Editing Neil Peart (section)

==Musicianship==
===Style and influences===
[[File:Rush-in-concert.jpg|thumb|Peart (right, behind [[Alex Lifeson]] and [[Geddy Lee]]) performing with Rush]]
Peart's drumming skill and technique are well-regarded by fans, fellow musicians, and music journalists.<ref name=olson>Olson, Andrew C.[http://andrewolson.com/Neil_Peart/neil_peart_awards.htm ''"Neil Peart Modern Drummer Awards"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213080938/http://andrewolson.com/Neil_Peart/neil_peart_awards.htm |date=December 13, 2010 }} – andrewolson.com – Updated 10/1/06 – Accessed July 18, 2007</ref><ref name=drummerworld>[http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Neil_Peart.html Neil Peart page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060329122549/http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Neil_Peart.html |date=March 29, 2006 }} – DrummerWorld – Accessed July 18, 2007</ref> His influences were eclectic, ranging from [[Pete Thomas (drummer)|Pete Thomas]], [[John Bonham]], [[Carl Palmer]], [[Michael Giles]], [[Ginger Baker]], [[Phil Collins]], [[Chris Sharrock]], [[Steve Gadd]], [[Warren Cann]], [[Stewart Copeland]],<ref name="From Rush With Love">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/from-rush-with-love-59586/|title=From Rush With Love|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 16, 2015 }}</ref> [[Michael Shrieve]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hit-channel.com/interviewmichael-shrieve-santanagospellbinder/76037|title=Interview: Michael Shrieve (Santana, Go, Spellbinder)|author=thodoris|date=January 29, 2015|work=Hit Channel|access-date=January 30, 2015|archive-date=July 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709095953/http://www.hit-channel.com/interviewmichael-shrieve-santanagospellbinder/76037|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rush.com/band/neil-peart/|title=Neil Peart|website=Rush.com|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=January 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112012941/https://www.rush.com/band/neil-peart/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Keith Moon]], to [[Jazz fusion|fusion]] and [[jazz]] drummers [[Billy Cobham]], [[Buddy Rich]], [[Bill Bruford]] and [[Gene Krupa]].<ref>Peart, Neil. Matthew Wachsman. Paul Siegel. Rob Wallis. ''[[Anatomy of a Drum Solo]]''. Hudson Music. Distributed by Hal Leonard. 2005. {{ISBN|1-4234-0700-8}}</ref><ref name="Popoff"/><ref>{{cite interview |first=Neil |last=Peart |title=Neil Peart Speaks With Zildjian... |url=https://www.zildjian.com/zevents.asp?ID=81 |date=January 2003 |work=[[Zildjian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031206001635/https://www.zildjian.com/zevents.asp?ID=81 |archive-date=December 6, 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Who was the first group that inspired him to write songs and play the drums.<ref>Dome, Malcolm. [http://www.2112.net/xanadu/interviews/neil.htm "Interview with Neil Peart"] – Metal Hammer – (c/o 2112.net) – April 25, 1988</ref>

Peart had long played [[matched grip]] but shifted to [[traditional grip|traditional]] as part of his style reinvention in the mid-1990s under the tutelage of jazz coach [[Freddie Gruber]].<ref name=geocities /> He played traditional grip throughout his first instructional DVD ''A Work in Progress'' and on Rush's ''[[Test for Echo]]'' studio album. Peart went back to using primarily matched, though he continued to switch to traditional at times when playing songs from ''Test for Echo'' and during moments when traditional grip felt more appropriate, such as during the rudimental snare drum section of his drum solo. He discussed the details of these switches in the DVD ''[[Anatomy of a Drum Solo]]''.<ref name="Popoff"/>

