Ask any rock drummer to name some of the most influential drummers of the last few decades, and Neil Peart is very likely to be on the list.
Widely regarded as one of the most creative, original, groovy, technical and versatile drummers ever lived, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1983 (when he was just 30 years old), he inspired the most passionate air-drumming community, and with his lifetime band Rush has created some of the most astounding music ever produced.
Not to mention his extraordinary mastery of the English language, which allowed him to write inspiring lyrics for Rush – plus some very good books.
A drummer who thought like a percussionist, Neil’s body of work is so immense that it would take an encyclopedia to cover it: odd times, syncopations, orchestrations, ghost notes, dynamics, and an extremely personal sound and vocabulary, are masterfully blended while serving the music.
To pay homage to what he created – and to help drummers figure out his most challenging rhythms – I went through Rush’s discography and tried to pick the most unusual solutions, going in chronological order from Fly by Night (1975) to Clockwork Angels (2012).
I then selected 60 of the most interesting beats and spent some time transcribing the material to put together this booklet, just a little tribute to the gifts Neil has left us.
As Taylor Hawkins beautifully put it: “With his composition, craft and technique, his drumming was songwriting. Just as musical, just as melodical as any other instrument in the band. Bringing the drums to where they should be, to the forefront of every song”.
I recommend checking out the songs at the indicated timestamps and listen to the way Neil sounds, to understand not only the what but also the nuances in how he plays.
For the most complex patterns, start by practicing the sticking involved very slowly, then speed up and lastly orchestrate as shown.
I believe studying such great masters is a must for every drummer, regardless of their style, as practicing ideas like these can be truly inspirational.
Here you can download the free and printable PDF:
You can click on each groove in the PDF to go to its specific time in the YouTube video where I show each example.
As for many of my generation, Neil has been the reason why I picked up sticks as a teenager. Revisiting his playing three decades later, all I can say is that his ability to craft the perfect drum part is out of this world. The way he combines ideas, builds throughout the arrangement, selects the perfect drum sounds, is always a complete work of art. The drums were like a whole orchestra to him.
To understand Neil’s greatness we can do a simple exercise: let’s choose a Rush song and imagine there is no drum arrangement and we have to come up with the parts. We will quickly realize how complex, intricate, intelligent and highly creative his solutions are.
Please note that the transcriptions are made for a standard five piece drum set, so that anyone can play the beats on a basic kit, while Neil often orchestrated his parts on numerous toms and cymbals, using the entirety of his beautiful kits, which included percussions, triggers and electronic drums.
Lastly, I only focused on Rush records, but I invite the fans who are not aware of it to go check out his work with the Buddy Rich tribute Band (a project he started and produced) and with Vertical Horizon.
This is part of my ‘Groove Masters’ mini-series. I have also created four booklets about Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Jordan, Jeff Porcaro and John JR Robinson, which you can download here:
Vinnie Colaiuta Grooves
Steve Jordan Grooves
Jeff Porcaro Grooves
John JR Robinson Grooves
And if you feel like improving your groove, check these out:
‘Groove Workout & Tools’ – Altitude Drumming – Volume 7
‘Groove Mastery & Formulas’ – Altitude Drumming – Volume 8
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