descriptive), and it doesn't leave any room for improvisation for himself or any of the other band members. I am currently in a band and we cover some Rush from time to time, and I find it impossible as a guitarist to try and improvise over anything Peart plays without bringing a halt to the song - I respect Alex for making it still sound good. It seems like Geddy and Alex have to play note for note every show due to Neil's tendency to play note for note. The most loose solos I've ever heard from Lifeson is on the first album, with Rutsey drumming like a normal drummer - leaving room to improvise for the other band members. If it weren't so Zeppelin-esque it would be good listening, but you can't beat a song like Working Man (nothing wrong with Zeppelin either, just stating that early Rush was a slight rip of Zeppelin). I saw Neil drum Working Man on the last tour and was shaking my head, he literally leaves the beat hanging for two whole seconds so he can play a ridiculous drum fill - it's fine to do that on a song like Anthem where technicality is a must - but leave Working Man alone! Play it right, I don't know how Alex or Geddy haven't just told him "chill out with all the crazyness for a minute man". In 1976, Neil was playing drums like not many people had heard before (at least in a rock setting). I respect him during that time because he was different from the crowd, but it's 2011 now and there's thousands of people who play alone in their basements who are probably more efficient than Peart and play with more natural groove - mainly due to the progression of drumming. If you still say "Neil is the best drummer because of 2112/Hemispheres etc!" then you're a few ages behind. Don't get me wrong, I like 2112 and Hemispheres a lot - but it's so rigid that if Alex or Geddy or Neil miss a note it could halt the song. Walking on thin ice so to speak, maybe why they don't play a lot of that stuff anymore. I have a friend who has been playing drums for a year, and has only been listening to Peart, even though I've showed him jazz drummers, and great guys like Bonham, Bruford etc. but he claims that they are 'amateurs'. What he and many other drummers in his situation don't realize is that Neil Peart started somewhere too, drumming didn't start with Neil Peart. He listened to Rich, Krupa, Bellson, Roach, Bruford, Alan White, Carl Palmer etc., and he learned how to keep time first - then developed his own style. Drummers nowadays need to dig back into the roots of the instrument and look at the natural progression, then develop their own style - not just steal Neil's traits or Lars Ulrich, or the guy from Lamb of God. The drummer in my band is excellent, since he has done his research and has studied various forms of drumming and lots of styles and techniques - to the point that he has already mastered proper time-keeping and fluidity at a young age. He's even studied with an African drum instructor and learned proper bongo rhythm and technique. We need more drummers like him, not robots who say "Oh mercy listen to the drum fill from Temples of Syrinx!". Meh, sorry for the rant - I still love Rush because of their creativity and Alex Lifeson's playing, but listening to Neil's drumming can weary me sometimes to the point that I have to change song/artist.

