Neil Peart

I find it so interesting just how polarizing opinions can be. For instance, a large majority of this site seems to hold Keith Moon and Neil Peart in less than favorable light, however they are my two favorites and two of my biggest inspirations in playing. on the other hand, most on this site seem to hold John Bonham to be the best drummer in rock history, however i never found him to be that impressive.
 
My drumming style is a.) no where near his ability and b.) not similar in style. Peart's greatest influence on me has been his approach to music, and art in general. He is a tireless student of drums, and life, and continues to challenge himself.

Rock On!

MT
 
Been reading these posts and had to submit my humble reply.

I go through these phases where I'm obsessed with Bonham for two weeks, then Buddy for two weeks, then Tito Puente for two weeks and so on. Well, for the past week it's been Neil and Rush. It seems every couple of weeks my opinion of "who the greatest drummer is" changes so I change my focus of who to study and learn from.

I've come to realize the greatest drummer ever is the one I'm currently hooked on and learning from. The drummer who is inspiring me to learn new fills, trying new time signatures, practicing with an effing metronome etc. Their greatest isn't measured in their feel and technique alone - Their greatness is measured by the affect they have on drumming, the music community and the timelessness of their art and passion.

To me, "great" means not easily forgotten or irrelevant. It doesn't mean how many 64th notes someone can play in a fill, their double bass speed, the number of tattoos or anything else. To me greatness means to inspire and there are a helluva lot of good drummers who are inspirational to me.

I work from home so today I was watching Rush In Rio and got inspired to go play for a bit - Grabbed my sticks, ran upstairs to my office and completely lost a half hour to playing. I don't remember what I played, I don't remember what happened around me and I don't care. I know for that 30 minutes I was the greatest drummer in the world because I was playing well, playing creatively, learning a few new tricks and having fun.

This week Neil is the greatest drummer ever because he inspired me to get away from SAP for a spell and work on my chops.

Thanks Pratt :)
 
For me a poor appearance...

Bernhard

He looks real old in that performance...and I don't mean him, I mean his playing. It really made me sad.

I love Neil, and I love Rush. I love his playing, and I love his songwriting. He gave Rush substance, and rhythm. He will always be the greatest drummer period, to me. But he looks worn out in that solo. And I get it, he is 60 years old. It's hard to play like that now, let alone when your 60. From what I've seen of him it seems here's a super humble dude, but I hope he knows he's inspired just as many kids to learn the drums, if not more than Moon and Bonham. He is a legend and an icon worth recognizing. Forget the record labels, forget the critics, Rush is just as good a band as Zeppelin and The Who, and BETTER than the Beatles. And I hope...I so hope everyone realizes that before it's too late. Those three guys made amazing music. Neil Peart is the end all end all drummer for me. I would love to see the day where someone better comes along, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Every time I listen to Rush, it's so obvious that Neil invented modern metal drumming. That there could be no Dream Theater, not Lamb Of God, no Mastodon, no Machine Head, without Neil Peart and Rush. He has had an impact on me, and I can only assume every drummer out there, and he will continue to do so.

So if only one thing is taken away from what I've said, it's that Neil makes me want to play, and play better...
 
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Subdivisions........................be cool or be caaaaaast oouuuuuuut.


Signals.....my favorite....I lost track after the "nut & bolt " CD...lol.....
 
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