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A question for drummers


gudbuytjane
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I don't have a close enough ear for drums to know this, and so drum solos tend to sound a bit confusing to me at times, but does Neil change it up in his solos at all from night to night, or is he pretty much a human drum machine? Has this changed at all over the years?

 

Thanks!

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I don't have a close enough ear for drums to know this, and so drum solos tend to sound a bit confusing to me at times, but does Neil change it up in his solos at all from night to night, or is he pretty much a human drum machine? Has this changed at all over the years?

 

Thanks!

 

I'm NOT a drummer (don't kill me! lol) - but I can assure you that night after night, Neil's solo varies. If you watch / listen to several bootlegs from ANY past tour, you'll notice slight differences in his solos. He maintains the main "structure" of the solo on a nightly basis, but still changes up bits and pieces here and there. :yes:

Edited by ALifeson85
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Neil's solos follow a particular pattern, generally, from one tour to the next. But from one show to another on a given tour, not every whack of the drum heads and cymbals is the same. There is a slight bit of variation, sure.

 

It's the same principle as playing a straight-forward live version of a song, when there is no intended change to the arrangement. I guess that's a good way to say it. Neil's solos all have their particular arrangements. But they aren't carbon copies, from one show to the next.

 

And I am a drummer.

 

But I'm not Neil. ;)

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Neil used to follow a pretty similar format from show to show but has publicly stated that for the last few tours he has been more open to improvisation for large parts of his solos
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From my experience listening to him...he has a set pattern that he goes through...within each pattern, he usually changes things within each section from night to night...sometimes subtly,. sometimes drastically. He even admitted that there was a spot that he'd leave for improvisation... haven't listened to much of his stuff from this tour yet, but If you listen to each solo, I'm sure you'll find some differences.....
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As a drummer, I can safely say that a lot of Pratt's solos are similar, but not exactly the same. I will say though, that the VT, R30, and S&A solos have the same concept as do TM and CA (dunno much for R40).
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Back in the day the boys sought to be studio exact at every show. Not sure when it started since I missed them live from 87-93, but all three change things up a bit now much more than early on.
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In one of his books he mentions thinking about his drum solos and how he's going to do them each night as he's riding to the shows on his motorcycle.
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Back in the day the boys sought to be studio exact at every show. Not sure when it started since I missed them live from 87-93, but all three change things up a bit now much more than early on.

 

His solos were still a little different back then...if you listen to a few different shows during any given tour, he never really played the same solo twice... same general format snare/hi-hat accents/snare-floor tom stuff/ concert toms/double bass...etc. but little differences in his patterns

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The drum solo in Atlanta was different from the one in Greensboro, by a mile. The one in Greensboro has a lot more of the electronic stuff, like in the drum solo that he played on Clockwork Angels, right before Red Sector A.
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In one of his books he mentions thinking about his drum solos and how he's going to do them each night as he's riding to the shows on his motorcycle.

 

Which book?

 

I've read them all so it's hard to tell. I just remember the comment.

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In one of his books he mentions thinking about his drum solos and how he's going to do them each night as he's riding to the shows on his motorcycle.

 

Which book?

 

I've read them all so it's hard to tell. I just remember the comment.

 

Ok

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In one of his books he mentions thinking about his drum solos and how he's going to do them each night as he's riding to the shows on his motorcycle.

 

Which book?

 

I've read them all so it's hard to tell. I just remember the comment.

 

Ok

 

I think he said that on Roadshow. But it´s been a long while since I read them, so I could be wrong.

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In one of his books he mentions thinking about his drum solos and how he's going to do them each night as he's riding to the shows on his motorcycle.

 

Which book?

 

I've read them all so it's hard to tell. I just remember the comment.

 

Ok

 

I think he said that on Roadshow. But it´s been a long while since I read them, so I could be wrong.

 

Yeah I was thinking maybe Roadshow too but I wasn't certain.

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Posted 30 May 2015 - 06:27 AM

 

 

 

 

 

Weakly Criminal, on 29 May 2015 - 08:33 PM, said:

 

Back in the day the boys sought to be studio exact at every show. Not sure when it started since I missed them live from 87-93, but all three change things up a bit now much more than early on.

 

His solos were still a little different back then...if you listen to a few different shows during any given tour, he never really played the same solo twice... same general format snare/hi-hat accents/snare-floor tom stuff/ concert toms/double bass...etc. but little differences in his patterns

 

 

 

@Jaminbenb Sorry for the lack of quoting feature.

 

 

 

You would have to have attended a ton of shows and have had a VERY good ear to know such a thing. There are not that many bootlegs from back then. If you can present an example of this from pre-Signals tours you’ll be my hero.

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Posted 30 May 2015 - 06:27 AM

 

 

 

 

 

Weakly Criminal, on 29 May 2015 - 08:33 PM, said:

 

Back in the day the boys sought to be studio exact at every show. Not sure when it started since I missed them live from 87-93, but all three change things up a bit now much more than early on.

 

His solos were still a little different back then...if you listen to a few different shows during any given tour, he never really played the same solo twice... same general format snare/hi-hat accents/snare-floor tom stuff/ concert toms/double bass...etc. but little differences in his patterns

 

 

 

@Jaminbenb Sorry for the lack of quoting feature.

 

 

 

You would have to have attended a ton of shows and have had a VERY good ear to know such a thing. There are not that many bootlegs from back then. If you can present an example of this from pre-Signals tours you’ll be my hero.

 

I actually have a lot of early bootlegs. tough to give specific examples, since I don't listen as I did when I was doing the hard core collecting, but when you'd listen from one show to another, you'd hear some subtle differences compared to the recent solos where he leaves places in for improv...but really seems to start at the same spot, and expand.

 

Song wise, he was always pretty spot on for the recent album, and some of the tunes that he'd been playing from the tour(s) before that they didn't "bring back". Once a song had been retired for a tour or two, you could hear little spots where he changes things.... Now...to qualify myself...I pretty much stopped playing along after the GuP/PW/HyF era, so I'm NOT as versed in his notes as I once was...

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like most have said - there is a basic structure to his solo, but the parts he plays during those segments vary. I think we also see some minor fluctuations within their regualar songs now as he is tryign to Improvise more.

 

As a drummer it is very difficult to play the same fill the same way, or at least it is for me.

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