![]() While most rock drummers refrained from jazz and opted for louder and heavier beats, Peart trained himself in traditional jazz and frequently used buzz roles and swing as a transition between movements of his solos. As the years went on, Peart used his electronic drums to incorporate global sounds, like those he discovered on a motorcycle trip through Cameroon, Africa in 1988. They also allowed him to explore more modern sounds, like during “The Percussor,” his solo from the Clockwork Angels tour, which featured a gentler range of EDM-inspired melodic synths to counter the steampunk vibe of the album. The setup has since been adapted by numerous drummers, like Tommy Lee’s 360-degree drum-coaster.Īs Peart says in his 2005 film Anatomy of a Drum Solo, the drum solo was his laboratory. ![]() It featured a Simmons electronic drum kit and rotating riser, a schtick that would become an essential part of the Rush concert experience and a further development of the solo. It’s unclear if Peart or Frank Zappa timekeeper Terry Bozzio was the first drummer to adopt the 360-degree drum kit, but it can be argued that Peart’s popularity helped launch the concept to universal practice. Instruments traditionally played to a quiet, observant classical audience quickly became a favorite among raucous prog fans.įrom 1982-85, during the band’s Grace Under Pressure Tour, Peart played the first variation of what would become his circular drum kit. The pinnacle of this came during 1977’s A Farewell to Kings, where songs like “Xanadu” included extravagant classical intros and proto-power ballad “Closer to the Heart” introduced Rush to radio. The successful incorporation of classical sounds to Rush’s sci-fi world gave Peart the go-ahead to begin incorporating marimbas, bells and other percussion instruments into his solos. Peart slowly added chimes, glockenspiels, tubular bells, brass and agogo bells and other percussion instruments to his arsenal, expanding the compositional possibilities of his playing. The textures in which Neil Peart found his signature sound also helped progress the modern drum solo. As the grandeur of Rush’s music and Peart’s solos increased, so did the orchestral nature of his drum rig. Songs like “Tom Sawyer,” which features arguably the most air-drummed-to fills in rock history, began to secure serious time on the FM airwaves. But where their music fit in the genre was considered niche, art or performance rock, conceptual. After a few albums, fans expected intricate drum fills weaved into Rush songs, and awaited the chance to attend concerts to watch the monstrous solos live. ![]() That’s not to say other prog drummers like Phil Collins, Bill Bruford and Carl Palmer hadn’t written and performed equally as complex drum parts prior to Peart. But just as how jazz was once viewed as an illegitimate genre of music before a number of the genre’s greats made its importance undeniable, Rush’s music and Neil Peart’s solos helped popularize prog, beginning with the release of the epic 2112 in 1976. Prog albums from bands like Genesis and King Crimson existed in a space occupied by a cadre of predominantly nerdy men and still wasn’t accepted as popular. It was this bravura that earned him the nickname “The Professor,” for his mastery of the craft, influential lyrics and elevation of the drum solo.ĭuring the ‘60s and early ‘70s, popular rock was compositionally straightforward, and heavily influenced by the blues. ![]() 7) at the age of 67 after a three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer, solos were an opportunity for rock drummers to showcase loud, fast chops and energize the crowd - championed by Peart’s childhood hero, Keith Moon of The Who. But with an approach centered on musicality and technical proficiency, Peart elevated expectations for proficiency of the drums and soloing. ![]()
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