Dream theater

[Auron]

never listened to them before heard downloaded some free stuff from internet off their site and heard about them and started to like them.
I got their DVD and was inspired and want to know what modes and theory and stuff they use it sounds way more complex like I can't decide if it's a major or minor key and they sound like they switch keys a lot?

[SLY]

Oh yeah, they're very complex technicaly and theoreticaly !

They almost used all of the scales I know starting from the basic Major modes , pentatonic , chromatic & exotic scales as well.

It would be very hard if you tried to analyze all of their songs, but it worth it if you realy wanna be great at theory stuff.

If you like exotic scales, try Cacophony , Jason Becker & Marty Friedman stuff ... They're realy great.

[aiwass]

Atcually, Dream Theater don't use that many scales. They just change keys alot. The most common scales in their music are the modes of the major scale (minor, phrygian, you get the idea.... the regular scales), just like everyone else, sometimes they use the harmonic minor scale for songs like Home and Fatal Tragedy. Other eccentricities are the extensive use of the chromatic scale (Erotomania, A Change of Seasons, the scary-ass bass solo on Dance of Eternity, and Petrucci's solo on Under A Glass Moon), and the whole-tone scale (some parts of Dance of Eternity). For Petrucci's solos, just use lots of Lydian and Natural minor, and sometimes pentatonics and chromatics.

[N4Player]

You should check out JP's mp3 solos on his site. Fatal Tragedy is pretty wicked. http://johnpetrucci.com

[aiwass]

I'm playing that song with my band at the moment, and I play the solo. I want to kill John Petrucci...