Neil didn't seek comfort zones. He sought discomfort zones. And then mastered them.

To answer your question about the traditional style, I will use one of Neil's quotes. "How could anyone ever be bored in this world, when there was so much to be interested in, to learn, to contemplate?” In the mid 90s, twenty years into his career, he began lessons with Freddie Gruber. Freddie taught him the traditional grip, along with many other things about motion and timing. This shows how much Neil was always trying to improve himself.

As a newish bass player who LOVES this song I thought I'd give it a try. 🤣🤣 Little did I realize 'Leave That Thing Alone' was more of a warning than a title! Lol. 🎸😁🎸

Nobody played like them before and nobody will ever. Neil also was the master of the lyrics.

Neil is playing the trumpets on drum pads and triggers on his left foot. Btw, here is an excerpt from Modern Drummer circa 1914 that will give you some insight on Neil. [ The Drum Master ]--- Drumming has the power to unite people, no matter how varied their language or cultural background might be. On a recent trek through Africa, Neil Peart had a singular experience that proved just that. "I was in Gambia, walking through a small village, and I heard the sound of a drum. So of course I was curious! I looked into a compound and I could hear the drumming coming from a curtained room. I walked up to a woman doing laundry in front of the room. She could see my interest in the sound, so she waved me to go in. Inside I found a young, white missionary from a nearby Catholic school. Sitting across from him was the commanding presence of the local drum master. He was attempting to show the missionary how to play any kind of beat. The missionary was trying as hard as he could, but he wasn't having a lot of success." After a time the drum master, frustrated by the missionary's lack of ability, noticed the other man who had come into the room. The master had no idea who this person was, but he thought to himself, "Why not see if he can play?" According to Peart, what happened next was fascinating. "The drum master gestured to me to try and play a rhythm. So we began playing together, and he started smiling because he could tell I had a rhythm - maybe not his rhythm, but a rhythm of some kind. We were playing and playing, building the intensity, and little kids started coming in, laughing at the white man playing drums. Then a few women came into the room, and everybody began dancing to our beat! The master and I even started trading fours. It wasn't a spoken thing, but he could tell that I would lay out and listen to what he was doing for a certain amount of time, and then he would do the same. It was just a magical moment." When they finished, a confused and startled missionary ran up to Peart and asked, "How can you do that?" Chuckling to himself, Neil politely responded, "I'm in the business." World Inspiration Neil's love of bicycling and travel is well known - it's almost the stuff of legend. While on tour with Rush he's been known to avoid the tour bus and bike to the next town and venue. When not on the road with Rush, he has taken his bike to the four corners of the globe, including Europe, mainland China, and Africa. Upon entering Peart's Toronto home, one is immediately struck by the fact that this man has seen and experienced locales most people can't imagine. "Here's a prized possession of mine," he says proudly, showing a raw-metal sculpture standing about ten inches high and resembling a tribal version of Rodin's "The Thinker." "It's from Africa. It weighs about twenty pounds, and I had to carry it a hundred miles on my bike. but it was worth it." Neil's passion for authentic African art is obvious. Unique drums, with their rich, hand-carved elegance, are displayed in his home with reverence. Original Chinese gongs decorate a few of the walls. The decor hints at the fact that a drummer lives in the house, shouts at the fact that a word traveler resides there. Peart's love of travel is obvious, but does actually going to other parts of the world inspire him musically? "First of all, I think travel is very important for any person," he insists. "It's affected me enormously, and I'm sure it filters down to my work. Africa is not an abstraction to me anymore - neither is China. They're places I've experienced, places where I've met people, made friends - and just broadened my thinking. "I've written lyrics that were directly influenced by my travels abroad. In a drumming sense, I've had some interesting experiences in different countries, experiences that may not directly affect the way I play drums, but that certainly inspire my feelings about drumming. And I've gotten very interested in hand drumming. Lately I've been working on playing the djembe." One way Peart's wanderlust has directly affected the sound of his drums is through sampling. "One of the small drums I brought from China is an antique that's too fragile to play. So I took it and a few of the other delicate instruments that I own and sampled them - along with many of my other instruments like my temple blocks and glockenspiel. I've built up a huge library of sounds, and they've made their way onto our albums in many of the different patterns I play." A particular pattern Neil has recorded that demonstrates the value of "world inspiration" comes from Rush's last album, Roll The Bones. "On that record we had a song called 'Heresy' that had a drum pattern I heard when I was in Togo. I was laying on a rooftop one night and heard two drummers playing in the next valley, and the rhythm stuck in my head. When we started working on the song I realized that beat would complement it well"

This solo was right before he lost his daughter and then wife and then took his 3 year motorcycle tour. Neil played match grip most of his career and incorporate traditional in the early 90s learning from jazz drummer Freddie Gruber.

lol about the "contract break". :) Geddy has said that he stayed every night to watch Neil's solo, which, to me, really speaks to not only how close they all were/are but how much they respect(ed) each other. Indeed, Neil, at this time, had been taking lessons from famed drum teacher Freddie Gruber, after talking with Steve Smith via the Buddy Rich Memorial project Neil was doing, and had been switching to traditional grip during particular parts of his solo (and the regular songs, as well).

