Avenged Sevenfold · Dream Theater

Play drums likeMike Portnoy

American drummer (born 1967)

The songs with Mike Portnoy on drums, to play on your own kit: Nightmare, Save Me and So Far Away and more. The notes come down in time with each recording, and every hit is judged — so you find out how close you get to the real part.

Start with So Far Away

The easiest of their songs here · no download · free in your browser

Mike Portnoy playing drums — Photo: Birgit Fostervold, CC BY-SA 4.0

2bands
Mediumeasiest — So Far Away
113average BPM
152fastest — Honor Thy Father

Songs with Mike Portnoy on drums

NightmareAvenged Sevenfold

Save MeAvenged Sevenfold

So Far AwayAvenged Sevenfold

As I AmDream Theater

Honor Thy FatherDream Theater

Panic AttackDream Theater More Avenged Sevenfold songsSearch the whole library in the app More Dream Theater songsSearch the whole library in the app

How to play drums like Mike Portnoy

Start with So Far Away — the easiest of their parts here (medium), at 76 BPM. Take it at 0.75× until the groove sits.
Learn it part by part. The Trainer splits a song into its beats and fills, hands first and then the kick, from 70% up to full speed.
Work up to Panic Attack: 4,476 notes in 7:16. Switch on the Easy level to take its hardest notes out, then switch it off.
Check every hit — on time, early or late — and watch your score climb run by run.

The bands

Playing Mike Portnoy's drum parts: questions

What songs does Mike Portnoy play drums on?

On DRUMY you can play along to the songs with Mike Portnoy on drums: Nightmare (Avenged Sevenfold), Save Me (Avenged Sevenfold), So Far Away (Avenged Sevenfold), As I Am (Dream Theater), Honor Thy Father (Dream Theater) and Panic Attack (Dream Theater).

What is the easiest Mike Portnoy song to play on drums?

So Far Away by Avenged Sevenfold — rated medium, at 76 BPM. Play it at 0.75× first, or on the Easy level with the hardest notes taken out.

What is Mike Portnoy's hardest drum part here?

Panic Attack: 4,476 notes in 7:16, rated extreme. The fastest is Honor Thy Father at 152 BPM.

How do I learn to play drums like Mike Portnoy?

Pick one of their songs and open the Trainer: it teaches the song part by part — the beats, the fills, then the joins — hands first and then the kick, from 70% speed up to full speed, on your own electronic kit.