Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci He never hid how much he learned after his discovery. Hurry and counterparts Alex Lifeson “It was the right time in my life,” he said in 2019. Progressive How profound was Lifeson's influence.
“Alex Lifeson has been a huge influence on me in a lot of ways. It's like when you discover a band as a teenager – you're just obsessed.”
I literally memorized every song on the first few Rush albums. My friends and I [Dream Theater bassist] John Myung, I jammed on all those songs, I learned all those songs, so I guess it's just ingrained in me as part of my style.
Remember the anatomy YYZ I learned guitar solos, different hammer-ons and pull-offs, even the scales that Alex used, which we use all the time in Dream Theater.
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Rush introduced me to progressive rock and metal and the idea that song structures didn't have to be the typical three-minute length, and that style of music was the perfect backdrop for narrative and conceptual lyrics. 2112All this had a huge impact on me and opened my mind to explore more unique ways of writing in a progressive style.
Songs with unusual time signatures or multiple parts La Villa StrandjatoHis guitar sound, split into sections like Genesis, was a big influence. His guitar sound changed the way I create effects that I use. His approach to playing chords and making a band sound really big with just one guitar was a big influence on me.
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With Rush, being a three-piece band, the guitar took up a lot of space. Alex's very bold approach to guitar playing, his use of open strings, pedal tones, fuller chords, the use of choruses on the guitar, all of that filled up that space.
I do some solo stuff and I tour with G3, but that's just a trio, and that influence comes to mind when you don't have a keyboard player or a second guitar player and you're trying to get the guitar to fill the space, especially in instrumental sections where there's no vocals.
Alex has a great way of approaching the guitar. He brings it to the forefront and lets it occupy this beautiful space in a great way.”