Gavin Harrison here!

Hi Gavin, just wanted to say that you're one of my favourite players, and a large influence on my playing. The way you can play such complex parts, and yet make them fit so well with the music.

I love your work on The Start of Something Beautiful, especially the section starting from 4:45; that little group of 16ths on the hihat just sounds so simple, yet so 'right'.

The Sound of Muzak is another one of my favourites, especially the intro.
Can you remember which Hihats you used in that song?

I should hopefully be coming to see Porcupine Tree on the 27th in Amsterdam, if I can get tickets, although I'm not having much luck right now :(
 
Gavin, I just watched those two new clips and you absolutely made my day.

Generally I'm a bit leery of a lot of people playing big kits and double pedals and getting very involved in metric modulation and polyrhythmic playing. Usually it is all done at the expense of actually having any understanding of the nuances you can get from each surface. But I have to say, I really love what you did with the "Drum song" and the opening of "Plasson", you pretty much went through the book of different stuff you can do to draw tones from your drums, including the good old one-stick-across, one-stick-striking posture that I love and overuse on the snare.

I'm hoping that all the kids listening to Porcupine Tree and picking up on your stuff are actually getting that all this stuff is just as cool as all the metric and speed stuff you do so well. Good work, and thanks for putting that stuff on a DVD - I may have to go buy it now just to ram it home into the heads of my double-pedal-obsessed students!
 
Hey Gavin. I just checked out your videos and I love them. Really solid playing! Just a few questions of the specs cause I love the sound. Do you have info on your kit somewhere? Like the cymbals, drums, heads you use on Plasson?
 
It was odd... I was at my drum lessons, and my teacher asked me if I had heard of Gavin Harrison. I said that I had heard the name. Well, we watched some videos, and I was amazed. I went home, signed onto drummerworld, and here you were! I told my teacher that you were on this site, talking to people, and he almost shat himself :>)

I cant remember which songs I watched you play, but they were amazing. Your ghost notes were flawless.
 
I'm sure it was your intent exactly, but that Plasson video pretty much made me want to buy your DVD like now. Awesome stuff.
 
Hey Gavin,

On the song So Called Friend, there seems to be some other percussion going on during the verses. Is that a keyboard or some kind of sample? It sounds really busy and when i watched the live video I didn't see you playing anything so I assumed it was coming from Barbieri.

KW
 
I have never heard of you before this site and once I saw FUTILE, my mouth dropped! You are incredible that song reminds me of something Johnathan Mover would play with some of the odd time stuff, was he an influence, just wondering? But I am definitelty a huge fan of yours now are those songs that you did on the site available on CD? Keep up the great playing man!
 
Hi jamsjr44,
thanks for the comments!! Glad you're enjoying my drumming. The original version of Futile was recorded as a promo single and is currently available as a download from my band's website www.porcupinetree.com
I have to confess that I'm not familiar with Johnathan Mover's work. What would be a good place to start with his recorded performances?

Cheers
Gavin
 
hey Gavin how are you doing?

well i'm 18 years old and i been playin drums for about 9 years now and i wanted some advice on following a carrer in drumming and the things that you should do and stuff... right now all i really want to do is play the drums i just graduated high school and i want to go to a music college now but i want some adivice on wats the best move to becomin a professional drummer... so any words of wisdom and encouragement are welcomed and also any facts that might not leave me so happy lol
 
Batera945 said:
hey Gavin how are you doing?

well i'm 18 years old and i been playin drums for about 9 years now and i wanted some advice on following a carrer in drumming and the things that you should do and stuff... right now all i really want to do is play the drums i just graduated high school and i want to go to a music college now but i want some adivice on wats the best move to becomin a professional drummer... so any words of wisdom and encouragement are welcomed and also any facts that might not leave me so happy lol

Good question; its always best to ask the pros.

Im waiting for this answer, too.
 