''[[Variety magazine|Variety]]'' wrote: "Widely considered one of the most innovative drummers in rock history, Peart was famous for his state-of-the-art drum kits—more than 40 different drums were not out of the norm—precise playing style and on stage showmanship."<ref name="Variety">{{cite news|title=Neil Peart, Rush Drummer, Dies at 67|first1=Jeff|last1=Cornell|first2=Jef|last2=Aswad|url=https://variety.com/2020/music/obituaries-people-news/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead-dies-1203463418/|date=January 11, 2020|work=[[Variety magazine|Variety]]|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=January 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110215405/https://variety.com/2020/music/obituaries-people-news/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead-dies-1203463418/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[USA Today]]''{{'}}s writers compared him favourably with other top-shelf rock drummers. He was "considered one of the best rock drummers of all time, alongside [[John Bonham]] of [[Led Zeppelin]]; [[Ringo Starr]] of [[The Beatles]]; [[Keith Moon]] of [[The Who]]; [[Ginger Baker]] of [[Cream (band)|Cream]] and [[Stewart Copeland]] of [[The Police]]."<ref name="USAToday">{{cite news|title=Rush drummer Neil Peart dies of brain cancer at 67: 'Rest in peace brother'|first1=Cydney|last1=Henderson|first2=Jayme|last2=Deerwester|newspaper=USA Today|publisher=[[Gannett News]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/01/10/rush-confirms-drummer-neil-peart-dead-67/4434938002/|date=January 11, 2020|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=January 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111005511/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/01/10/rush-confirms-drummer-neil-peart-dead-67/4434938002/|url-status=live}}</ref>  Noting that Peart was "known for his technical proficiency", the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame inducted him in 1983.<ref name="KCAL">{{cite news|title=Rush Drummer Neil Peart Dead At 67|date=January 10, 2020|publisher=[[CBS]] [[KCAL-TV|KCAL]]|url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/01/10/rush-drummer-neil-peart/|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=January 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111102116/https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/01/10/rush-drummer-neil-peart/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Music critic [[Amanda Petrusich]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote: "Watching Peart play the drums gave the impression that he might possess several phantom limbs. The sound was merciless."<ref name="Petrusich">{{cite magazine |title=Neil Peart, Postscript: The Misfit Awesomeness of Neil Peart and Rush |first1=Amanda |last1=Petrusich |author-link1=Amanda Petrusich |magazine=The New Yorker |date=January 13, 2020 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/the-misfit-awesomeness-of-neil-peart-and-rush |access-date=January 13, 2020 |archive-date=January 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113160837/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/the-misfit-awesomeness-of-neil-peart-and-rush |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Equipment===
[[File:Neil Peart3.jpg|thumb|right|Neil Peart and his 360-degree drum kit]]
With Rush, Peart played [[Slingerland]], [[Tama Drums|Tama]], [[Ludwig-Musser|Ludwig]], and [[Drum Workshop]] drums, in that order.<ref name=rusharch>{{cite web|url=http://www.rusharchives.com/rush-gear/rush-gear-gizmos-neil-peart|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806023557/http://www.rusharchives.com/rush-gear/rush-gear-gizmos-neil-peart/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 6, 2007|title=Neil Peart's Equipment|website=Rush Archives|access-date=January 18, 2008}}</ref> From ''2112'' to ''Counterparts'', he used a 5 1/2 × 14 inch Slingerland "Artist" snare model (3-ply shell with 8 lugs).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Neil Peart Slingerland snare|url=http://andrewolson.com/Neil_Peart/drums/drumkits/number_one_snare.htm|access-date=May 14, 2021|website=andrewolson.com|archive-date=September 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928224904/http://andrewolson.com/Neil_Peart/drums/drumkits/number_one_snare.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> For the recording of ''Presto'', he used a Ludwig and Solid Percussion piccolo snare drum.

