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Neil Peart I finally got to see my drumming guru on November 1, 2004, in Ames, Iowa, during Rush's 30th anniversary tour. One of the highlights of their concert that night was Neil Peart's drum solo. I find out now that it is officially called "Der Trommier." Peart showcased why I often regard him as "the Professor of the drum kit" on that night. What this "Anatomy of a Drum Solo" DVD provides is Peart in a studio behind his drum kit as he analyzes each of the musical themes in the solo. Peart is low-key, often smiling and injecting humorous stories about other drummers into his dissertation about drumming and drum solos. There are a lot of bonus features that, combined, make ths DVD a welcome addition to any Rush fan or drummer. What benefited me as a drummer from watching this DVD He explains the inspiration behind each theme, shows how he played it, and offers encouragement to other drummers to not give up trying to accomplish a difficult pattern. The most difficult pattern I found on this DVD was his feet playing 3/4 time. His right foot plays '1' on the bass drum and his left foot plays '2' and '3' while playing patterns with his sticks on the other drums. When I saw Rush in concert, that section of "Der Trommier" was mesmerizing. I thought he had triggered this effect, that there was no way any drummer could play what he was playing. Yet, on this DVD, Peart explains how he is playing that pattern and how he is surprised that he didn't give up years ago. - Throughout his explanations, concert footage from "Der Trommier" is shown. The version of his solo that is analyzed was recorded in September 2004, shortly before I saw Rush in concert. While I enjoy the band's music and the idea of being able to see Peart whenever I want, I was somewhat disappointed with the camera work of the DVD. I don't understand the reason the camera goes from the floor up, which obscures Peart with his cymbals. I don't understand why the camera doesn't back up and show the entire drum kit during his many 'explorations' which are amazing ad libbed drum solos that typically build upon the section of "Der Trommier" he was explaining. At the very least, the screen should have split in half to show the entire drum kit and a separate camera on his hands or feet, depending upon what Peart is playing. That part of his playing is cheated by the way it is presented on the DVD. While showing Peart's feet during his double bass parts slightly makes up for it, it comes across as amateurish to take the camera to different angles that don't benefit me, as a student, while Peart is playing. For me, I would have preferred to have less camera moving during his playing. The people that are going to buy this DVD are drummers. As a drummer, I want to analyze what Peart is doing. I was not overly impressed with the camera work on the DVD during his exploratory solos. I didn't want to see his cymbals while he was playing the drums. It was kind of like watching a baseball game. The batter hits the ball to first base and the camera zooms in on the catcher. It's annoying, but liveable. That may seem like a quibble in the big picture. There are previously unreleased solos which, if you listen carefully, were paving the way for "Der Trommier." Peart's solo from 3/27/94 includes some of the groundwork for what his solos have become. His solo called "O Baterista" from the Rush in Rio DVD shows Peart's skill that is amazing. There is a note-for-note PDF transcription of "Der Trommier." There's Rush playing "Tom Sawyer" and "Subdivisions" with the camera focused exclusively on Peart. There's interviews with Peart's drum tech "Lorne Wheaton and an interesting explanation of Peart's drumkit. Us drummers are fanatical about the drums we play. All in all, "Anatomy of a Drum Solo" achieves its purpose, which is to allow Peart to explain his drum solo and to break down each part. Non-drummers will not be interested in this DVD in the same way that drummers would (typically) not be interested in a note-by note analysis of an Alex Lifeson's guitar solo. If you are a drummer and you like Peart, I guarantee that you will enjoy this DVD. |