Drummers Who Compose | Part 4 Of 4

This show dates back from June 29, 2012, it was part of LA Music Academy's 3rd Drummer Reality Camp. The loss of Neil Peart is devastating on two levels. First, of course, to the entire drumming community. As Jimmy Chamberlin recently commented, “A piece of Neil lives in nearly every contemporary drum part in rock— whether people realize it or not.”

Secondly, on a personal level. Before every tour Neil would block out a Drum Channel studio for a full month to practice before Rush rehearsals even started. One big lesson I definitely learned from Neil is always be prepared.

While he was at DC we would have lunch every day in my office and he would always want to know what other drummers might be coming in to visit or record. It was always amazing to me that he was just as excited to meet his drumming idols as they were to meet him.

There are so many great memories. I once bought a light at Restoration Hardware because I thought the wing screw design would be perfect for the Time Machine set— and Neil agreed.

When he liked something he would just light up. If he thought something was not quite right, he would never say he didn’t like it. He would just say, “Let’s try something different.”

Neil cared greatly about education for drummers and the importance of having a good private teacher. He almost quit drumming at one point but his teacher encouraged him to keep going.

There is a lot that we can learn from Neil as a person and a drummer. We will do our best to continue our mission... as he wanted it.

— Don Lombardi

Doane explains a very easy way to start composing and the importance of getting out of your comfort zone when practicing. Neil discusses practicing while hearing music in his head to play along with and how he thinks of drum parts as rhythm with words. Jim discusses the importance of being a good listener and the importance of playing other instruments and singing while you play. The discusion ends with words of wisdom that only come from “hanging out” witht the best drummers in the world.

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