Neil Peart

Neil Ellwood Peart (born September 12, 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian musician and author. He is best known as the drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush.

Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, Canada (now part of St. Catharines) working the occasional odd job. However, his true ambition was to become a professional musician. At the age of 13, Peart received a pair of drumsticks, a rubber practice pad, and drum lessons with the promise that if he stuck with the lessons for one year his parents would buy him a drum kit. As promised, he received his first drumkit at 14 and soon began rigorously practicing.

During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band and eventually dropped out of high school in order to pursue his career as a full-time drummer. After a discouraging stint in England to concentrate on his music, Peart returned home, where he eventually joined local Toronto band Rush in the summer of 1974.

Early in his career, Peart's style of playing was deeply rooted in hard rock where he drew most of his inspiration from drummers such as Keith Moon and John Bonham, players who were at the forefront of the British hard rock scene. As time progressed however, he began to absorb the influence of Jazz and Big Band musicians such as Gene Krupa, and more recently, the late Buddy Rich. Peart is also one of the more recent pupils of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber. In terms of music, Peart has received many awards for his recorded performances and is widely regarded for his technical proficiency and stamina. In terms of influence, he is one of the most important drummers in history, and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time.

In addition to his profession as a musician, Peart is also a prolific writer, being the author of several published travelogues and evidenced by his position as chief lyricist for Rush. Over the years, Peart has become known for an a personal writing style and a propensity for addressing diverse subject matter including science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, as well as secular, humanitarian and libertarian themes.

On May 1, 2007, Rush released Snakes & Arrows, their eighteenth full-length studio album. Peart is currently working with the band and their crew for a Snakes & Arrows concert tour, which began in North America on June 13, 2007.

Drums

* Slingerland (1974-79)

* Tama Seisakusho (1979-86)

* Ludwig Drums (1986-94)

* Drum Workshop (1996-present)

*
o All drum finishes are a custom paint job, album logos over Black Mirra Lacquer
o Kick
+ DW 16x22"
o Toms
+ 7x8", 7x10", 8x12", 9x13" rack toms
+ 12x15", 13x15" (On Left), 16x16" floor toms
+ 16x18" floor tom, mounted on an angle (in a gong drum style)
o Snares
+ DW 3.5x13" piccolo snare
+ 6x14" Signature edge
+ 6.5x14" solid wood snare
o Hardware: 24k gold plated DW 9000 hardware & pedals (hi-hat-DW 5000 series)

Cymbals

* Avedis Zildjian (1974-2003)
o 13" A New Beat hi-hats
o 20" A Medium Crash
o 2x16" A Rock Crashes
o 18" A Medium Crash
o 22" A Ping Ride
o 8, 10" A splashes
o 19" Wuhan China cymbal
o 14" A Custom hi-hats (as X-hats, as of Test For Echo)

* Sabian Paragon signature (2004-present)
o Hi Hats: 13",14"
o Splash: 8", 2x10"
o Crash: 2x16", 18", 20"
o FX cymbals: 19", 20" Chinese, 20" Diamondback (Chinese Cymbal fitted with rivets and tambourine jingles)
o Ride: 22"

Electronics

Peart's electronic drum equipment includes:

* Roland V-Drum electronic kits (modified with DW shells to match the look of the rest of his kit)
* Roland TD-20 drum brains
* Fat Kat trigger pedals
* Digital Samplers: Akai (1984-2002), Roland XV-5080 (2004-present)
* Dauz trigger pad
* Mallet Kat
Heads

* Remo Drumheads - all Ambassador (clear or coated) in a live setting

DW CC heads on 2004 30 anv tour

Photo from http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/neil-peart.html

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Neil Peart website

Rush website