For someone often held up as a paragon of technical drumming, Mike Portnoy is surprisingly dismissive of that very reputation. Speaking recently on CBC’s Q with Tom Power, the Dream Theater co-founder offered a revealing take on what truly drives his approach behind the kit.
“Technical precision is the third on that list. Absolutely, by far,” Portnoy said (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “It’s crazy that I’ve made such a reputation of being this technical drummer, because, to be honest, I’m the furthest you’ll ever meet from that. The way I sit, the way I hold my sticks, the way I play. Everything about it is unorthodox, and probably technically incorrect, if there’s such a thing. I mean, I’m horrible with that stuff.”
This isn’t false humility — it’s a window into how Portnoy’s musical mind works. Although widely celebrated for his complex rhythms and progressive chops since forming Dream Theater with John Petrucci and John Myung in the mid-1980s, Portnoy never fixated on drumming technique for its own sake.
“Not for drumming. I went to music school to learn about all the other stuff, music theory, harmony, ear training, and arranging. I did all that at Berklee because I wanted to be a more rounded musician. So that plays into one of the three choices — you said either technical ability, storytelling, or feel. To me, learning all that stuff goes into the storytelling category.”
That storytelling mindset is front and center whenever he works on new music with Dream Theater. Portnoy doesn’t start with rhythm or patterns. He starts with the music’s narrative shape — its mood, structure, and flow.
“You know, when we’re writing music in Dream Theater, I’m thinking about the song. I’m thinking about the album, the big concept of the album, about the melody, the arrangement of the song, the orchestration of the instruments, and the production. I’m thinking about all that stuff before I’m even thinking about the drums. The drums are the last thing I think about.”
Once he does focus on drums, it’s not about showing off technical prowess — it’s about connection.
“Then the next thing on that list would be feel. When I am thinking about the drum part, it has to feel good. There are a lot of parts on the new album that… We were working on a super technical riff. The riff is in a crazy, odd time signature. And I, as a drummer, have the artistic choice. Do I match that and play all these different odd time signatures, or do I put something underneath it that actually feels good? That an audience, an arena of 10,000 people, actually headbang to? Anytime the drumming gets over [complicated]…”
It’s a philosophy echoed in a favorite quote of his from fellow virtuoso Billy Sheehan:
“Billy Sheehan once had an expression that I loved. He said, ‘If you’re thinking, you’re stinking’, and that’s definitely the headspace I come from. For me, the drums have to feel good first and foremost. I know all that stuff. I know how to play in all these odd time signatures… It’s good to have the ability to understand it and know how to do it.”
The technical skill is there — no doubt about that — but Portnoy stresses restraint and intentionality as the real markers of musicianship.
“But just because you can doesn’t mean you should, you know, and that’s the difference, knowing when to do that stuff and play that way, and when not to. And I feel a big part of my role as one of the songwriters in this band is to do what’s best for the song first and foremost, that’s always the priority for me as a drummer.”
1 Comment
Fancy way of saying he can’t play most of Mangini’s parts.