Peart played [[Zildjian]] A-series cymbals and [[Wuhan cymbals|Wuhan]] china cymbals until the early 2000s, when he switched to [[Sabian Cymbals|Paragon]], a line created for him by [[Sabian (company)|Sabian]].<ref name=rusharch /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM04/Content/Sabian/PR/Neil-Peart-Paragon-Cymbals.html|title=Sabian Launches Neil Peart Signature Paragon Cymbals|date=January 15, 2004|work=Harmony Central|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218012121/http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM04/Content/Sabian/PR/Neil-Peart-Paragon-Cymbals.html|archive-date=February 18, 2008|access-date=January 12, 2020}}</ref> In concert starting in 1984 on the [[Grace Under Pressure Tour (video)|Grace Under Pressure Tour]], Peart used an elaborate 360-degree drum kit that would rotate as he played different sections of the kit.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kile|first=Meredith|title=Neil Peart, Rush Drummer, Dead at 67|url=https://www.etonline.com/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead-at-67-139269|website=etonline|date=January 10, 2020|access-date=January 12, 2020|archive-date=January 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112123602/https://www.etonline.com/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead-at-67-139269|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the late 1970s, Peart augmented his acoustic setup with diverse percussion instruments, including [[orchestra bells]], [[tubular bell]]s, [[wind chimes]], [[crotales]], [[timbales]], [[timpani]], [[gong]], [[temple blocks]], [[bell tree]], [[Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]], and melodic [[Cowbell (instrument)|cowbell]]s.<ref name=rusharch /> From the mid-1980s, Peart replaced several of these pieces with [[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] [[Sound module|trigger pads]]. This was done in order to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area. Some purely electronic non-instrumental sounds were also used. One classic MIDI pad used is the [[MalletKAT]] Express, which is a two-octave electronic MIDI device that resembles a xylophone or piano. The MalletKAT Express is composed of rubber pads for the "keys" so that any stick can be used. Beginning with 1984's ''[[Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)|Grace Under Pressure]]'', he used [[Simmons Drums|Simmons]] electronic drums in conjunction with [[Akai]] [[sampler (musical instrument)|digital samplers]].<ref name=rusharch /> Peart performed several songs primarily using the electronic portion of his drum kit. (e.g. "[[Red Sector A]]", "[[Closer to the Heart]]" on ''[[A Show of Hands (video)|A Show of Hands]]'' and "[[Mystic Rhythms]]" on ''[[R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour|R30]]''.)

Shortly after making the choice to include electronic drums and triggers, Peart added what became another trademark of his kit: a rotating drum riser.<ref name=rusharch /> During live Rush shows, the riser allowed Peart to swap the prominent portions of the kit (traditional acoustic in front, electronic in back). A staple of Peart's live drum solos was the in-performance rotation-and-swap of the front and back kits as part of the solo, a special effect that provided a symbolic transition of drum styles within the solo.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bosso|first=Joe|title=Interview: Rush's Neil Peart in-depth on drum solos|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-rushs-neil-peart-talks-drum-solos-458100|website=Music Radar|date=January 10, 2020|access-date=January 12, 2020|archive-date=January 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112114920/https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-rushs-neil-peart-talks-drum-solos-458100|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Simmons SDS5 Electric Drum.jpg|thumb|left|Neil Peart began incorporating electronic drums with 1984's ''Grace Under Pressure'']]
In the early 2000s, Peart began taking full advantage of the advances in electronic drum technology, primarily incorporating [[Roland V-Drums]] and continued use of [[sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] with his existing set of acoustic percussion. His digitally sampled library of both traditional and exotic sounds expanded over the years with his music.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://rolandblog.ca/neil-pearts-time-machine-drum-kit/|title=Neil Peart's Time Machine hybrid drum kit|publisher=Roland Canada|first=Darren|last=Schoepp|access-date=November 22, 2017|date=December 10, 2014|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032827/http://rolandblog.ca/neil-pearts-time-machine-drum-kit/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2006, Peart took delivery of his third Drum Workshop set, configured similarly to the R30 set, in a Tobacco Sunburst finish over curly maple exterior ply, with chrome hardware. He referred to this set, which he used primarily in Los Angeles, as the "West Coast kit". Besides using it on recordings with [[Vertical Horizon]], he played it while composing parts for Rush's album ''[[Snakes & Arrows]]''. It featured a custom 23-inch bass drum; all other sizes remained the same as the R30 kit.<ref>{{cite web|last=Peart|first=Neil|url=http://www.neilpeart.net/news/june_06.html|website=neilpeart.net|title=NEWS, WEATHER, and SPORTS|date=June 17, 2006}}</ref>

