# Easy-ish Dream Theater tunes?



## Greegzoid (Aug 11, 2013)

Probably a useless question but was wondering if there was any straight forward DT songs to practice? Getting into their stuff but everything I'm hearing is crazy shred or complex riffage.


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## Mordacain (Aug 11, 2013)

"Pull me Under" and "On the Backs of Angels" are not super difficult as far as the main rhythm and clean sequences are concerned and are lots of fun to play.

"Metropolis Pt 1" is actually a lot of fun to play and barring some fast sequences throughout, is not super difficult.

"Outcry" has a reasonably complex main riff, but once you learn the pattern it's not so bad. It actually helped me a lot to learn that riff because it changed the way I thought about riffs in general.


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## Overtone (Aug 11, 2013)

Finally Free is not too bad. Overture 1928 is technical but it's doable. And then there's stuff like The Silent Man. But in general... LOL. Easy and DT do not go hand in hand.


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## Mordacain (Aug 11, 2013)

Overtone said:


> Finally Free is not too bad. Overture 1928 is technical but it's doable. And then there's stuff like The Silent Man. But in general... LOL. Easy and DT do not go hand in hand.



Yea, I was going to mention Overture 1928. That first run-down is a bitch though. I still can't play it at full speed...then again I really need to break out the metronome and work at it properly anyway.


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## Greegzoid (Aug 11, 2013)

Overtone said:


> Finally Free is not too bad. Overture 1928 is technical but it's doable. And then there's stuff like The Silent Man. But in general... LOL. Easy and DT do not go hand in hand.



Yeah thought that, Easy DT is like asking MJ to stop touching kids, Impossibru!!!


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## tyler_faith_08 (Aug 12, 2013)

Nobody mentioned The Count of Tuscany. C'mon guys! It's not too bad, just 1 or 2 really hard pieces. If you feel like tuning to C standard, A Nightmare to Remember isn't too much of a challenge. It still has 2 or 3 parts that are very, VERY difficult, but still incredible to play along to. I'd say that you could probably get about 90% of the way through without a hitch.

Hell, the whole Black Clouds Silver Linings album is great. 

Has anyone ever tried to play Breaking All Illusions from A Dramatic Turn of Events? Nope. I at least have a shred of a life left.


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## nicktao (Aug 12, 2013)

Greegzoid said:


> Yeah thought that, Easy DT is like asking MJ to stop touching kids, Impossibru!!!


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## Malkav (Aug 12, 2013)

Afterlife is a pretty easy track to play, my band used to do a cover of it - The solo is a bit tricky, but by far one of their easier tunes


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## troyguitar (Aug 12, 2013)

IIRC Surrounded is not a hard song at all, can't think of much else that doesn't have at least 1 hard part.


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## Straighteight2003 (Aug 12, 2013)

If you're not talking about whole songs, but part of them to practice I'd add
Constant Motion, Forsaken or The Ministry of Lost Souls
as nice songs with part in them that can be practised. For me, when it comes to the solo parts it'll not be in this life to play even one of them as they are played


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## Osorio (Aug 12, 2013)

Er... It's not exactly their most popular stuff, but Peruvian Skies is extremely doable. All in all, Falling Into Infinity is by far their easiest album (and one of the best IMO). Lines in the Sand and Trial of Tears are all really easy as well (but those are rather long and could pose a certain memorization problem).


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## TheShreddinHand (Aug 12, 2013)

venneer said:


> Er... It's not exactly their most popular stuff, but Peruvian Skies is extremely doable. All in all, Falling Into Infinity is by far their easiest album (and one of the best IMO). Lines in the Sand and Trial of Tears are all really easy as well (but those are rather long and could pose a certain memorization problem).



Yup, good suggestions here.

Besides the obvious acoustic'y' tunes (Silent Man, Regression, etc.) I would say work on Overture 1928. For one, it's only three and a half minutes long and two, it covers a lot of ground for what JP incorporates into much longer DT songs. And a fun all around tune to play to boot!


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## TheDeathOfMusic (Aug 12, 2013)

Wither.


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## Matthew (Aug 12, 2013)

Besides the ridiculous intro/post chorus riff, Never Enough minus the solo section is decent. The chorus is super fun and one of my favorites to play. I remember getting the initial timing down and bringing it up to speed to be the most difficult parts of the intro riff.


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## oneblackened (Aug 12, 2013)

Believe it or not, Under A Glass Moon isn't too bad. There are a couple of hard runs/licks in the solo, but for the most part it's very easy.


