John Myung

John Ro Myung (born on January 24, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) is a bassist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater.

Born in Chicago to Korean parents, Myung grew up in Kings Park, Long Island, New York. He played the violin from the age of five until he was asked to play electric bass in a local band when he was fifteen. He stuck with bass from then on, and after graduating from high school he enrolled at the Berklee College of Music, where he and high school friend John Petrucci (guitar) met future band mate Mike Portnoy (drums). The three of them formed the band Majesty with another friend from high school, keyboardist Kevin Moore, and vocalist Chris Collins. They would later be known as Dream Theater.

Though Dream Theater is his primary focus musically, he has appeared in a number of other projects through his career. His first non-Dream Theater venture was in the pop-prog band Platypus with Rod Morgenstein, Ty Tabor and ex-Dream Theater bandmate Derek Sherinian. He is also a member of Jelly Jam, which consists of the same line-up as Platypus, but without Sherinian. John's main influences include Chris Squire, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Cliff Burton, and their respective bands Yes, Iron Maiden, Rush, and Metallica.

Apart from his membership in these bands, he has appeared as a guest on numerous records.

John is married to Lisa Martens Pace, a bass player in the all-female heavy metal band Meanstreak. Two other members of the band, Rena Sands and Marlene Apuzzo are married to Dream Theater members: John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy, respectively.

John is a Christian and open about his religion in interviews - Jordan Rudess confirmed this in a post on his forum.

See John Myung bass tip bass technique on VDO bar above

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John Myung website

Dream theater website

John Myung Instrumedley Part 1 Live at Budokan


John Myung Instrumedley Part 2 Live at Budokan