Program wrote: Neil's a great drummer, but I can only handle him in small doses now. I used to listen to a lot of Rush, but after about a year or so of that I discovered bands like Yes and started to listen to a lot more jazz - and I noticed how simply rigid the music of Rush can be at times (thanks to Peart). His drumming is almost too calculated (which is a word someone used earlier that I thought was descriptive), and it doesn't leave any room for improvisation for himself or any of the other band members. I am currently in a band and we cover some Rush from time to time, and I find it impossible as a guitarist to try and improvise over anything Peart plays without bringing a halt to the song - I respect Alex for making it still sound good. It seems like Geddy and Alex have to play note for note every show due to Neil's tendency to play note for note. The most loose solos I've ever heard from Lifeson is on the first album, with Rutsey drumming like a normal drummer - leaving room to improvise for the other band members. If it weren't so Zeppelin-esque it would be good listening, but you can't beat a song like Working Man (nothing wrong with Zeppelin either, just stating that early Rush was a slight rip of Zeppelin). I saw Neil drum Working Man on the last tour and was shaking my head, he literally leaves the beat hanging for two whole seconds so he can play a ridiculous drum fill - it's fine to do that on a song like Anthem where technicality is a must - but leave Working Man alone! Play it right, I don't know how Alex or Geddy haven't just told him "chill out with all the crazyness for a minute man". In 1976, Neil was playing drums like not many people had heard before (at least in a rock setting). I respect him during that time because he was different from the crowd, but it's 2011 now and there's thousands of people who play alone in their basements who are probably more efficient than Peart and play with more natural groove - mainly due to the progression of drumming. If you still say "Neil is the best drummer because of 2112/Hemispheres etc!" then you're a few ages behind. Don't get me wrong, I like 2112 and Hemispheres a lot - but it's so rigid that if Alex or Geddy or Neil miss a note it could halt the song. Walking on thin ice so to speak, maybe why they don't play a lot of that stuff anymore. I have a friend who has been playing drums for a year, and has only been listening to Peart, even though I've showed him jazz drummers, and great guys like Bonham, Bruford etc. but he claims that they are 'amateurs'. What he and many other drummers in his situation don't realize is that Neil Peart started somewhere too, drumming didn't start with Neil Peart. He listened to Rich, Krupa, Bellson, Roach, Bruford, Alan White, Carl Palmer etc., and he learned how to keep time first - then developed his own style. Drummers nowadays need to dig back into the roots of the instrument and look at the natural progression, then develop their own style - not just steal Neil's traits or Lars Ulrich, or the guy from Lamb of God. The drummer in my band is excellent, since he has done his research and has studied various forms of drumming and lots of styles and techniques - to the point that he has already mastered proper time-keeping and fluidity at a young age. He's even studied with an African drum instructor and learned proper bongo rhythm and technique. We need more drummers like him, not robots who say "Oh mercy listen to the drum fill from Temples of Syrinx!". Meh, sorry for the rant - I still love Rush because of their creativity and Alex Lifeson's playing, but listening to Neil's drumming can weary me sometimes to the point that I have to change song/artist.

Program wrote: I respect him during that time because he was different from the crowd, but it's 2011 now and there's thousands of people who play alone in their basements who are probably more efficient than Peart and play with more natural groove - mainly due to the progression of drumming. If you still say "Neil is the best drummer because of 2112/Hemispheres etc!" then you're a few ages behind.

That busy, fill happy style wasn't even that unusual.  Stewart Copeland has a similar style on The Police but steps back a little and is not so rigid.  He is also more jazzy. I need to investigate Copeland's work with Curved Air to see if he was already playing in that style then.  Oh, and Bruford an amateur, what a laugh!  You should ask your friend to actually play One More Red Nightmare and see for himself (and of course, replicating the effect here is important, not just playing the parts correctly).  Peart fans get obsessed with his vehement approach to the kit and start thinking that is the best or only way to play drums.


Edited by rogerthat - May 10 2011 at 20:04

Neil's a great drummer, but I can only handle him in small doses now. I used to listen to a lot of Rush, but after about a year or so of that I discovered bands like Yes and started to listen to a lot more jazz - and I noticed how simply rigid the music of Rush can be at times (thanks to Peart). His drumming is almost too calculated (which is a word someone used earlier that I thought was descriptive), and it doesn't leave any room for improvisation for himself or any of the other band members. I am currently in a band and we cover some Rush from time to time, and I find it impossible as a guitarist to try and improvise over anything Peart plays without bringing a halt to the song - I respect Alex for making it still sound good. It seems like Geddy and Alex have to play note for note every show due to Neil's tendency to play note for note. The most loose solos I've ever heard from Lifeson is on the first album, with Rutsey drumming like a normal drummer - leaving room to improvise for the other band members. If it weren't so Zeppelin-esque it would be good listening, but you can't beat a song like Working Man (nothing wrong with Zeppelin either, just stating that early Rush was a slight rip of Zeppelin). I saw Neil drum Working Man on the last tour and was shaking my head, he literally leaves the beat hanging for two whole seconds so he can play a ridiculous drum fill - it's fine to do that on a song like Anthem where technicality is a must - but leave Working Man alone! Play it right, I don't know how Alex or Geddy haven't just told him "chill out with all the crazyness for a minute man".
In 1976, Neil was playing drums like not many people had heard before (at least in a rock setting). I respect him during that time because he was different from the crowd, but it's 2011 now and there's thousands of people who play alone in their basements who are probably more efficient than Peart and play with more natural groove - mainly due to the progression of drumming. If you still say "Neil is the best drummer because of 2112/Hemispheres etc!" then you're a few ages behind. Don't get me wrong, I like 2112 and Hemispheres a lot - but it's so rigid that if Alex or Geddy or Neil miss a note it could halt the song. Walking on thin ice so to speak, maybe why they don't play a lot of that stuff anymore.
I have a friend who has been playing drums for a year, and has only been listening to Peart, even though I've showed him jazz drummers, and great guys like Bonham, Bruford etc. but he claims that they are 'amateurs'. What he and many other drummers in his situation don't realize is that Neil Peart started somewhere too, drumming didn't start with Neil Peart. He listened to Rich, Krupa, Bellson, Roach, Bruford, Alan White, Carl Palmer etc., and he learned how to keep time first - then developed his own style. Drummers nowadays need to dig back into the roots of the instrument and look at the natural progression, then develop their own style - not just steal Neil's traits or Lars Ulrich, or the guy from Lamb of God. The drummer in my band is excellent, since he has done his research and has studied various forms of drumming and lots of styles and techniques - to the point that he has already mastered proper time-keeping and fluidity at a young age. He's even studied with an African drum instructor and learned proper bongo rhythm and technique. We need more drummers like him, not robots who say "Oh mercy listen to the drum fill from Temples of Syrinx!".
Meh, sorry for the rant - I still love Rush because of their creativity and Alex Lifeson's playing, but listening to Neil's drumming can weary me sometimes to the point that I have to change song/artist.