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## TIMEwaveXERO (Aug 12, 2013)

These Wall's is pretty simple


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## Lagtastic (Aug 12, 2013)

Wither and Burning My Soul are easy and fun. Through Her Eyes is easy/fun to play (and sing). Constant Motion is a good medium difficulty one to go after if you have a guitar in E standard, good picking hand workout as it never really stops (hence the title).

Root of All Evil is easy, its in Eb. The leads are not that tough. Stream of Consciousness as well, its just long. Again, easier solos and fun riffs.

D standard more your style? A Rite of Passage is my favorite DT tune to play along with. 

Got a 7? In the Name of God is easy, has some great riffs, and no solo. The Dark Eternal Night has some sick riffs as well that aren't that tough.

Like C Standard? As I Am is really easy as far as the riffs are concerned. The solo is just speed, there is nothing overly difficult. It's all standard 3nps patterns. If you research the story behind that song and how it was conceived, you'll know why JP plays that solo in that specific way.

A problem with the DT stuff is Petrucci uses at least 6 different tunings between 6s and 7s when you sit down and think about it.


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## metal_sam14 (Aug 12, 2013)

Lagtastic said:


> Wither and Burning My Soul are easy and fun. Through Her Eyes is easy/fun to play (and sing). Constant Motion is a good medium difficulty one to go after if you have a guitar in E standard, good picking hand workout as it never really stops (hence the title).
> 
> Root of All Evil is easy, its in Eb. The leads are not that tough. Stream of Consciousness as well, its just long. Again, easier solos and fun riffs.
> 
> ...



List is great, but "In the name of God" is in C standard and features some absolutely brutal sweeping and keyboard unison parts, the rest of the riffs are quite palatable though


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## Lagtastic (Aug 12, 2013)

metal_sam14 said:


> List is great, but "In the name of God" is in C standard and features some absolutely brutal sweeping and keyboard unison parts, the rest of the riffs are quite palatable though




Ah hell, I'm getting In the Name of God mixed up with Honor Thy Father and Mother. It's definetly in C, but I learned it on a 7 in B Std. No real solo to speak of, a couple licks, tons of good riffs. JP uses so many damned tunings.


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## tyler_faith_08 (Aug 13, 2013)

This is where you go out and buy more guitars so taht you have a guitar for every tuning scenario. No 2 of mine are in the same tuning.


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## Malkav (Aug 13, 2013)

> Er... It's not exactly their most popular stuff, but Peruvian Skies is extremely doable.


 
I sort of agree with that, but at the same time the solo is quite difficult if you can't use a wah reasonably, one of my pet peeves in this world is people who step on wahs and can't use them properly, if I ever see one of these people playing that solo and screwing up all the beauty and finesse of Petrucci's phrasing with the wah I will bitch slap that ...............


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## CD1221 (Aug 13, 2013)

Lagtastic said:


> A problem with the DT stuff is Petrucci uses at least 6 different tunings between 6s and 7s when you sit down and think about it.




If you REALLY want to give your tuner a workout, learn The Tea Party's entire catalogue. Jeff Martin uses a different tuning pretty much every track. His guitar tech must hate life.


/off topic

JP rocks


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## JustMac (Aug 13, 2013)

Panic Attack from Octavarium isn't so bad until Petrucci's rent-a-solo service begins somewhere in the middle. I say try em, even if you can barely play a few seconds of it, it's like speeding up the metronome, it makes everything else a doddle when you go back to playing easier stuff. Sure, it's the guitar equivalent of going go-karting once and then entering the formula one gran prix, but hell, it'll make you much sharper than the dude sitting around riffing out to In Bloom all day, eh?


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## wespaul (Aug 13, 2013)

oneblackened said:


> Believe it or not, Under A Glass Moon isn't too bad. There are a couple of hard runs/licks in the solo, but for the most part it's very easy.



Did you just come into a thread asking for easy DT songs to play and recommend "Under a Glass Moon"?


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## Xiphos68 (Aug 13, 2013)

I cannot really say any Dream Theater song is "easy." 

All of them have different challenges to overcome. Pull Me Under has an easy rhythm section but some difficult unison's and solo.


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## Dayn (Aug 14, 2013)

Root of All Evil is pretty dang easy. The solo's not too hard either. Also, fun wah!


