Anatomy of a Drum Solo
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Anatomy Of A Drum Solo (DVD)
Reviewer: Ken PierceExcerpted from Sea of Tranquility
My Score: 4 stars
April, 2006
When it comes to “The Professor”, I have said it before and will say it again: Neil Peart is a God on the drums! For years in the Progressive Rock giant that is Rush, he has done things that seem impossible on a regular basis. Those that hear his songs or have seen him perform live will agree that his talent is of a super human level. With impeccable timing and sense of style, he has often been imitated, yet never truly duplicated. Neil’s level of play has inspired drummers around the world for over 30 years since Rush began and he continues to do so to this very day. The other great aspect of Neil Peart is his ability to explain to you where he is coming from and while it surely takes years of practice, it shows you that all is achievable when one sets their mind to it. This DVD takes Neil’s area of expertise on the drum solo and examines what he does, how he came up with it, and what he feels makes the particular section of music so interesting. Broken into two separate DVD’s, I will showcase some of what awaits the viewer. DVD1: With DVD1, Peart examines his solo from the recent release “R30″. He takes the solo apart piece-by-piece and explains the various goings-on that make it up. It’s interesting to see it broken down like this and allows the aspiring drum student, or just Rush fan, to understand a lot more of what exactly Mr. Peart is up to on the kit. It is also done on the full kit and as a result it has the maximum effect that is experienced when watching him play in Rush.
DVD2: With the second DVD, we get more of the bonus features and I am enjoying when the artist chooses this option rather than cramming it all onto one DVD. The medium is cheap enough now to give people the most for their money. Starting off with “Exploration #2″ it shows Peart just doing a number of warm-up exercises and building up as time progresses. It continues with two drum-set only camera focuses from the R30 tour for “Tom Sawyer” and “Subdivisions”. It’s interesting to see the songs done this way, but I find it will only help the student with the overhead shots based on the angles of the cameras. An unreleased solo from the 1994 Counterparts tour is presented. While musically excellent, I found the dated camera work to take away from it just a little bit. The DVD closes out with the solo from Rush In Rio entitled “O Baterista”. There is also a photo gallery and interviews with Paul Northfield and Lorne Wheaton. Wheaton also takes you on a journey with his crew as he sets up Neil’s drums. Did you actually think he did this himself?
The set is slip-cased and opens to a nice foldout display. A full color booklet with liner notes and some excellent pictures of Neil are there for you to enjoy. I’ve always found Peart not only interesting to watch on drums but to listen to speak. In fact, I found this to be an incredible DVD to experience and perhaps something that even a non drum player could enjoy. Rush fans are fiercely loyal to this band and would probably take to this as an added means of enjoying their favorite band. Warning: Watching this DVD will cause steady foot-tapping and rapping of fingers on any solid surface.
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AntiMusic DVD Review
Neil Peart, one of the most proficient drummers and articulate lyricists in Rock history, and member of the renowned group Rush, recently released his first instructional DVD, the double-disc, “Anatomy of a Drum Solo” (Hudson Music / Rounder-Universal). It features newly-recorded, in-studio footage of legendary drum artist Peart, also known as the “Professor,” analyzing, discussing and dissecting his unique approach to the art of soloing. “The drum solo is a tradition handed down to us, our heritage, as it were, and it is a heritage worth celebrating,” Peart says. “Giants have come before us, and giants will come after, but even while us mere mortals play in their shadows, we can be inspired to aim just a little higher every day or every night.”
Using “Der Trommler,” a live drum solo performed and recorded during Rush’s 2004 European tour, as a framework, Peart talks candidly and in great detail about each section of the nine-minute tour-de-force. He describes the inspiration and the conceptual thinking behind each part of the solo and then explains and demonstrates the techniques required to play that segment.
Produced by the award-winning team of Rob Wallis and Paul Siegel, the three hour and twenty-two minute set also includes several exclusive interactive features. In addition, Neil’s entire performance of “Der Trommler” has been transcribed note-for-note and is included on the disc as a printable PDF file.
Several of Peart’s recent live performances can also be found on the new Rush-R30 (Zoe Vision / Rounder); the historic, triple platinum double DVD/CD which celebrates Rush’s 30th Anniversary. It captures with 14 hi-definition cameras in 16×9 widescreen format, an explosive concert during the band’s $21-million grossing, sell-out 30th Anniversary World Tour. It also features rare and classic performance and interview footage dating from the 1970’s to their recent 2005 Tsunami relief benefit concert.
Additional chapters and material on “Anatomy of a Drum Solo” include:”Exploration #1″ and “Exploration #2″ completely improvised workouts at the drums, each over thirty-minutes long.
“Ich Bin Ein Hamburger” a never-before-released solo recorded in Hamburg, Germany in September, 2004.
“O Baterista” Neil’s Grammy® Award-nominated solo (previously released on the Rush in Rio DVD).
Live Rush performances of “Tom Sawyer” and “Subdivisions” from the 2004 European Tour shot from the perspective of the drum cameras.
A previously unreleased solo from Rush’s 1994 Counterparts Tour.
Extensive Bonus Materials, including interviews with Lorne Wheaton (Neil’s drum tech) and Paul Northfield (Rush co-producer and engineer), video of Lorne setting up and talking about Neil’s drumkit, a full-color booklet, a photo gallery and more.
Representing the popular and influential drummer’s first video release in over a decade, “Anatomy Of A Drum Solo” carries a suggested retail price of $49.95 and is available at leading drum shops, music stores and where ever Hudson Music DVDs and books are sold.
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Nightflying Review
By Doug Treadway
This is a two-disc DVD set that will give you more insight into rock drumming than you would have guessed was out there. Peart, the drummer for Rush, has a kit that must contain forty drums, not to mention all the electronic pads. Incredible. He makes sweet music with them too. There is his analysis and there is discussion and there is footage of him playing and there are optional camera angles it all adds up to a most interesting experience, a must-see for those who would be bateristas.
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FMQB DVD Review
Rush drummer Neal Peart, long considered one of the most technically proficient Rock drummers ever, is releasing a DVD where he analyzes and teaches about the drum solo. “The drum solo is a tradition handed down to us, our heritage, as it were, and it is a heritage worth celebrating,” Peart says. “Giants have come before us, and giants will come after, but even while us mere mortals play in their shadows, we can be inspired to aim just a little higher every day or every night.
The double-DVD, entitled Anatomy Of A Drum Solo, is available now and is Peart’s first video release in a decade. It also includes footage of some of his greatest solos and live performances from Rush.
Speaking of Rush’s live show, last year’s successful live CD/DVD set, Rush R30, has been certified triple-platinum and will be shown on VH1 Classic all weekend long. The cable network will also air the interview special Hangin’ With Rush throughout the weekend.