John Petrucci

Progressive metal's master architect of precision, melody and endurance

John Petrucci grew up on Long Island, in Kings Park, New York, and picked up the guitar seriously as a teenager after an early false start. He became famous for his discipline, practising for hours every day with a metronome as he worked through rock, fusion and classical material. In the mid-1980s he went to Berklee College of Music in Boston with his childhood friend, bassist John Myung, and there the pair met drummer Mike Portnoy. The three formed a band called Majesty, which would soon be renamed Dream Theater.

Dream Theater's 1989 debut, When Dream and Day Unite, made little commercial impact, but the arrival of singer James LaBrie led to Images and Words in 1992. Helped by the radio and MTV success of Pull Me Under, it turned the band into the flagship act of the new progressive metal scene. Petrucci's long, intricately built solos, often doubled in unison with the keyboard lines, became a defining part of the band's sound. Awake followed in 1994 and Falling into Infinity in 1997, and all the while Petrucci was also writing a large share of the lyrics.

At the end of the decade Dream Theater took charge of their own recordings. Starting with the concept album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory in 1999, Petrucci and Portnoy produced the band's records together. Petrucci also recorded two instrumental albums with Liquid Tension Experiment, a side project with Portnoy, Tony Levin and Jordan Rudess. In 2001 he joined Joe Satriani and Steve Vai on the G3 tour, and he would go on to play more G3 tours than any other guest. His first solo album, Suspended Animation, came out in 2005.

Portnoy left Dream Theater in 2010, leaving Petrucci as the band's sole producer and its main creative guide. Mike Mangini took over on drums for more than a decade of albums and world tours. In 2020 Petrucci released his second solo album, Terminal Velocity, and a third Liquid Tension Experiment record appeared in 2021. The song The Alien then earned Dream Theater a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. Portnoy rejoined the band in late 2023, and the reunited classic line-up released Parasomnia in 2025.

The 10 greatest John Petrucci solos

1. 1
   Under a Glass Moon

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1992
2. 2
   Another Day

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1992
3. 3
   The Spirit Carries On

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1999
4. 4
   Metropolis—Part I: "The Miracle and the Sleeper

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1992
5. 5
   The Count of Tuscany

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 2009
6. 6
   Octavarium

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 2005
7. 7
   Glasgow Kiss

   John Petrucci · solo by John Petrucci · 2005
8. 8
   Hollow Years

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1997
9. 9
   Lines in the Sand

   Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1997
10. 10
    The Glass Prison

    Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 2002

The sound

Petrucci's playing combines athletic, strictly alternate-picked runs with a surprisingly lyrical sense of melody. He builds solos like compositions: a singable theme, then sequenced scale patterns, then sweep-picked arpeggios and fast legato bursts that land on a strong resolution. His rhythm work is just as recognisable, with tight palm-muted riffs in odd meters, heavy use of seven-string guitars and chugging passages locked to the kick drum. His tone is a saturated but articulate Mesa/Boogie lead sound, often with delay behind it, and it stays clear even at extreme speeds. Unison lines with the keyboards are one of his trademarks.

• Ernie Ball Music Man JP6 / JP7 (guitar) His signature model since the early 2000s. It became one of the best-selling signature guitars ever made, in six- and seven-string versions.
• Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty (guitar) A sleek neck-through signature design that has been his main stage and studio guitar in the 2010s and 2020s.
• Ibanez seven-string models (guitar) His main guitars from 1995 to 1999, before his move to Music Man.
• Mesa/Boogie Mark series (amp) The Mark IIC+ and later Mark heads are the core of his classic lead sound.
• Mesa/Boogie JP-2C (amp) His signature amp, a modern reissue of the Mark IIC+ circuit built to his specifications.
• TC Electronic Dreamscape (effect) A signature modulation pedal with his favourite chorus and flanger settings.
• Dunlop Cry Baby wah (JP95) (effect) His signature wah, used for expressive peaks in solos.

Covers

• Perfect Strangers, originally by Deep Purple A heavier, more modern-sounding version that nods to his debt to Ritchie Blackmore.
• The Rover / Achilles Last Stand / The Song Remains the Same, originally by Led Zeppelin A live medley in which he captures Jimmy Page's layered guitar arrangements in real time.
• Master of Puppets (full album), originally by Metallica Dream Theater played the whole thrash landmark live, with Petrucci handling the Hammett and Hetfield parts.
• The Number of the Beast (full album), originally by Iron Maiden A full live album cover in which he covers both of Maiden's twin-guitar parts.
• The Dark Side of the Moon (full album), originally by Pink Floyd A reverent live reading that shows his gift for David Gilmour-style phrasing.
• Made in Japan (full album), originally by Deep Purple A live tribute to the Blackmore-era classic, improvisations included.
• Stargazer, originally by Rainbow A faithful but thunderous take on Blackmore's neoclassical epic.
• Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two, originally by King Crimson He takes on Robert Fripp's angular riffing with obvious relish.

Timeline

• 1967 Born on 12 July in Kings Park, New York
• 1985 Forms Majesty with John Myung and Mike Portnoy at Berklee; the band soon becomes Dream Theater
• 1989 Dream Theater release their debut, When Dream and Day Unite
• 1992 Images and Words and the hit Pull Me Under make Dream Theater a major act
• 1998 Liquid Tension Experiment releases its first album
• 1999 Co-produces Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory with Mike Portnoy
• 2001 Tours with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai on G3 for the first time
• 2005 Releases his first solo album, Suspended Animation
• 2011 Produces A Dramatic Turn of Events alone after Portnoy's departure
• 2020 Releases his second solo album, Terminal Velocity

Facts

1. As a young player he practised about six hours a day, usually with a metronome.
2. He met John Myung as a boy on Long Island, and the two stayed bandmates for decades.
3. Dream Theater's original name, Majesty, had to be changed because another band already used it.
4. He has written a large share of Dream Theater's lyrics as well as its music.
5. He also sings baritone backing vocals for the band.
6. His Music Man JP6 is one of the best-selling signature guitar models in the world.
7. He has played more G3 tours than any other guitarist invited by Joe Satriani.
8. He played Ibanez guitars from 1995 to 1999 before moving to Music Man.
9. Dream Theater have performed several famous albums by other bands in full, live, as surprise sets.
10. His wife, Rena Sands, is also a guitarist.

Sources

• Wikipedia: John Petrucci