Album Rating: 5.0

Lol with the exception of that little bassline at the end of Learning To Live I never tried to play Myung’s lines though knowing he was far beyond my skills.

Album Rating: 5.0

Ha! You mean right before the solo and the end chorus where there's a buildup? Learning to Live is probably in my Top 5 songs of all time. It took me a solid week to learn how to play it, but it was well worth it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Yea, among my favorite moments ever, probably in music in general. So good. And wow, you really managed to learn the whole track on guitar? That’s pretty amazing to say the least. Myung has always been too, well, let’s say well versed in music theory for me to follow and he’s just fast as hell! Always preferred to cover songs I could learn by simply knowing them by heart and making use of my “feeling”. Never was too solid when it came to theory, unfortunately I have to say.

‘Favourite moments ever, probably in music in general’

Now this I have got to hear!!!

Complete Shite. Devoid of soul.

Album Rating: 5.0

This and Awake rule. Zakal knows. He just won't admit it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Ha! I struggle more with technique than theory, even though i don't know theory. The upside is that Learning to Live doesn't have any super shreddy solos. The hardest part to learn was that transition part right before the piano line from Wait for Sleep comes because the timing is so weird. And I even went as far as learning the Live in New York 2000 version of the song which is, as far as I'm concerned, the definitive version of the song.

https://youtu.be/XxAZT8IJD9w

Album Rating: 5.0

This isn't Octavarium, zak

If truth be told I like the artwork on Octavarium.

Album Rating: 5.0

"Devoid of soul."

Wow. The only way you could say that is if you equate "soul" with out of tune guitars being wailed on without guile or skill. That buildup is beautifully cathartic.

Album Rating: 5.0

Lol zak, don’t be such a grumpy old man all the time :]

Album Rating: 5.0

And yea Sitar, that version is incredible, What a performance. And even Rudess restraints himself and doesn’t butcher the song :]



Of course I also had and have my limitations where technique is concerned, but Myung was so far away from my individual playing style I didn’t even bother too much with covering DT stuff. Other bands just suited me better for that purpose.

Album Rating: 5.0

Ha! Yeah there aren't very many DT songs I've tried learning. Only L2L, Pull Me Under, Take the Time, and Home, with varying degrees of success and/or proficiency.

Album Rating: 5.0

“with varying degrees of success and/or proficiency.”



Lol that sounds very familiar for sure. But then it’s all about having fun and cherishing the music.

Album Rating: 5.0

Ha! There are always parts that kick my ass no matter how hard I try. Like the outro guitar/key solo in Home. That shit is craaaazy! I can play the rest of the song pretty well but that part is (to me) insane and made all the more insane by how Rudess and Petrucci pull that off in perfect unison live. It's unhuman.

Album Rating: 5.0

I think playing in a band helps you realize how hard it is to pull off a perfect live performance. This makes me admire a good performance even more. The seemingly most simple songs can be quite tough to transport and it can be hard to get emotions across to the audience. You have to be a charismatic, seasoned and / or skilled mf to make a crowd go wild.

Album Rating: 4.5

m/

Album Rating: 5.0

m/ indeed. In order to not only play note perfect, but to also play with emotion and feel while also engaging the audience is near impossible for the average human being to do even when playing simple shit, let along stuff this complex, yet DT pulls it off.

Album Rating: 5.0

Yea and the true difficulty lies in making it all look easy and natural. It can be sobering when you’re seeing a great concert and the band makes it all look so damn easy, but at the same time you know what effort and skill stands behind this performance and you know you’ll never reach such a level of perfection.



But still it’s among the greatest pleasures jamming with your own band m/

Album Rating: 5.0

Well, the important thing that I've learned is that most people in the audience at a metal show don't care about perfection. I mean, it's one thing if it's Dream Theater and everyone knows every note in every song. That way it's just as impressive for someone like Devin Townsend who never misses a note (it's pretty insane lemme tell ya) or Porcupine Tree or Alice in Chains who may not be as technical but are still just as good at making almost no mistakes (none that I've ever seen anyway).



But in 90% of the cases you gotta come out and engage your audience because they aren't there to hear perfecttion, they're there to be entertained. So I've gotten less particular about playing every note right and rather focusing on putting energy into it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Couldn’t agree more! With perfection I meant that exactly. For me it’s a perfect concert when the band manages to pull me in with their energy, and that standard can be reached by totally different approaches. It’s way more critical to be tight and have a good chemistry with your band mates on stage than to never miss a single note (btw almost all bands screw up on some chords or tones), BUT for me it’s even more impressive if a band manages to be as tight and “perfect” as possible. And you’re totally right as well when you say that most people don’t hear or even mind about perfection, but a band should never rely on that fact in my opinion.



Ah, but in the end there are so many individual aspects that are critical for a live gig and the sum of it all defines whether you personally enjoy it or not.