What's so good about petrucci?

[jgcable]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

I like his playing. I wouldn't put him on the same level as Macalpine, Vai, Malmsteen but that is just my opinion. He is a great player and is in a great band. He also has proven that he and the band have staying power. Their new CD is excellent and very heavy. I wish you good luck in surpassing Petrucci's ability after playing for 3 years with no lessons. Unless you are a virtuoso it takes considerably longer than your 5 year plan to become accomplished on the guitar at the level you are talking about. Post some MP3's!! You must be incredible if you only have 2 years to go to be better than JP!!!!!

[Fragle]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

this whole thread is a big joke, isnt it??
how the hell can you call JP a mediocre player?? thats so strange that its alsmost an oxymoron [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

seriously, JP is a hell of a guitar player, and DT just rule. but, the thread says "whats so good about petrucci" so i will stick to JP:
-as tekky said, this guy has AMAZING control, speed, accuracy, and an IMMENSE repertoire (sp?) when it comes to variations. thats the thing you called "boring repeated riffs". did you ever listen to some DT songs??? i admit that there are some songs that have too much repetition (as i am), but most of his stuff builds from an idea that repeats in a modified way (home, caught in a web, this dying soul, the glass prison.....get the idea??).
but i will not even bother with the rythm stuff now, the thing is that you - at least a beginner -claim to be better than JP in a few years. guy, check your hearing and turn down your distortion. if you really think JP's stuff isnt that hard, go and record beyond this life (complete song....actually that song is a VERY good example for JP's guitar/key unison work....you claimed JP to run basically scales up and down. really? than listen to beyond this life, the first unison. LOTS of REALLY tough rythms in there. VERY unusual fingerings. that part is CRAZY AS HELL. and speaking of crazy as hell licks: try to play the first guitar solo (after the first chorus). it would be best if you try to figure out what he is doing and dont learn it from tabs. that way you get an idea how crazy that lick REALLY is), fatal tragedy lead, as i am lead (come on boy, show your chops!) and (that one is a MUST! if you nail that part you will be my guitar god for the rest of my life) THE BLIND FAITH GUITAR/KEY UNSION AT THE END OF THE SONG!!!!!!!!! i know, that one was written by JR, but nevertheless its a hell of a unison and to nail it is VERY VERY VERY VERY difficult - in fact its almost impossible.

of course, there are SOME leads that are more or less nothing than repeated sequences. think this dying soul unison. actually, i'm pretty sure you just know ToT and only listened to the first two or three songs.


go and listen to the whole scenes from a memory album and tell me you can do the whole album. (ah, i almost forgot: not very technically advanced, very basic stuff you said: GO AND RECORD THE "HOME" SOLO!!!!!!!!! i'm sure the first part with all that crazy phrasing will kill you (and believe me, thats the easy part of the solo))
furthermore awake and images and words. if you call that stuff not well composed then you simply have no clue when it comes to progressive music. go and stick with nu metal dude


greets
fragle

[Top Jimmy B]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

I'm agree 100% with JG on this one. I've seen Petrucci live, like many here, and he is a monster player and has a great touch. I also don't think he can touch MacAlpine/Malmsteen/Vai, but only because I don't hear anything that makes me say, "THAT'S Petrucci!". The dude can surely rip and is a big deal because he reintroduced shredding to a younger generation of players...no easy task in the early to mid 90's. [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[toejam]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

I've never seen them live, but I think John's great! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] I think the song Fatal Tragedy has his coolest solo, too. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Ninja Guitar]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

Originally posted by toejam:
I've never seen them live, but I think John's great! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] I think the song Fatal Tragedy has his coolest solo, too. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Go see Dream Theater live!!!! Every time I see them live, they put on a better show than the previous time I saw them. Seeing them live is truely a treat.

[ChickenScratch]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

I used to be a DT freak, I never missed a show and since they and I are from NY I considered them like my own home town heros.

Since then I have grown up a bit, my taste in prog goes toward the far out stuff now like Atheist, Cynic, Magnitude 9, Symhony X and Watchtower.

