Gavin Harrison here!

Hey Gavin!

I just wanted to start by saying thanks for the transcription of the one figure from "Illusion," it was really helpful. Also, your podcasts have been quite entertaining to listen to, as well as a great way to pass the time for me the last couple times I rebuilt my kit at home after gigging out and about. (My kit takes in general more than a half hour to put together what with my 7 drums, 13 cymbals, double bass pedal and Cobra Clutch, plus a bunch of fancy hardware.) The interviews were also very informative and a great learning experience.

Question wise, I've recently gotten into some of, well actually ALL of your works with Ed Poole. I only learned a few days ago that you recorded way more than just the couple tunes you've shared on Facebook, being "Gnu" and one of my favorites, "Goofy." (I've never heard a pattern before like in the beginning of "Gnu" with the off-sixteenth hi hat hits every other sixteenth, plus the rhythmic illusions during the fill sections were fascinating to analyze and work through. Also, the ride section on "Goofy" is just fantastic, especially the groupings of five with your RLRRL sicking sometimes a RLRLL thrown in as well.)

Getting more to the point, only today did I discover that the drum tracks for the tunes "Lock Stock" (2009) and "Whassup?" (2010) are in most, if not all aspects completely alike. I first noticed this when I came across a section during the ride patterns of both that had a recognizable illusion from your song with 05Ric, "Source," during the chorus. (The off- sixteenths as in.) Upon further examination, I found that fills, little nuances, even entire 8 bar grooves were exactly the same between both pieces. What I'm wondering is, what's the story behind this? The tunes are even in the same key. Clearly "Lock Stock" was recorded first. I'm just curious to know what the reasoning behind this is.

Thanks for answering as always.
Cheers -- Peter
 
Hi Gavin,

I wanted to ask you something about your live situation with PT.
You said you don't play with a click and you talk your way through the song.
But how do you do it without any reference to the tempo or tempo variances?
 
Good morning Gavin. Are you staying around for the private after party/jam on Saturday evening at the London Drum Show? (Annual artist/exhibitor bash held in a pub over the road from Olympia, & hosted by Yolanda Charles). I have more than a passing interest in your reply ;)
 
Hi Audiopat

I don't have a question as such, just wanted to suck up a bit and say thank you for taking time to participate in this forum and being so accessible, I'm just really sorry I missed your clinic tours you did here in South Africa! Actually, I do have a question: Did you enjoy your time here in our country and do you plan on coming again, either with PT or on a clinic tour?

I had a great time and I hope I can come back for more. No plans right at the moment.

Hi DsDrummer

I just watched this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHeXwSun69s of you talking about how music has changed from when you were a kid to nowadays. I was just curious if you have any other ideas on how young musicians like myself can change how things are now, and make people more aware of how important music is and that it isn't just background noise.

I think there are a lot more distractions these days which makes it harder for anyone but the most dedicated listener. So you need to be more disciplined about practising and listening.

Hi BrianBjur

My latest question is less technical, I was curious to know if you have any "pet-peeves" when it comes to musicians.

players with bad senses of time. Makes my job a lot harder and takes away the fun and joy of grooving.

Hi JimFiore

I understand that your first progressive rock gig was with Renaissance in the the early 1980s and I believe also your first US tour(?).

Yes that's correct. 1983

Do you have any good memories of that tour or lessons learned you'd like to share (things to do or to avoid)? I liked Terry Sullivan's drum parts but Annie Haslam's voice was just other worldly (saw them a couple times in the late 1970s).

I have lots of good memories about touring the States for the first time and seeing so many amazing places (that I had only seen on TV or film up until then).

Hi Dynamic

I'm a huge fan of your work, and I've been learning your stuff like crazy. I came across "Bonnie the Cat" the other day. To me it didn't sound like an odd time, I learned it pretty fast and I can now play it note-to-note with ease. And then I saw your solo performance of it, where you actually count in. Mind-blown. I got it all wrong. I somehow thought that the hi-hat accents were off the beat, and snare on the beat, with the riff starting at the second eight-note of the bar, and "1" being the little 1/8-note pause that you leave after most fills.
I now know that the whole song (apart from the more obvious 4/4 heavy parts in the middle of the song) should sound entirely different, but after learning it the wrong way, there seems to be no way for me for it to sound like it is supposed to. I have tried playing it with a click, but my stupid brain just assumes that even my talking click "one-two-three-four" is simply off the beat. Any tips for trying to listen/play it right?


I know this feeling very well - as I have done the same thing in the past. This is where reading really helped me understand a few things about strange rhythms or syncopation. If I could see it written out (perhaps an 8th note out of where my mind thinks it really is) I could start to 'hear' it in it's 'real' place and not fall into the illusion.