Was at this show up in TO. Capped about 5 or 6 for us for this tour. This was the only show this tour we weren't less than 5th row, although we rotated through 2nd row, stage right, with the members in our group as we could only get 2 that close. We had a "system" to get close tickets, unfortunately it only worked this year... Then the professional scalpers came along. Glad to see this footage come to see the light of day. We all saw the cameras and cranes, but the events of later that summer, and the following year put that and the future of the band in limbo. Earlier in the tour we were late to the Columbus show due to a rain storm that closed the expressway for a bit. We came in 1/2 way through the 2nd song. We waited to go to our seats (3rd row, Stage left). By the time we made it there, they were into the 3rd song. Geddy was over with Alex, then came over and waved to us... What a hoot. A few nights before we were 3rd row center in Pittsburgh, and those around us must have gotten freebies as they sat there (everyone else was on their feet) until intermission then didn't come back so I'm sure we stood out.

I started with jazz as a kid and moved towards prog and prog/metal drumming over the past 45 years or so. There's something different about the feel of traditional grip, and at this time Neil Peart was working with Freddie Grubber to get a better/more natural feel for time and increase his spontaneity. Neil freakin Peart, always an inspiration.

Test for Echo ... amazing tour ... went both times they came through Dallas, how many bands give their fans a almost 3 hour concert and kill it every time... so heartbreaking what he went through after that tour 💔 r.i.p ‘professor’ thank you for sharing your gift with the world 🌹🥁🌹

I flew out of my seat when they played Leave That Thing Alone on the Clockwork Angels Tour.

Just Wow! nEAL pEART

Lots of Neil knowledge. He took lessons and put it into action.

Out of all of Neil's drum solos this is my favorite. 😊

He always liked to challenge himself. If you ever listen to their album Test For Echo keep in mind Neil did that entire album with traditional grip.

In my musical world at least, al roads do indeed lead back to Rush. Though I have had eclectic tastes since collecting music back in the late 80s and listen to loads of artists, I've never heard a better band. I hope their musical legacy lasts for generations to come.

My second favorite Rush instrumental, nothing tops La Villa .

I love this song.

The 3 best musicians for my taste. And I love so so many other musicians throughout history! I'm a Beatles boy, grew up on them, Beach Boys too, Wings, Floyd, VH... blah blah blah. I just ended up loving Rush the most for some reason.

Fabulous performance!

all in many ways!

Thanks for doing this one Travis. I love Neil but Alex even more and wish I could have heard him play a few more minutes before or after the solo. By far my favorite band with Pink Floyd 2nd and Zeppelin 3rd. Alex is my fav guitarist followed by SRV and Roy Clark

I've seen most of Neil's drum solos, I've been meaning to watch this one, so thanks for the reaction. In regards to match grip and traditional. For me it depends on the attack, I prefer to play a traditional grip if my drumming is focused on the snare, mostly because I prefer the angle of attack. However, when it comes to rolls over the toms, accuracy and keeping time I preferred a match grip for the same reason, angle of attack. When I started drumming my weak hand (left) lacked in dexterity especially with a stiff wrist movement. In comparison my right hand, (from the get go) was able to move at lightning speed with a looser wrist. As time went on my left wrist began to catch up to my right but I'd already established a comfort level switching back and forth between match and traditional. I feel comfort, accuracy and angle of attack might be the reason Neil switches grips

Actually Neil always played matched grip for most of his career, but when he wanted more nuance, definition and free flowing movement around the instrument, and from lessons with jazz great and drumming master, Freddie Graber, Neil started working on his traditional grip and getting more power and snap from his left hand. It was short live thought as a general playing style because nothing could beat the straight force and powe of matched grip.

OMG Neal

Geddy funked it up quite a bit, from the studio version - and what's that fuzz on his sound? Quite interesting!

check out iron maiden. recommend iron maiden halloweed be thy name 2008 live in toronto and fear of the dark en vivo. yes the singer is flying the jet and they are all jumping up and down while they play to a crowd of a few hundred thousand. lot of energy there. still touring.

Everything triggered at the kit by the man himself

Left foot trigger on the floor.

Great reaction. This is a forgotten track off Counterparts. Its too bad the audio quality on this video is not that great. There is a very good version from the Time Machine Tour : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jcijdsKXrKfWhpc.html You may want to check that out in your spare time. Neil's limb independence is impressive. Also his drum solo's are very melodic, and clearly he has a compositional mindset, not just freestyle playing.

Please react to the band OCEANBORN Song: Lifting The Veil

Ahh my dear? you gave none rove!

Top 5 song from Rush. Wow and a drum solo that isn’t FRANKFURT. This Rush fan must’ve been listening to me.

This isn't the best recording of a live performance of this song. Although the drum solo at the end is cool. Might I suggest this one? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jcijdsKXrKfWhpc.html Direct from the Time Machine Tour DVD

Mr neal (Peart)

aHH hE CAN DO bOTH

Gosh your reaction sucks here,........................................ I don't even feel much appreciation for Neil, or the band RUSH........... Please spare us the commercials at the beginning????????? Thanks............. Jesus Love You!!!!!!!!! :) ♥