John Myung opinions

MikeyFingers · #1 03-08-2006, 10:53 PM

I've heard some severely different opinions of this guy, ranging from "he's a bass god" to "he just sucks".
Personally, I think he's a great bass player. Very over-rated, but still a great player. Lots of times his stuff adds just the right little something to the song, other times you can't hear him at all, and other times he's annoying. But overall, he's really good IMO.
So, what do you guys think?

Suckbird · #2 03-08-2006, 11:09 PM

john myung is very underrated.

I've heard people on this board say "he doesn't do anything what half this forum couldn't.." and "i know people who only practice for a half hour a day and blow john myung out of the water"..

this is all bull****, a proper warm-up takes an half hour.

and i dont think half this board who worships geddy lee's skills on the bass could play straight 16th note scale runs over 200bpm...

i think some people on this board underrates john myung and are on
the same time overrating the people on this board..

i've yet to hear somebody on this board say "i blow jm out of the water" only other people who says there are...

also, john myung is solid as hell... he plays stupid rhythms around stupid drum beats and he does everything perfectly on time on the same time as he can groove and shred like hell(even though he doesn't show it often in his music)...

i would say, john myung is definitely an amazing bass player and he plays what the song needs and if you think he sucks then maybe you should ask your self how good geddy lee, steve harris, cliff burton, geezer butler and a million other bassists really are...

because the thruth is that skill-wise john myung blows them all out of the water and if you know somebody who practices for a half hour a day and blows jm out of the water then i wanna hear his band playing, bassists like jm always have work and these half hour bassists seems to be a couple of the greatest bassists who exists...

face it, john myung doesn't suck and if you think so then probably every single bassists on this board who is never going to be anywhere close as succesful in bassplaying sucks unbelievable hard...

James Hart · #3 03-08-2006, 11:47 PM

a player is only as good as the song.

The only DT I'll listen to is actually LTE. It's not any reflection on John, I own his instruction vid... I just REALLY cannot stand the singer in DT!

AxtoOx · #4 03-09-2006, 12:07 AM

Touchy aren't we? (Referring to Suckbird.)

I'm not a Dream Theater Fan, I like "Hold me Under", but I had to look up who he was. He's good but he's made no impact on my life either way.

Baryonyx · #5 03-09-2006, 12:32 AM

He's an alright band player, but his solo chops in both playing and compostion really don't blow me away. But I think Geddy is far more talnted than John.

chronicfreeze · #6 03-09-2006, 12:57 AM

John Myung is a great player. I think what's happened over the course of the past several DT albums his playing blends too much into the mix with the guitar. Check out DT's "When Day & Dream Unite"; by far their best album and Myung's best chops.

currentbuzz · #7 03-09-2006, 02:05 AM

JM does not suck at all... and comparing him to other bassist i think is not proper each bassist has its own style and distinction.

i listen to a lot of Jimmy Haslip, John Patitucci & Anthony Jackson for the moment also some Alain Caron stuff, so im not really into DT but i heard him play before and seen him live i must say this guy has the endurance that probably most bassist do not have (my opinion)

And his solos BTW are not only technically brilliant but musically done as well as it fits thru the arrangement of the songs.. compared to the flashy-non-sense stuffs Billy Sheehan does on every concert he does and the repetetive pattern Geddy Lee does on his solos...sorry i have to say those last comments

for all those Billy Sheehan and Geddy Lee wannabees out there peace out! and yes i can't help it i just compared bassist

f'nar f'nar · #8 03-09-2006, 04:18 AM

John Myung is great, whether you like DT or not it doesn't detract from his skill with the Bass. And lets be honest, alot of people bag him cause he's alot freakin better than they are (im not saying its anyone here, so far alot of people have had legitimate reasons, but alot of people are just envious wankers that I have spoken to in person!)

PeppermanL2K · #9 03-09-2006, 06:44 AM

JM is an outstanding bassist. He understands his role is not to be in the front of the band but to keep up with Mike Portnoy. Underrated? perhaps. Overrated? I don't think so. Wanker? Definitely NOT! As Currentbuzz has mentioned, his solos are tasteful and appropriate to the song. Leave the rest to the 'soloists'.

Is he my #1? No. That spot is reserved for the Ox. But, he's among my favorites. I really like his work in the Jelly Jam. Whether you like DT or not, give the guy props!

And, in the interest of full disclosure, I am a DT fan.