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## rikomaru (Aug 14, 2013)

As mentioned before, These Walls is a rather simple cut. One of my personal favorites, Disappear, is probably the easiest. That's from the first disc of Six Degrees. I Walk Beside You from Octavarium. Let's see........the riffs from Honor Thy Father are easy enough AND have attitude.


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## Given To Fly (Aug 14, 2013)

Lagtastic said:


> Wither and Burning My Soul are easy and fun. Through Her Eyes is easy/fun to play (and sing). Constant Motion is a good medium difficulty one to go after if you have a guitar in E standard, good picking hand workout as it never really stops (hence the title).
> 
> Root of All Evil is easy, its in Eb. The leads are not that tough. Stream of Consciousness as well, its just long. Again, easier solos and fun riffs.
> 
> ...



I'd like to know why Petrucci plays the _As I Am_ solo the way he does? All I can find is the song is about their experience touring with Queensrÿche.


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## Osorio (Aug 14, 2013)

Malkav said:


> [regarding Peruvian Skies]
> I sort of agree with that, but at the same time the solo is quite difficult if you can't use a wah reasonably, one of my pet peeves in this world is people who step on wahs and can't use them properly, if I ever see one of these people playing that solo and screwing up all the beauty and finesse of Petrucci's phrasing with the wah I will bitch slap that ...............



You would hate me endlessly as I simply ignore the Wah's existence altogether on this and pretty much any other song that features it. The only one I have ever tried to do properly was in the solo of Voices, but I've given up on it as well. Wah is just not my thing.

Aside that... Some people in this thread have some really questionable definitions of what "easy" means. Or I terribly suck at playing guitar. Probably both.
My coffee almost went straight into the screen when I saw mention of "In The Name of God". At least it was an honest mistake.

But to enjoy the Train of Thought: "Endless Sacrifice" is also pretty doable (as is the already mentioned and previously mixed up "Honor Thy Father").


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## Given To Fly (Aug 14, 2013)

Greegzoid said:


> Probably a useless question but was wondering if there was any straight forward DT songs to practice? Getting into their stuff but everything I'm hearing is crazy shred or complex riffage.



Honestly, I would find the music to your favorite DT song and try it. It might turn out to be way above your ability or it might turn out to be surprisingly doable. Its amazing what you can do without the burden of preconceived notions.


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## Given To Fly (Aug 14, 2013)

venneer said:


> You would hate me endlessly as I simply ignore the Wah's existence altogether on this and pretty much any other song that features it. The only one I have ever tried to do properly was in the solo of Voices, but I've given up on it as well. Wah is just not my thing.
> 
> Aside that... Some people in this thread have some really questionable definitions of what "easy" means. Or I terribly suck at playing guitar. Probably both.
> My coffee almost went straight into the screen when I saw mention of "In The Name of God". At least it was an honest mistake.
> ...



Speaking of wah's, I think the best "wah sound" I have ever heard is at the end of the _Caught in a Web_ solo. 

I agree with your assessment on what is being considered "easy." There seems to be a mix of good suggestions with a few of the hardest songs Dream Theater has ever written.


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## farren (Aug 14, 2013)

Greegzoid said:


> Yeah thought that, Easy DT is *like asking MJ to stop touching kids, Impossibru!!!*



This may have been slightly amusing in 1997.


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## tyler_faith_08 (Aug 14, 2013)

I think it's amusing now. But that's just I.


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## Dani2901 (Aug 16, 2013)

!!!* Innocence Faded *!!!! This would be a nice song to start with.

Playing Dream Theater songs is never easy and takes much time. In 99.9% of their songs is one lick which f****s me up....

Innocence Faded is not as long as The Count Of Tuscany or many others. The solo is possible as far as you are not a bloody beginner and its standart E tuning... 
I don't like to tune a guitar just for one song....


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## Osorio (Aug 16, 2013)

I can't believe Strange Deja-Vu hasn't already been mentioned. That is one really really really easy song...


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## Malkav (Aug 16, 2013)

There's also Space Dye Vest - The guitar part is super easy  You just need an E-Bow for that one melody 

Hollow years is also quite doable if you're playing the recorded version, the version from live at Budokan has one ............ of a solo, again with a use of wah that just leaves me speechless 

Also Home, it has some crazy moments, but at least that first intro theme and heavy na-ni-na-ni-poo-poo part is doable 

Trial of Tears is also pretty reasonable.

Most of Lie is okay as well, but the solo is a little intense, and if you're learning the album version then that end bit is also a challenging.

As I Am is also something you could tackle, the solo is pretty intense though.

