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Mike Portnoy - Liquid Drum Theater DVD

Mike Portnoy - Liquid Drum Theater DVD

List Price: $49.95
Your Price: $49.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Portnoy opens his bag of tricks- but not wide enough-
Review: A great DVD with almost perfect sound and picture quality from prog-king Mike Portnoy,which consists of two discs and over 190 minutes of material and which gives in-depth information about Liquid Tension Experiment and LTE's first studio album, the making of "Scenes from a Memory" by Dream Theater and of course the drumming of MP.

However I would not rate this DVD as a "pure educational DVD". The educational aspect of "Liquid Drum Theater" might disappoint some of the drummers out there, who desperately seeks the key element to play like Mike Portnoy does, or learn the secrets to progressive rock drumming. What you can mainly learn from this DVD tough, apart from Mike's set up and style-including but not limited to- is double-bass playing techniques, hand/feet combinations (which are Portnoy's speciality and he does them like noone else) and some of the fills and rhtyms from Mike's bag of tricks. Mike's solo at the end of Disc 1, which he performed at one of his cliniques, is one of his best so far.

However, I have to add that, whether educational enough or not, I found this DVD to be quite entertaining. To me, this is not just an educational DVD for drummers, but a DVD which anybody who likes music and witness high quality musicianship would enjoy.

If you are a drummer and like to learn more about the topics summarized above, don't miss it. And if you are a DT or/and LTE fan, whether drummer or not, this is a must have DVD for you.



Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Portnoy's Liquid Drums...
Review: A must for all Dream Theater/Liquid Tension Experiment and of course Mike Portnoy fans. His fill and rhythmic concepts have be highlighted in his other features, but watching him play along songs from recent albums is just fun. The additional footage of concerts and project/band members makes this a 'best buy' for all fans. Sound: excellent although not DVD 5.1 standard. Footage: some VHS footage/bootlegs included, minor editing problems in transitions. Conclusions: If I didn't have a DVD I'd buy the VHS. Price: Could buy three motion pictures with 'real' DVD features worth the same. But if you are a fan...hope it helps.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: too short
Review: Five videos wouldn't be enough for this guy. Watching him play is sometimes more fascinating than listening. Often times you hear something on the record that makes no sense, yet seeing him actually perform it makes you smack yourself and say "Why couldn't I think of that?" Although the video is more inspirational than educational, it does its trick. My personal ability on the drums has improved greatly from just watching numerous times. Even if your not into drumming, its still a treat just for his showman gimmicks. The facial reaction he gives after a massive fill from "Home" is classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Even Better than the VHS
Review: I had the VHS and this is even better. Portnoy teaches drum-fill concepts very well. The added footage of the concerts makes it great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fun to watch, but nothing to learn.
Review: I really enjoyed watch this video set, I think it is a must have for Mike Portnoy fans, but there was not that much advanced instruction, just some double-bass exercises, and he covered odd time signature a little. Don't buy this video, if you are just interested in learning. He talks about details of DT and LTE and counts some songs, and play a bunch of them. I really liked it because I just wanted to see him play, but I realized that to me it's not a instructional video.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What the?!
Review: I'm not sure what every other reviewer on here was smoking but in my honest opinion this DVD is over-priced, and under produced. Sure, Mike Portnoy is an experienced, logical drummer, and he probably has a lot to teach, but this DVD is not a great educational tool. In my humble opinion, Dream Theater's brand of 'math rock' or 'geek rock' is very technical (fine if that's what you like) but suffers from it's own efforts. I don't particularly like the music of Dream Theater, who cares, but I still expected to learn more from this DVD.

There are only about 4 discrete lessons in this entire production, and to be brutally honest, they're pretty darn simple. I'm not saying I can nail them all as machine-like as Mike, but they don't take a lot of explaining. The double DVD is just filled with... well.. filler. The amount of effort taken to communicate ideas, and teach, is minimal. I felt pretty ripped off after buying and watching this DVD, which is touted as such an essential educational tool.

There are plenty of good educational productions and products out there. Don't waste your money on this one if you're looking to learn. If you don't believe me, check out how many of these DVDs are for sale second hand! I'd love to get rid of mine too!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: this is a must for all drummers
Review: If you are a drummer and a Dream Theater fan this video is a must. This video shows just how good Mike is and shows what a good guy he is. His talent is awesome and explains some key parts in many songs. The solos are outstanding.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good video
Review: If you are a huge Dream Theater and Mike Portnoy fan, this is a good video for you to buy.It shows cool footage of DT as well as Liquid Tension Expierment. If you are looking for a instructional video, you may want to reconsider. Portnoy does little to show how to build up certain techniques, like building rolls and coordination for hi-hat, which is something he does very well. Portnoy is a natural. He is very creative, and spontaneous. It's just my opinion that there could have been more instruction.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EL DVD BASICO PARA TODO BATERISTA !
Review: Realmente un excelente dvd , me quede boquiabierto la rapidez y fluidez con que toca , y mucho mas aun que los ritmos generalmente son distintos y te permite tener una idea variable de las cosas a utilizar ritmicamente. Un gran dvd que recomiendo puesto que se tine la opcion de hacer girar la camara, ponerla hacia un costado y verla desde la vista de los Bombos , ademas de las tecnicas propias de mike en cuanto a la manera de tiempos y enseƱanza....
No se arrepentiran una muy buena compra...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Portnoy Is The Man
Review: There is no doubt in my mind that Mike Porntoy is one of the most influential drummers of all time, and this video "opens up mike's bag of tricks" and shows the audience the basics of his incredibly smooth fills and grooves. This video has definatly helped me in terms of breaking stick/feet patterns down, and has enabled me to apply them all over the drum set to create my own fills/grooves. Not only does mike go through many songs from Dream Theater(1st tape/DVD), but he also plays a few songs off of Liquid Tension Experiments albums(2nd tape/DVD). In the video there are also a couple of live performances and drum clinic clips, that keep your mouth dropped to the floor for hours, and not to mention the drum clinic solo at the very end of the first tape/DVD. This DVD is a must have for all Mike Portnoy fanatics, and prog drummers alike...GET THIS FILM CRAKCAHS


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