Drum Techniques of Rush [Paperback]

Neil Peart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1985

Includes: Distant Early Warning (from Grace Under Pressure) * Jacob's Ladder (from Permanent Waves) * Limelight (from Moving Pictures) and others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Warner Bros Pubns (March 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0769250556
• ISBN-13: 978-0769250557
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very cool indeed, February 6, 2000

By 

tmancill (Vancouver, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drum Techniques of Rush (Paperback)

Transcriptions of some of Mr. Peart's best drum parts of the "middle" Rush-era. If you're interested in kit drumming and haven't been turned onto Neil Peart, check this book out to find out what you've been missing. There are a lot of unique and creative patterns in this book.

(I would give the book 5 stars for the subject matter, but there's a small transcription error in "Subdivisions" - I suspect there may be a few more lurking in there.)

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Start, but needs polish, February 23, 2001

By 

Devin B. Hedge "devinhedge" (Sterling, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drum Techniques of Rush (Paperback)

I've been a percussionist for some 20+ years now. I started my cult like following of Neil and Rush back when "Grace Under Pressure" was released.

Since then I haven't missed a lick or concert. I own just about everything that RUSH has made. So of course I picked up this book and it's sequel.

What I have found is that the books are not accurate transcriptions of Neil's work. Several of the songs are a little watered down so that newbies don't get discouraged. Neil is without a doubt one of the best drummers to hit the skins and these books try to give the percussive student the basics of Neil's work.

Where the books fall short is where they leave out several key kit rudiments that are trademarks of Neil Peart. (e.g. The Peart Roll in several songs like Tom Sawyer). Also, I noticed that the transcripts have written the notes for drums other than what Neil actually uses on various songs. (Who can forget Neil's chimes in Xanadu?)

So... don't worry about buying it. The books worth it! Just remember that they are intended to give a fundamental understanding of Neil's work but they are no substitute for watching "Neil Peart - A Work in Progress" (available on VHS), listening to every work by the artist, and practicing his rudiments over and over for hours and hours until it becomes second nature (no pun intended... honestly).

One last thing...

Neil if you read this, I have one of your sticks and would be happy to return it in exchange for an afternoon at your ranch in Canada. <g> (Middletown Dreams)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but worth owning, December 2, 2002

By 

M. Garrett (Glendale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drum Techniques of Rush (Paperback)

I've enjoyed going through this book and working out some of the parts. Some of the time signatures/changes were eye-opening, as you can get lost at times trying to decipher certain Rush tunes (well I know I do anyway).
On the downside, a lot of it has been simplified - kind of like a "Here is the basic idea of what's being played" attitude (The Trees for example). There are occasional mistakes which I can live with, but some of it is flat wrong. Check out the beginning of Natural Science ("Wheels within wheels in a spiral array") - if you listen to the song while following the transcription, you will see that what is written is wrong.

Overall I'd recommend this book - is there such a thing as a BAD drum book?