Easy-ish Dream Theater tunes?

[thedonal]

Voices may be a less challenging song (for DT, at least). Though bits of the solo are fairly frantic.

I'm using The Glass Prison to improve my rhythm playing and working on those arps. I may never play them at full speed (or any faster than 120bpm), but it's bloody good practice.

 

[ghostred7]

A Fortune in Lies isn't too out of control. Save for the lead it's not overly difficult.

 

[Bforber]

There are a fair amount of songs on the self-titled album that aren't particularly difficult, rhythm tracks especially. "The Bigger Picture" is pretty damn easy and "Behind the Veil" has a couple tricky passages at the end of the solo but is manageable.

 

[DeathPaupiette]

On The Backs Of Angels is definitely doable, save for the last 16th note triplets run at the end of the solo.
Build me Up, Break me Down is a fun song to learn on a 7, and even the solo/keyboard unison thingy doesn't sound that hard, even though I only learnt a few parts of the song at the moment.
Misunderstood also seems playable, even though the wah work on the solo is kinda scary, and there's one run or two that makes me shit my pants.

On a side note, I'm currently trying to learn Take The Time, wish me luck ...

 

[wat]

As I Am is really easy as far as the riffs are concerned. The solo is just speed, there is nothing overly difficult. It's all standard 3nps patterns. If you research the story behind that song and how it was conceived, you'll know why JP plays that solo in that specific way.

I'd like to know why Petrucci plays the As I Am solo the way he does? All I can find is the song is about their experience touring with Queensrÿche.

This is all I can seem to find on the subject:

Some lyrics of "As I Am" were inspired by Dream Theater's 2003 summer tour with Queensrÿche, described by Mike Portnoy as an "irksome series of shows." According to Portnoy, Queensrÿche guitarist Mike Stone tried giving John Petrucci tips on playing guitar, leading Petrucci to write the lyrics: "Don't tell me what's in, tell me how to write".

Would love to hear more about it.

 

[Glosni]

This is all I can seem to find on the subject:



Would love to hear more about it.

I got the Biography, called "Lifting shadows". Excellent book btw., really behind-the-scenesy. Anyway, I can't remember the whole passage about the As-I-Am-backstory, but apparently the QR guitar player was literally giving John Petrucci guitar lessons (or trying to) and saying things like "Don't play so many notes all the time". Thats why the As I am solo ended up being the way it is, just this avalanche of shred

 

[chopeth]

This one:

 

[metaldoggie]

I use the chromatic intro riff in Erotomania as a warmup.
It's really not that difficult (especially since I can play it).