John Petrucci
Main Band
Dream Theater
Main Guitar
Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Signature
#1 SONG
Pull Me Under
THE SOLO
The Best Of Times
THE RIFF
Under A Glass Moon
| Birth Name | John Peter Petrucci |
| Birth Place | Kings Park, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Age | 58 (Born July 12, 1967) |
| Years Playing | 50 (started playing 1975) |
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| Genres | Heavy Metal |
| Influences | |
| Collaborations | , |
| Net Worth | US$ 10,000,000 |
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John Petrucci Biography
Career Highlights
John Petrucci is arguably the most proficient, and versatile guitarist in progressive metal. His incredible sense of melody helps create epic soundscapes within songs that take the listener on magical sonic journeys. While the precision and speed of his alternate pickingAlternate picking involves striking the string with both downstrokes and upstrokes in a continuous motion. It enhances speed and precision. Guitarists use this technique for rapid note sequences. technique is a thing of beauty that leaves us mere mortal guitarists in complete awe.
Star is born
John Peter Petrucci was born in Kings Park, Long Island, New York, on July 12, 1967. He started playing guitar at age 8, but soon gave up, however at age 12, influenced by Steve Morse, Steve Howe, Al Di Meola, Randy Rhoads, and Allan Holdsworth, among others, he took the instrument far more seriously.
After graduating high school, he decided to study at Berklee College of Music, Boston with a friend from school, bassist John Myung. While there, they ran into drummer Mike Portnoy, and the three joined forces to become Majesty, which would later morph into Dream Theater.
Rise and Fame
For the last three decades and 15 studio albums, John and the rest of Dream Theater have been on a musically rewarding and extremely successful journey to become one of the premier progressive metal bands on the planet.
Among the myriad of awards the band has won over the years including a Grammy for Best Metal Performance for The Alien, some of the most important to John are those voted for by fans. These include the 2019 Guitar World Readers Poll, in which he won Album of the Decade – Distance Over Time, Riff of the Decade – Paralyzed, and Guitar Solo of the Decade – S2N.
John is not only incredibly talented in front of a microphone, but also behind one, and has produced or co-produced every Dream Theater album since 1999. And he’s also a lyricist, having written the lyrics to more of the band’s songs than any other member.
Along with his roles in Dream Theater, John has also released two acclaimed solo albums and three albums with Liquid Tension Experiment featuring members of Dream Theater and legendary bassist Tony Levin. He has also been part of Joe Satriani’s G3 tour on multiple occasions, in fact, after Satriani and Vai, he has played more G3 shows than any other guitarist.
Now
John is currently writing and recording Dream Theater’s next album, as yet untitled. So, get ready for more guitar mastery and amazement from this phenomenal guitarist and his bandmates.
John Petrucci Techniques
Right Hand
Alternate PickingAlternate picking involves striking the string with both downstrokes and upstrokes in a continuous motion. It enhances speed and precision. Guitarists use this technique for rapid note sequences., Economy PickingEconomy picking combines alternate picking and sweep picking for efficiency. It reduces hand movement. Guitarists use it to play fast, smooth passages., FingerstyleFingerstyle involves plucking strings directly with fingers instead of a pick. It allows complex, polyphonic music. This technique is common in classical and folk guitar., Hybrid PickingHybrid picking combines a pick and fingers for plucking strings. It allows versatile and dynamic playing. Guitarists use it to mix picking and fingerstyle techniques., Palm MutingPalm muting involves lightly resting the palm on the strings near the bridge. It creates a dampened, rhythmic sound. This technique is common in rock and metal music., Sweep PickingOther Techniques
ArpeggioAn arpeggio is playing the notes of a chord sequentially. It creates a broken chord sound. This technique is used in various musical genres., Finger VibratoFinger vibrato involves oscillating the finger on a fret. It adds expressiveness to notes. This technique is essential for emotional playing., HarmonicsHarmonics involve lightly touching the string at specific points to produce bell-like tones. They add tonal variety. This technique is used for special sound effects. Harmonics can be natural or artificial, depending on the method used., Heavy Effects UsageHeavy effects usage involves applying multiple effects pedals to alter the guitar's sound. It creates unique sonic textures. This technique is popular in experimental music. For example, Steve Vai, not Keith Richards., LegatoLegato technique connects notes smoothly without breaks. It often uses hammer-ons and pull-offs. This technique creates fluid, connected melodies., TappingTapping involves hammering on and pulling off notes with both hands on the fretboard. It allows rapid, intricate melodies. This technique is popular in rock and metal., Volume SwellVolume swell involves gradually increasing the volume using the guitar's volume knob or a pedal. It creates a smooth, crescendo effect. This technique adds dynamic range., Whammy BarTechniques Breakdown
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Vibrato, Articulation, Palm Muting
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High-Speed Alternate Picking, Using Varied Note Sequences, 5th, 6th and Octave Intervals, Arpeggios
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Pedal Tones, Adding Open strings to Chords
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Three-string Extended Power Chords, Unorthodox Ways of Navigating Scale Positions
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One and Two String Scales, Playing in 3 Octaves
John Petrucci Gear
Guitars
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Amps
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Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus 2 x 12-inch
Best Money No Object Clean Amp for “Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper” Tone -
Roland JC-22 Jazz Chorus
Best Budget Clean Amp for “Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper” Tone -
Signal Processing
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TC Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay
Best Money No Object Delay for John Petrucci’s super wide guitar tone -
TC Electronic Flashback 2 Mini Delay
Best Budget Delay for John Petrucci’s super wide guitar tone -
Dunlop JP95 John Petrucci Signature Cry Baby Wah
Best Money No Object Pedal for John Petrucci’s Wah tone -
Vox V845 Classic Wah
Best Budget Pedal for John Petrucci’s Wah tone
Accessories
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John Petrucci Tone Focus
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Song - Lost Not Forgotten
Guitars
Amps
John Petrucci Videos
Note that you can move away from this tab and continue to listen to the video. Enjoying reading about your favorite guitarists while enjoying their skills.
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Why did John Petrucci become a Guitarist?
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What are John Petrucci’s Favourite Riffs?
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John Petrucci teaches you all his tricks!
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John Petrucci's Live Explanation of how he thinks about and gets his tone
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Proof of Petrucci's Amazing Versatility
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Petrucci Performs With One of His Influences
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Amazing Live Solo by Petrucci
John Petrucci Guitar Tabs
Here are some GND selected tabs with our difficulty ratings to help you choose what challenge level is right for you.
One of my absolute favorite guitarists. Incredible speed and accuracy. And to check his melodic abilities…listen to The Best of Time solo. Out of this world. I wish Petrucci did even more acoustic work…because he has the skill for that. Check the “Another Day” acoustic live version from the Video tab. It’s amazing. Both the playing and singing. I also think he could produce even more amazing riffs…I guess I’m kind of a old-fashioned simple guy who sometimes gets overwhelmed listening Petrucci’s complex but amazing playing, haha