Since time immemorial, bass players around the world have more often than not been unacknowledged for their role in the band, so much so that an untrained ear might even unaware of its presence, even leading many to think of the presence of a bassist in a band as completely arbitrary. While the claim that you don't really need a bassist, if overstretched and in dire circumstances, is technically somewhat kinda true, it is also true that you can eat your toast unbuttered, but neither seem like life choices that any person in their right mind would voluntarily pick, and the folks at Ultimate-Guitar.com like their toast well buttered.

Following is an excerpt from a new UG article where they explore the reasons why Dream Theater's John Myung "is at least an eight-fold master in the art of bass playing."

"It is obvious that Dream Theater could not have become the ultimate progressive metal band without bucketfuls of talent, drive, and perhaps most importantly, passion, in addition to simple diligence, all of which are also exemplified in its founding member John Myung. He is a masterful musician who's not afraid of taking the spotlight from time to time and making use of it in the best way possible, he arguably shines the most as a rock-solid musical foundation upon which the magic of Dream Theater is woven, both on-stage and in the writing room. Myung is very conscious of the bassist's role and seems to actually enjoy his instrument's more intermediate way of expression, as we can see in a previous interview. When asked why he didn't do more on-stage solos, he said: 'I'm not a solo guy. I play bass to play with people. I don't feel like I have to solo, which is why I don't.'"

Read the complete story here.