On March 20, 2007, Peart revealed that Drum Workshop prepared a new set of red-painted maple shells with black hardware and gold "Snakes & Arrows" logos for him to play on the [[Snakes & Arrows Tour]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neilpeart.net/news/march_07.html|title=The Count of Words|last=Peart|first=Neil|work=The N.E.P. News|via=Neilpeart.net|date=March 20, 2007|access-date=August 9, 2007|archive-date=August 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819052849/http://www.neilpeart.net/news/march_07.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Peart also designed his own signature series drumstick with [[Pro-Mark]], the Promark PW747W, Neil Peart Signature drumsticks, made of [[List of Quercus species|Japanese Shira Kashi white oak]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.daddario.com/products/percussion/promark/promark-drum-set/artist-series/shira-kashi-oak-747-neil-peart-wood-tip/item/promark-shira-kashi-oak-747-neil-peart-wood-tip-drumstick-9024/|title=Neil Peart Signature Shira Kashi Oak Wood Tip Drumstick &#124; Promark Drumsticks &#124; D'Addario|website=daddario.com}}</ref>

During the 2010–11 [[Time Machine Tour]], Peart used a new Drum Workshop kit; the kit was outfitted with copper-plated hardware and time machine designs to match the tour's [[steampunk]] themes. Matching Paragon cymbals with clock imagery were also used.<ref name="auto"/>

===Solos===
Peart was noted for his distinctive in-concert drum solos,<ref>Modern Drummer Magazine April 2006 Article "Soloing in the Shadow of Giants". Modern Drummer Publishing Inc. NJ</ref> characterised by exotic percussion instruments<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p113133|pure_url=yes}} ''"Neil Peart > Credits"''] – [[All Media Guide]] – Accessed July 18, 2007</ref> and long, intricate passages in odd time signatures.<ref name=drummerworld /><ref>Peart, Neil. [http://neilpeart.net/articles/modern_drummer/page3.html ''"Soloing in the Shadow of Giants"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612192522/http://neilpeart.net/articles/modern_drummer/page3.html|date=June 12, 2010}} – [[Modern Drummer Magazine]] – (c/o NeilPeart.net) – April 2006</ref><ref name=piecesofeight>[http://www.2112.net/artifacts/volume1/track8/8.html ''"Pieces of Eight"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927185429/http://www.2112.net/artifacts/volume1/track8/8.html |date=September 27, 2007 }} – [[Modern Drummer Magazine]] – (c/o 2112.net) – May 1987 – Accessed July 18, 2007</ref> His complex arrangements sometimes result in complete separation of upper- and lower-limb patterns; an [[ostinato]] dubbed "The Waltz" is a typical example.<ref>[http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Neil_Peart.html Neil Peart; The Waltz] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060329122549/http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Neil_Peart.html |date=March 29, 2006 }} – drummerworld.com – ([[QuickTime]] video) – Accessed July 18, 2007</ref> His solos were featured on every live album released by the band. On the early live albums (''[[All the World's a Stage (album)|All the World's a Stage]]'' and ''[[Exit... Stage Left]]''), the drum solo was included as part of a song. On all subsequent live albums through ''[[Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland]]'', the drum solo has been included as a separate track. The ''[[Clockwork Angels Tour (album)|Clockwork Angels Tour]]'' album includes three short solos instead of a single long one: two interludes played during other songs and one standalone. Similarly, the ''[[R40 Live]]'' album includes two short solos performed as interludes.

A studio recording of Peart's solo "Pieces of Eight" was released as a [[flexi disc]] exclusive in the May 1987 issue of ''[[Modern Drummer]]'' magazine.<ref name=piecesofeight/> Peart's instructional DVD ''Anatomy of a Drum Solo'' (2005) is an in-depth examination of how he constructs a solo that is musical rather than indulgent, using his solo from the 2004 R30 30th anniversary tour as an example.<ref name="Popoff"/>