CrazyArcher · #10 03-09-2006, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f'nar f'nar

John Myung is great, whether you like DT or not it doesn't detract from his skill with the Bass. And lets be honest, alot of people bag him cause he's alot freakin better than they are (im not saying its anyone here, so far alot of people have had legitimate reasons, but alot of people are just envious wankers that I have spoken to in person!)

So damn true! I'm not a fan of DT at all (don't get the point behind the weird timing) and can't listen to them for more than 10 mins, but if we take John out of the DT context - he's amazing! I wish I could play like he can in 20 years, or my entire life...

(Okay, i probably shouldnt take it so hard)

PS: Petrucci is the wanker of DT IMO!!!

Petary791 · #11 03-09-2006, 07:42 AM

I personally think that John Myung is an amazing bassist and song-writer. People assume that Petrucci writes everything. Think again.

superbassman2000 · #12 03-09-2006, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AxtoOx

Touchy aren't we? (Referring to Suckbird.)

I'm not a Dream Theater Fan, I like "Hold me Under", but I had to look up who he was. He's good but he's made no impact on my life either way.

i agree...you can't deny he has talent, but i am really not a fan of that genre though

d8g3jdh · #13 03-09-2006, 01:06 PM

He rocks, and I'll be seeing that first-hand in a couple weeks!

Marcus · #14 03-09-2006, 01:15 PM

He's an amazing bassist that compliments the musical environment he exists in, unlike many who would go against it just to show off their ability.

Redhotbassist · #15 03-09-2006, 01:19 PM

Love his bass playing, plays what needs to be added to the song, and has some great fingerstyle chops, also very modest.

willkt6 · #16 03-09-2006, 01:24 PM

What can I say about John Myung? He IS god. He plays tastefully most of the time, but he also can go nuts! He adds lead bass lines (Voices, Glass Prison), riffs (Home, Strange Deja Vu) and NUTS solos (Dance of Eternity, Ytse Jam, Metropolis pt. 1). He is also a very tight player, each note is perfectly formed and it does not sound messy at all. The man is a machine!

Rusty Chainsaw · #17 03-09-2006, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willkt6

What can I say about John Myung? He IS god. He plays tastefully most of the time, but he also can go nuts! He adds lead bass lines (Voices, Glass Prison), riffs (Home, Strange Deja Vu) and NUTS solos (Dance of Eternity, Ytse Jam, Metropolis pt. 1). He is also a very tight player, each note is perfectly formed and it does not sound messy at all. The man is a machine!

Exactly - and that's the only problem I have with the guy. His playing, to me, is fairly soulless. Technically amazing, impeccable sense of time, but I just can't "feel" his playing (and this is from someone who is a big prog fan). I think it's the imperfections that give music its feel, and Dream Theater don't do imperfections!

This is pretty much exactly what I said about Alain Caron in that other thread that I ended up getting flamed for...

kenlacam · #18 03-09-2006, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by currentbuzz

JM does not suck at all... and comparing him to other bassist i think is not proper each bassist has its own style and distinction.

i listen to a lot of Jimmy Haslip, John Patitucci & Anthony Jackson for the moment also some Alain Caron stuff, so im not really into DT but i heard him play before and seen him live i must say this guy has the endurance that probably most bassist do not have (my opinion)

And his solos BTW are not only technically brilliant but musically done as well as it fits thru the arrangement of the songs.. compared to the flashy-non-sense stuffs Billy Sheehan does on every concert he does and the repetetive pattern Geddy Lee does on his solos...sorry i have to say those last comments

for all those Billy Sheehan and Geddy Lee wannabees out there peace out! and yes i can't help it i just compared bassist

I totally agree with you.
John Myung is a great bass player. I feel that he is highly under-rated, and there are a lot of Myung-haters, who probably can't do half of what he does half as well as he can do in his sleep. I understand that some people prefer Geddy Lee, or Billy Sheehan, but that does not take away from the awesome talents of John Myung. IMO

SomecallmeTim · #19 03-09-2006, 06:05 PM

There's been a great deal of discussion on this before, but yeah, I like JM quite a bit. I'm not sure where the random hate toward him comes from, just as I'm not sure where the random hate toward Billy Sheehan and Geddy Lee is coming from in some of these posts either.

ianlightsfires · #20 03-09-2006, 06:52 PM

I can understand people who don't like his playing, but the guy can trade solos at speed with Petrucci and Rudess; that alone is pretty impressive to me.