rogerthat wrote: Right, here's her very post on this thread. Now we shall see who misunderstands who: BaldFriede wrote: Pedart is the most5 ovcerrated drummer ever. What I mean by that is not that he can't drum; on the contrqary, I have no doubts at all about his drumming abilities. Howwever, there are lots of drummers whoare equally good buthose style I conisder to be much more interesting. Peart is too predictiable for my taste; I like drummers to do the unexpected, and Peart is not the man to deliver there.Mark that I am NOT a Peart hater. I am, however, a Peart fan hater because his fans  magnify his abilities in comparison wirth other drummers, and that is simply not true. Peart is not an überdrummer at al. It is definitely not like this:1) Peart,,,,,, (nothing for a while).....others.But this is exactly how Peart fans depict him, which is plain nonsense.I have a certain dislike for the man nevertheless because he is at least partly responsible for the hype about him. So, she has clearly claimed that Peart self promotes and hypes himself, though she's trying to backtrack from those claims now.  It is also clear that hers is simply a - I am going to just say it - childish objection to people going for a popular drum icon.  There may well be more talented drummers, nay, there are, but you can't change the fact that more people have heard about Peart and you can't insist their drum education must be as complete as BaldFriede's before they post on any topics relating to drummers or Neil Peart.

Interesting - no response yet

Snow Dog wrote: Catcher10 wrote: BaldJean wrote:  as to the poll you mentioned: she has already done that, with very little feedback, or rather with no votes at all for the little known drummers http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55755&KW=drum+poll&PID=3153953&title=a-different-kind-of-drum-poll#3153953   I dont remember this poll but alas I am a dumb-dumb as I don't know any of them........so sorry. Don't be sorry for heavens sake! I'm certain that you know loads of drummers that she has never heard of also.

leonakita wrote: Neil is a great power drummer !  His name almost always come up in a TOP 10 query.  He, like Carl Palmer, I feel for the most part, lacks the nuances for softer passages requiring restraint where  percussion is intended to enhance the sound with a subtleness. That being said.... there isn't very much subtle about RUSH.  He is a power drummer in a power band, and is indeed one of my favorite drummers as well, but I'd pick Simon Phillips over him in a more restrained venue that calls for a technical drummer with a softer feel and delivery.  Finally... I wish to god he would lose that GOOBER PYLE headband he wears ..it looks utterly ridiculous!

ExitstageLeft

Catcher10 wrote: BaldJean wrote:  as to the poll you mentioned: she has already done that, with very little feedback, or rather with no votes at all for the little known drummers http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55755&KW=drum+poll&PID=3153953&title=a-different-kind-of-drum-poll#3153953   I dont remember this poll but alas I am a dumb-dumb as I don't know any of them........so sorry.