DREAM THEATER Drummer Mike Mangini's 3-Layer Polyrhythm Drum Practice Pattern; Video

Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini has posted the following drum video for a 3-layer polyrhythm drum practice pattern.

Says Mike: “This non-groove, totally robotic drumming oriented drum video filmed on an EPro and GEN16 Electronic Kit. You can only hear the pads. The clip is made to support the Facebook posting about what I was practicing with regard to the body wiring type of drumming I do as part of my whole growth path and to be able to focus my mind and play with more swing with simple drumming patterns while not having to count three things.

Executing two long patterns at once is 12 zillion times harder than doing something like 7 and 5 at the same time. I am doing 19 and 17 AND putting them in mental base times other than those two. The purpose of this is to make less difficult playing allow me to use my brain for creativity rather than using it to keep track of 3 things plus all the limb coordination challenges. It also helps play just a single pattern with much more feel and control as opposed to the robotic feel of these types of patterns. I get the whole drumming spectrum from suffering through practices that teach this stuff.”

Dream Theater’s live schedule can be viewed below:

June
27 – Metal Hammer Festival – Katowice, Poland

July
11 – Rock Harz – Ballenstedt, Germany
18 – Bang Your Head – Balingen, Germany   
19 – Pistoia Blues Festival – Pistoia, Italy
23 – Rock Fest – Barcelona, Spain
25 – Ramblin’ Man Fair – Maidstone, UK
31 – Wacken Open Air – Wacken, Germany