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Modern Drummer
Date:  February 2003
Mike Portnoy Anthology, Volume 1

If you’re a Portnoy fan and have wanted to learn Mike’s licks note for note, then this book will give you plenty to chew on.

Volume One covers nine tracks, hand-picked by Portnoy from his work with Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Transatlantic. The book is well laid out and presented in chronological order, beginning with Dream Theater’s “Pull Me Under” and closing with the 31-minute epic “All Of The Above” from TransAtlantic’s SMPT-E recording.

Steve Ferraro does a commendable job of transcribing Portnoy’s technically demanding drum parts. Each song offers informative performance notes from Portnoy as well as insightful transcription notes from Ferraro. Since Mike changed drumkits with every project, the book always displays photos, kit diagrams, and notation keys for each song.

Good luck finding all the drum gear to pull this off.