Batera945 said:
hey Gavin how are you doing?

well i'm 18 years old and i been playin drums for about 9 years now and i wanted some advice on following a carrer in drumming and the things that you should do and stuff... right now all i really want to do is play the drums i just graduated high school and i want to go to a music college now but i want some adivice on wats the best move to becomin a professional drummer... so any words of wisdom and encouragement are welcomed and also any facts that might not leave me so happy lol

Well for starters since you live in best you have one of the best music schools in the world in our back yard - BERKLEE! Have you thought about trying to get in? Also practice, practice, practice....
 
Gavin Harrison said:
Hi jamsjr44,
thanks for the comments!! Glad you're enjoying my drumming. The original version of Futile was recorded as a promo single and is currently available as a download from my band's website www.porcupinetree.com
I have to confess that I'm not familiar with Johnathan Mover's work. What would be a good place to start with his recorded performances?

Cheers
Gavin

http://www.jonathanmover.com/ has some very good examples of his playing. And he does have a page on this site as well.
 
Hi Batera945,
Like you, I really wanted to be a 'professional drummer' - that is to say make a living at it. My Dad was a professional musician and that really helped with my attitude to it. Being prepared is the key thing. Learn to read (I've done top 40 bands, wedding bands, big bands, ballroom dance bands, theatre show deps and sessions that all required a pretty good standard of reading). Practise all styles of music - go out and get some jazz, funk, big band, country, Pop, folk, be bop, reggae, dixieland trad and play along to those records and try to 'fit in' convincingly. To make a living at this you're going to have to be super versatile. Get GREAT at playing with a click - most of the jobs I do now require you to play to a click - but REALLY well.
Meet as many musicians as you can - and try to do every gig that's offered to you - even if you don't particularly like the music - and even if it’s for little or no money. You never know where the job might lead....and be a very accommodating person - never show up late - and make sure you've done your homework.
When I would get a chance to do an audition - I would go out and get some of the albums of the artist or band I was auditioning for (a couple of weeks in advance if possible) and play along to their records. I would write out some of the trickier songs and practise them hard.
I was amazed to find out sometimes during the audition that I was the only drummer that they auditioned who had bothered to REALLY learn the material.

cheers
Gavin
 
thanks Gavin... right now that is what i'm trying to do. learn a lot of different styles and play with a lot of different musicians... I'm lookin for a place to study where i can learn to read... that has been my downfall.. because i have good ears and can pick up a groove really easy but i'm horrible at readin so i really gotta work on that... i guess for you to become a pro drummer you just have to be able to trust ur instincts and go whre drums may lead and in the end hope the path u took is the right one, if not make the best out of it... thank you very much for your advice and good luck on everything
 
jamsjr44 said:
Well for starters since you live in best you have one of the best music schools in the world in our back yard - BERKLEE! Have you thought about trying to get in? Also practice, practice, practice....

Yeah i'm thinking about it but its so expensive and i wanst born here which makes it harded i been here for ten years and am not yet a citizen ! which really sucks for me cuz i barely know the culture in brazil (execpt for samba which i luv playing lol) but i am tryin to c wat i can do about all that and maybe start there in may of next year.... If I can do that then I will be VERY HAPPY lol.. i pass by there every now and then and just dream! lol
 
Batera945,
You might want to consider starting small and going to a community college first. Berklee can be intimidating, cuz there are so many musicians there that already know how to read. You would probably get swallowed up very easily. Your best bet is to start small and work you way up to it. There are many excellent percussion and drum teachers in the most remote places. You dont always have to go to the biggest and the best to find what your looking for. I have been playing 16 years and just started to seriously read for about 5. I started at a community college with a patient man. Now i am in a percussion ensemble and my community symphonic band. The professers at Berklee expect a level of knowledge, and if you dont have that knowledge at this time, they might not want to be as patient as you might like. Take stock in the fact that you know you have in it you to be an excellent musician and make small steps each day to become that. Best of luck and God bless.

MM
 
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