However I won't ever knock Dream Theater. Apart of my growing disinterest with them is due to the fact that me and my ex fiance met at a DT show and DT is something we shared for the time together. Since the split I kinda subconciously drifted away from them too.

[Venomboy]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

I love Petrucci and Dream Theater. The more time changes, the better!!!

I just saw him live last week and he was absolutely flawless. I have his instructional DVD and he is truly a master.

His vibrato is a bit weak but I think him and his band are one of the most versatile creative bands out there.

I suppose trying to convice someone of all this or arguing it is like all those religion threads... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Top Jimmy B]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

Well said and true. MacAlpine is frightening - his ablility to excel on both instruments is mind boggling and unfair.

[Chuckracer]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

Dream Theater absolutely puts me to sleep. Petrucci is boring as hell. So he can play fast and clean? Good for him. There are probably some typists' who can smoke him. What about the music? It seems to me all Dream Theater is about is playing stuff that is difficult for the sake of being difficult. Um, what about the song, boys?

I can't stand him or the band.

[Top Jimmy B]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

I don't know Chuck, but I think DT have some great melodies and you've got to give credit to the singer for being able to be melodic over some of those rhythms. Sure, some of their stuff sounds very mechanical, but there are also some very good songs. I'm not a huge fan - I own one of their albums - but the songs are there if you go looking.
--How ya feeling? Don't lie to me, either...we share a plight. [img]graemlins/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Mordor]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

Talkin about La Brie...I think he's one of that kind of singer that you love or hate.Another reason cos I don't like DT is cos I hate his voice,all the heavy stuff they play is destroyed by his weak tone.

[metafaza]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

So far nobody mentioned JP's work with Liquid Tension Experiment. Their two CDs are like Dream Theater on steroids minus vocals. Check it out.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

Originally posted by Chuckracer:
Dream Theater absolutely puts me to sleep. Petrucci is boring as hell. So he can play fast and clean? Good for him. There are probably some typists' who can smoke him. What about the music? It seems to me all Dream Theater is about is playing stuff that is difficult for the sake of being difficult. Um, what about the song, boys?

I can't stand him or the band.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I really don't think they are trying to be commercially acceptble (exception of Pull me Under). They are not writing 3 or 4 chord pop tunes or 12 bar blues/rock songs based on bonafied chuck berry licks [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I see your point though, although I likejazz and fusion...I don't want to listen to it all the time.

[tmdiamond]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

Personally, I think Mt was trolling for an argument and that's exactly what he got. He may not be your cup o tea and your claim that you will easily surpass his chops with 5 years of playing and no lessons was obviously an attempt to throw gas on the fire and tick off the Petrucci fans on the board. My assumption is that you are either still a kid or very immature. I say that because I could see myself saying the same thing about Eddie when I was 16 or 17. Petrucci is an amazing player with great tone, chops, technique, modesty, and song-writing ability. I believe that after 26 years of playing this instrument, I'm qualified to at least admit that he's one of the better players around. I also think he plays with feeling but I will concede that he does emphasize the mechanical/technical aspects of playing a bit too much. But prog music, of whatever vein, is the melding of technical virtuosity, odd time signatures, dissonant key changes, and conveying whatever feeling or message you intend. BUT>>>not any one of those aspects is required to be progressive.
I used to say that I thought Hendrix sucked back when I was a 10 year-old punk who thought Ace Frehley was the greatest guitar player ever. Once I matured musically, I stopped ripping on every guitar player I'd never be able to play like and started actually listening to the music. And the braggodocio....? Well, I quit telling people how much ass I could kick with a guitar a long time ago.
John may not be your favorite...but he keeps people like me, in my mid 30's, still reaching for the next rung on the ladder. And you'll never hear me say that I'll pass him or Yngwie or Eddie or whoever...They're all virtuosos no latter what your taste in styles.

[Brad]

Re: What\'s so good about petrucci?

For me it is simple, Petrucci (Yngwie, Vai, Tony Mac, and others) all INSPIRE, but someone like Ace Frehley INFLUENCES. You can call is a early mid-life crisis if you want. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]