Mike Mangini
Dream Theater - United States

Overview

In 2010, Mike Mangini won the drum seat for the Progressive Rock icons Dream Theater in an audition that was captured in the internet documentary, “The Spirit Carries On.” The online release of this documentary on April 29, 2011 trended as the 2nd most popular tweet behind the Royal Wedding. Mike has made a career out of joining established artists like Dream Theater. He has worked mostly with Annihilator, Extreme, Steve Vai and U.K. The career constant for Mike while teaching, or being in a band, has been being an International Solo Drum Clinician. Although Mike is not known for being a songwriter, music engineer and producer, he is planning to release his first solo album utilizing those skills in 2018.

During his long and diverse career, he has won approximately 60 combined performance based awards, audtions, and drum contests. These individual awards have spanned musical styles from Classical, Jazz, Rock, to Heavy Metal, Solo drumming and official W.F.D. World’s Fastest Drummer records. Not included are his numerous reader’s polls top five finishes. Additionally, he was the drummer in bands that won at the state championship level in public school related orchestral, jazz and percussion ensembles that all placed 1st at the state level. Professionally, he has earned four Grammy nominations. Although he is best known for his work with heavier rock music, he has done gigs in the styles of Latin, Funk, Swing, Pop Ballads, Pop and Blues. He was one of seven drummers in the International film festival, award winning documentary, “A Drummer’s Dream,” as well as being featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Time Warp.”

Mike is a product of a solid network of family, friends and public school sports and music programs with great teachers in Waltham, Massachusetts. Although wikipedia has made the world think that Mike is from Newton, MA, Mike was only born in a Newton hospital, but is from Waltham, MA. This upbringing inspired him to work with people, to compete and to understand the value of quality teaching and influence. Mike became a private drum teacher and developed a learning system called “Rhythm Knowledge. ” It is a cognitive and computer science based learning system that also relies on his documented observations as both a student and teacher. Eventually, Mike and his philosophies got world wide attention in international drum magazines. Mike headlines international drum festivals embarks on solo drum clinic tours sponsored by his equipment endorsement companies each year demonstrating how his systems work.

As a teacher, he stared his own private instruction business and eventually taught at the Berklee College of Music for eleven years. He worked at teaching and was eventually appointed as the Percussion Department’s Student Advisor. He surpassed being just a top sought after teacher at Berklee. He finished in the top 1 to 3% of the O.C.E.’s student response ratings for college professors in the entire United States each year the ratings system was used.

In 2013, he released an award winning instructional DVD called “The Grid,” that turns musical improvisation into a science. This system can also be applied to improvising anything. Mike invented it because neither Berklee or the World had yet defined and broken down what ‘improvisation’ actually is and how it works. He showed just how correct the approach is not just by winning the Dream Theater audition, but to use it to help less skilled players improvise decentl

Links

Mike Mangini.com
www.DreamTheater.net

Equipment Configuration

2019 Dream Theater Distance Over Time Tour kit
Masterworks Series
Green Silver Fade over Tamo with Chrome Hardware
*- 8-Ply / 2 outer Tamo/6 mid Mahogany: Rounded 45 degree edges
**- 6-Ply / 2 outer Tamo/4 mid Maple: Rounded 45 degree edges
***- 6-Ply / 2 outer Tamo/4 mid Maple with 2 ply reinforcement rings: Rounded 45 degree edges
****- 6-Ply / 2 outer Tamo/4 mid Maple with 2 ply reinforcement rings: Rounded edges with 1" hoops
*****- 20-Ply / 2 outer Tamo/12 mid Maple/6 inner Birch: Standard 45 degree edges

24x18 bass drum*
10x6.2 snare**
10x8 tom **
12x10 tom ***
14x12 gong drum ****
16x14 gong drum ****
18x14 gong drum ****
20x14 gong drum ****
14x6.5 snare drum*****

6x12 Crystal Beat Rocket Tom
6x15 Crystal Beat Rocket Tom
6x18 Crystal Beat Rocket Tom
6x21 Crystal Beat Rocket Tom

A Dramatic Turn of Events Tour kit
Reference Pure
Custom Lacquer finish
26x16 bass drum
22x18 bass drum (x2)
18x16 bass drum
6x6.5 tom
8x7 tom
10x8 tom
12x9 tom
14x9 tom
16x16 floor tom
18x16 floor tom
14x5 Reference Pure Snare
10x6.5 Custom Snare Drum

Specialty Drums
20x14 gong drum
6x12 Rocket Tom
6x15 Rocket Tom
6x18 Rocket Tom
6x21 Rocket Tom

Electronics
ePro Drum Module
10x6.5 ePro tom with TruTrac Electronic Drumhead x4

MMP Masters Series
22x18 bass drum
10x8 tom
12x9 tom
14x14 floor tom
18x16 floor tom
10x6 popcorn snare drum
14x5.5 snare drum

DR501C ICON Rack x2
DR501E ICON extension x2
PCX100 clamp x5
PCX200 clamp x4
CH2000S cymbal holder x4
P2002B belt double pedal (red cams)
S2000 snare stand
CH2000 cymbal holder x2
RH2000 remote hi-hat (red cam) x2
CLH1000 closed hi-hat x2
D1000 throne
DCL300P drop clutch
TH2000S tom arms x2
TH2000I tom arm x3
AX25L adapter x2
AX25 revolving adapter x4
PS85 pedal stabilizer
CH70 cymbal holder x2
IS08N/C with BT3 mount
UX80 universal mount x2

2014 Dream Theater Tour kit
Masterworks Series
BMW Frozen Blue with Satin Hardware
*- 2 outer Mahogany/2 mid Maple/2 inner Birch: 45 degree edges
**- 4 outer Maple/2 inner Birch: Rounded 45 degree edges
***- 2 outer Mahogany/2 mid Maple/2 inner Birch: Rounded 45 degree edges
****- 2 outer Mahogany/2 mid Maple/4 inner Birch: Rounded 45 degree edges
*****- 2 outer Maple/6 inner Mahogany: Fully Rounded edges
****** 2 outer Mahogany/2 mid maple/4 inner Birch: Fully Rounded Batter edge/Flat Reso edge
******* 4 outer Maple/2 inner Birch: 45 degree edges
******** 2 outer Mahogany/2 mid Maple/2 inner Birch: 45 degree edges

22x18 bass drum x2 *
20x18 bass drum x2 *
6x7 tom **
8x7 tom ***
10x8 tom ****
12x9 tom ****
13x9 tom ****
16x16 floor tom *****
18x16 floor tom *****
14x6.5 snare drum*******
10x6.5 snare drum********

Specialty Drums
6x12 Rocket Tom
6x15 Rocket Tom
6x18 Rocket Tom
6x21 Rocket Tom
20x14 gong drum******

Electronics
ePro Drum Module
10x4 ePro tom with TruTrac Electronic Drumheads x6