Freddy chained Neil

[mkabal]

Ever since Neil Peart had those lessons with Freddy his touched chained. On Test For Echo the hi hat sounds like it's just pushed down to hard and he is playing into the cymbal way to much. You can really hear it on Driven. I wish he never meet Freddy. Everyone thinks that Neil is slowing down with the recordings ever since Test For Echo. The music is part to blame for that. Neil plays all the old stuff live and still has it. I just wish he would go nuts and over play just a little bit more like he did back in the old days. He is such a heavy hitter and Freddy should have told him you don't have to choke the heck out of the drums and cymbals. If you hit the drum to hard it just looses it's tone. Chambers does that a lot. I know he just showed him some hand stuff and what not. You would think it would give him a lighter touch and better physics of hitting the drums. Freddy is a monster teacher and has changed everyone for the better. I guess it all depends on the individual on how they approach the teachings. RUSH is going into the studio late this year and hope they come up with some great stuff. Does anyone else hear the choking of the hi-hat. This is not by all means picking on his playing and what he's done in his 31 years with the band. A great or good artist knows what they do best and knows what they need to work on. You could live 90 million life times and still not be happy with your craft.

[tombo74]

A colleague of mine who toured with Rush told me that Neil wants his top hat extremely tight in the clutch.
Techs were tightening the top hat with two vise-grips. Tight, tight, tight. That is certainly choking his hi-hat sound.

[mkabal]

Thanks for the insight bra. That makes a difference when you tighten up the top of the hi hat and don't give it any give. If he just gave it some give and loosen it up just a bit his touch and sound would make a whole world of difference. People would say is that Neil Peart on drums? The flow of time would be so different when he opens and closes the hi hat. Rock drummers need to realize this. He also holds down the hi hat so hard with his foot. I mean Neil is so old school. He has a lead foot with his left foot. When he plays eight notes on the hi hat his foot is going up and down with quarter notes at the same time. It hurts the feel . But hey that is his way of play. No big whoop.