These Walls is also quite easy, and the chorus chords are pretty much the same intervals as Linkin Park's Crawling (Two birds one stone right there )

Lifting Shadows Off A Dream is also pretty chilled.

Through Her Eyes is another one that's easy, and there's a nice melodic part


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## oneblackened (Aug 21, 2013)

wespaul said:


> Did you just come into a thread asking for easy DT songs to play and recommend "Under a Glass Moon"?


I did. There's nothing absurdly difficult in that song save for some parts of the solo.


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## The Mirror (Sep 22, 2014)

oneblackened said:


> I did. There's nothing absurdly difficult in that song save for some parts of the solo.



Except the rest of the song.


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## meteor685 (Sep 22, 2014)

easier dream theater tunes are definately not easy tunes, i would say their easier stuff is intermediate/early advanced, but imo here are some of there less difficult stuff. 


Silent Man(prolly their easiest song).
Another Day(aside from the solo)
Change of seasons intro 
Overture 1920
Innocence faded(aside from the end solo)
Take the time isnt too bad if u take ur time with it.
Surrounded.
Spirit carried on 
Wither
Count of tuscany(isnt too bad aside from when he alternate picks fast)
Pull me Under intro riff
Root of all evil (never learned it, but it doesnt sound too hard, correct me if im wrong though haha)
About to crash isnt bad either.
Under a glass moons riffs aren't too bad.

Either way Dream Theater songs aren't "easy", they take practice to get right. but you can learn so much from each of their songs =)


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## Lokasenna (Sep 22, 2014)

"Home" is pretty straightforward, and the bits that aren't are easy enough to fake your way through until it gets easy again. Also, the main riff = instant headbang.


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## thedonal (Sep 24, 2014)

Voices may be a less challenging song (for DT, at least). Though bits of the solo are fairly frantic.

I'm using The Glass Prison to improve my rhythm playing and working on those arps. I may never play them at full speed (or any faster than 120bpm), but it's bloody good practice.


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## ghostred7 (Sep 24, 2014)

A Fortune in Lies isn't too out of control. Save for the lead it's not overly difficult.


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## Bforber (Oct 1, 2014)

There are a fair amount of songs on the self-titled album that aren't particularly difficult, rhythm tracks especially. "The Bigger Picture" is pretty damn easy and "Behind the Veil" has a couple tricky passages at the end of the solo but is manageable.


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## DeathPaupiette (Oct 1, 2014)

On The Backs Of Angels is definitely doable, save for the last 16th note triplets run at the end of the solo. 
Build me Up, Break me Down is a fun song to learn on a 7, and even the solo/keyboard unison thingy doesn't sound that hard, even though I only learnt a few parts of the song at the moment.
Misunderstood also seems playable, even though the wah work on the solo is kinda scary, and there's one run or two that makes me shit my pants. 

On a side note, I'm currently trying to learn Take The Time, wish me luck ...


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## wat (Oct 1, 2014)

Lagtastic said:


> As I Am is really easy as far as the riffs are concerned. The solo is just speed, there is nothing overly difficult. It's all standard 3nps patterns. If you research the story behind that song and how it was conceived, you'll know why JP plays that solo in that specific way.





Given To Fly said:


> I'd like to know why Petrucci plays the _As I Am_ solo the way he does? All I can find is the song is about their experience touring with Queensrÿche.




This is all I can seem to find on the subject:



> Some lyrics of "As I Am" were inspired by Dream Theater's 2003 summer tour with Queensrÿche, described by Mike Portnoy as an "irksome series of shows." According to Portnoy, Queensrÿche guitarist Mike Stone tried giving John Petrucci tips on playing guitar, leading Petrucci to write the lyrics: "Don't tell me what's in, tell me how to write".



Would love to hear more about it.


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## Glosni (Oct 1, 2014)

wat said:


> This is all I can seem to find on the subject:
> 
> 
> 
> Would love to hear more about it.



I got the Biography, called "Lifting shadows". Excellent book btw., really behind-the-scenesy. Anyway, I can't remember the whole passage about the As-I-Am-backstory, but apparently the QR guitar player was literally giving John Petrucci guitar lessons (or trying to) and saying things like "Don't play so many notes all the time". Thats why the As I am solo ended up being the way it is, just this avalanche of shred


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## chopeth (Oct 1, 2014)

This one:


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## metaldoggie (Oct 3, 2014)

I use the chromatic intro riff in Erotomania as a warmup.
It's really not that difficult (especially since I can play it).


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