Dream Theater

Latest Updates

Against a backdrop of celestial stage lights, John Petrucci plays a riff on his signature Ernie Ball Music Man JP15 7-string

Everybody knows John Petrucci for his God-like shredding abilities, but the Dream Theater virtuoso’s next-level rhythm playing deserves more attention

By Jamie Hunt published 1 October 24

We examine the different approaches Petrucci takes for world-building with metal riffs – playing in different time signatures and executing them with on-point precision

“I'm often working in fractions of a millimeter in dentistry – and with guitar, too, even the slightest movements can make all the difference”: How shredding dentist Steve Dadaian landed his dream collaboration with Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess

By Michael Astley-Brown published 17 September 24

Steve Dadaian has loved Dream Theater since junior high. So when he had the opportunity to shred with the band’s keyboard wizard, he jumped at the chance to flex his chops

“A wolf in sheep’s clothing”: Mesa/Boogie and John Petrucci celebrate 40 years of partnership with “the most aggressive” and modern Mark IIC+ ever made

By Matt Owen published 26 June 24

The Dream Theater virtuoso's limited-edition signature amp looks to take the Holy Grail metal and rock combo to all-new heights

John Petrucci holding his custom Abasi Concepts Emi 8

Tosin Abasi revives one of John Petrucci's most iconic guitar finishes

By Matt Owen published 28 July 23

A one-off gift based on Trooch's Ibanez JPM100, as seen on the classic Rock Discipline lesson tape, has been constructed by Abasi Concepts – with the help of the original artist

“A true inspirational person to be around”: Animals As Leaders pay tribute to guitar tech Dave Cohen, who has passed away

By Matt Owen published 20 July 23

Cohen had recently joined Animals As Leaders on Dream Theater's Dreamsonic tour, and was founder and head luthier of custom guitar builder, Equilibrium Guitars

Tosin Abasi and John Petrucci playing on stage together

Watch John Petrucci and Tosin Abasi lock fretboards for spellbinding harmonies on Dream Theater's The Spirit Carries On

By Matt Owen published 20 June 23

With the help of Devin Townsend – and Ernie Ball Music Man's Kaizen and Majesty models – the two prog heroes brought Dream Theater's recent tour show to a mesmerizing close

Jordan Rudess with his Druzkowski guitar keyboard prototype

This is Jordan Rudess’s latest project: a custom half-guitar, half-keyboard built by Druzkowski Guitars

By Matt Parker published 8 March 23

The Dream Theater keyboardist has been developing a technique to play both instruments at once – and soon he’ll have the custom axe to do it live…

John Petrucci reveals why he positions his guitar “high and nerdy”

By Matt Owen published 9 December 22

The Dream Theater virtuoso also offered his glowing opinion of the Instagram guitar scene, which he says has raised the bar for guitar players

John Petrucci shares his top 3 tips for better guitar tone

By Joe Bosso published 1 December 22

The Dream Theater prog-metal guitar kingpin might have a signature guitar with boost and piezo, but listen to the man when he says keep it simple – it might just save your tone

John Petrucci: “If a guitarist is onstage playing their ass off, backing tracks don't bother me. But if they're faking it or pretending, that's a whole different thing”

By Andrew Daly published 24 October 22

Dream Theater's shredder-in-chief weighs in on the use of pre-recorded elements in live shows, and discusses his first-ever headline solo tour, which sees him sharing the stage with Mike Portnoy for the first time since 2010

5 scorching shred skills you can learn from John Petrucci

By Charlie Griffiths last updated 4 October 22

Awaken your picking mastery with these prog metal techniques in the style of the virtuoso Dream Theater guitarist

John Petrucci talks buying and selling guitars: “I’m completely illiterate in the world of vintage guitars and Les Pauls and Strats and all that stuff”

By Jamie Dickson published 2 September 22

Dream Theater’s magus of the fretboard on the Les Paul copy that sparked his love of humbuckers and why he might give Django a run for his money…

10 of the best songs over 10 minutes long

By Josh Hart last updated 20 July 22

Here are some of the greatest - and longest - tracks that clock well into the double digits

John Petrucci performs with Dream Theater at Oslo Spektrum on May 19, 2022 in Oslo, Norway

Five practice tips from Dream Theater's John Petrucci

By John Petrucci published 12 July 22

In this classic GW lesson, the Dream Theater guitar great helps you get more out of your practice sessions

Guitarists Phil Collen (L) and John Petrucci perform as part of the G3 concert tour at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas at The Linq Promenade on January 17, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How John Petrucci revolutionized Phil Collen's guitar rig

By Jenna Scaramanga published 12 May 22

The Dream Theater shredder persuaded Def Leppard to go all digital following 2018's G3 tour

John Myung dishes on his new signature bass amp, practice regime and whether he ever screws up

By Ellen O'Reilly published 5 April 22

The Dream Theater bassist checks in to talk gear, tone and technique following the release of A View From the Top of the World

Foo Fighters sweep up three awards at the Grammys, Dream Theater scoop Best Metal Performance for The Alien

By Sam Roche published 4 April 22

The Recording Academy paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins in its In Memoriam segment, though notably excluded late Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison

Ashdown John Myung Double Drive review

By Joel McIver published 4 March 22

The Dream Theater bassist teams up with Ashdown for a tooled-up dual distortion perfectly voiced for bass guitar

[L-R] John Mayer, Samantha Fish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Joe Duplantier

The 20 best guitar albums of 2021

By Jonathan Horsley published 22 December 21

Records that stoked creative fires and set the guitar world alight this year, as voted for by you

Christian Andreu, Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti and Alexi Laiho

The 10 best guitar riffs of 2021

By Jonathan Horsley published 20 December 21

The riffs that induced the most involuntary – and voluntary – head-banging over the past 12 months, as voted for by you

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
View Archive

Get The Pick Newsletter