When it comes to progressive metal, few bands can match the level of intricacy that Dream Theater brings to the table. From the legendary “Metropolis—Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper” to the massive 42-minute suite “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, their music is known for pushing boundaries in composition and technical execution. But while fans marvel at the complexity of these songs, performing them night after night is an entirely different challenge — one that guitarist John Petrucci has mastered through a unique approach to memorization.
In a recent conversation with John The Metal Mailman, Petrucci shared insight into how he and his bandmates keep track of their sprawling setlists. While keyboardist Jordan Rudess relies on an iPad for sight-reading, Petrucci commits every note to memory by focusing on key “inflection” points along the way.
“I think it’s different for every member. For example, Jordan is sight-reading the show. He has an iPad with the music, and he follows that. For me, I don’t do that. I have it memorized. But the best way I could describe it is, let’s say you’re driving somewhere, and it’s a route that you know — most of the route,” Petrucci shared (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).
“You don’t really think about where you’re driving, you’re just driving. You kind of know it. But when you hit a certain landmark, you know, ‘Okay, I gotta make a right here, because that’s where the City Bank is on the corner.’ So, with Dream Theater songs, those inflection points are the thing that lets me know what the next part is.”
These “landmarks” in the music, whether they’re rhythmic patterns, melodies, or other key transitions, allow him to navigate through even the most complex compositions without getting lost.
“It could be a rhythmic thing, it could be a melody, or it could be some sort of connection. And that’s what lets me know that, ‘Okay, this next part is changing and coming up.’ And then, as I’m in the part, I don’t really have to think about it. That’s the best way I can explain it from my perspective.”
With such intricate arrangements, one might assume that Dream Theater members use subtle cues or signals to guide each other through their set. According to Petrucci, however, the band operates on an unspoken level of trust.
“We look at each other when something goes horribly wrong, and we kind of laugh at each other. But, you know, there’s a lot of trust in that too. If somebody’s going off the rails, we like to have each other’s back so we don’t have a complete train wreck. But yeah, we don’t need to visually cue each other. Everybody is just responsible for knowing how to play the song. [laughs] That’s our main job.”
This level of confidence in one another allows the band to execute their songs seamlessly, even when performing tracks that might seem overwhelming to the average listener.
The intricacy of Dream Theater’s music can be daunting for those trying to learn or even just appreciate it. But Petrucci offers a simple approach to understanding their compositions—breaking them down into smaller, manageable sections: “Sometimes when you listen to complicated music, it could be a little overwhelming to ingest. But, if you look at each section, if you break it down into smaller pieces, it makes it easier as well. You could look at ‘Octavaium’, however long the freaking song is… If you break it down into small sections, then it’s more palatable.”