Hi K_HiHats

Getting more to the point, only today did I discover that the drum tracks for the tunes "Lock Stock" (2009) and "Whassup?" (2010) are in most, if not all aspects completely alike. I first noticed this when I came across a section during the ride patterns of both that had a recognizable illusion from your song with 05Ric, "Source," during the chorus. (The off- sixteenths as in.) Upon further examination, I found that fills, little nuances, even entire 8 bar grooves were exactly the same between both pieces. What I'm wondering is, what's the story behind this? The tunes are even in the same key. Clearly "Lock Stock" was recorded first. I'm just curious to know what the reasoning behind this is.


It is in fact the same drum recording. When Ed Poole was writing the song "Whassup" he told me that he'd used the drum track from "Lock Stock" as basis to write over. In the end he was very happy with the way it turned out - so he asked me if I was OK to just use it again.

Hi crystalfunky

I wanted to ask you something about your live situation with PT.
You said you don't play with a click and you talk your way through the song.
But how do you do it without any reference to the tempo or tempo variances?


I think you've misunderstood what's going on there - or maybe you saw an interview where I said something like "Not every song is played with a click". Of course the songs that have the cues in them (my recorded voice) are played to a click.

cheers
Gavin
 
Gavin is great, I don't think much needs to be added from what has already been said. He is technically talented, creative, and his drums always sound so damn nice.

I love Porcupine Tree SO MUCH and wonder if that will ever get going again, but he's now doing stuff with King Crimson and I am stoked to see how that turns out.

On KC's facebook page it states "farewell tour" in the tour dates link. I surely hope that's not the case, but they start the tour in September.
 
Hey Gavin!

I was not surprised to know you're not a fan of poor rhythm, I noticed on one of the podcast interviews you recently did they presented you with their rendition of your Kitchen song, and I could just hear you holding back the cringes :) I too have a strong conviction towards proper rhythm, and understood your discomfort all too well.

I was recently at Guitar Center reading through your latest book, which was very well written and kept me giggling just enough to make the guy walking by me uneasy. I loved what you had to say about "What Happens Now" when you referred to the interlude as 3D. It reminded me of a video I had seen a few months back, made by a man named Wolfram Winkel. In it, he plays a different rhythm with each limb up to 8 beats, at one point effectively playing a 8:7:6:5 polyrhythm, otherwise known as a woodpecker's worst nightmare (Here it is: http://youtu.be/A6KAVvLlcqQ). Beyond "What Happens Now" (7:5:3 with the Anesthetize guitar part), have you delved into polyrhythms with more than 2 pulses? I would love to learn how to do this but I have no clue what way I should go about it.
 
Hi Gavin,

I recently bought your book Rhythmic Composition hoping to play some PT songs as playalongs. It turned out that I should have read the description of the book a bit more seriously. I know that you've been asked many times about playalongs and that it's not possible for you to offer some. But I wanted to know if theres any chance to get some especially now where the book is on sale.

Beyond that I would like to thank you. I really appreciate that you're answering all our questions. Your playing really inspires me and always keeps me motivated to try out some new ideas.

Regards, Nils
 
Hi Gavin, I have purchased your previous albums as digital FLAC downloads from your website, but have noticed that your latest album "The Man Who Sold Himself" is not available in this format (well, at least not legally). Would this album be released as a FLAC download in the future or would I need to purchase a physical CD or iTunes quality downloads?

If any other forumer has found out where I can purchase the album online legally I would be very grateful if you could let me know where it can be found.
 
Hi BrianBjur

I was recently at Guitar Center reading through your latest book, which was very well written and kept me giggling just enough to make the guy walking by me uneasy. I loved what you had to say about "What Happens Now" when you referred to the interlude as 3D. Beyond "What Happens Now" (7:5:3 with the Anesthetize guitar part), have you delved into polyrhythms with more than 2 pulses? I would love to learn how to do this but I have no clue what way I should go about it.

I have tried many polyrhythmic possibilities in my time - but writing them into something 'musical' is quite another story - and it's difficult to make them sound NOT like a drum exercise. I made a lot of polyrhythmic stuff on the albums I recorded with O5Ric and I think we found good ways to write on top of of those rhythms. More than 2 pulses at the same time can be very confusing to the listener.

Hi Nils

I recently bought your book Rhythmic Composition hoping to play some PT songs as playalongs. It turned out that I should have read the description of the book a bit more seriously. I know that you've been asked many times about playalongs and that it's not possible for you to offer some. But I wanted to know if theres any chance to get some especially now where the book is on sale.

There won't be any playalongs. Getting the correct publishing permissions to remake those songs along with the cost, effort and time of rerecording them would be prohibitive. I don't own the original recordings either.

Hi miah_yap

I have purchased your previous albums as digital FLAC downloads from your website, but have noticed that your latest album "The Man Who Sold Himself" is not available in this format (well, at least not legally). Would this album be released as a FLAC download in the future or would I need to purchase a physical CD or iTunes quality downloads?

I spoke with Burningshed.com and there's no immediate plan to release those records as FLAC -so your best option would be to get the CD.

cheers
Gavin
 
Dear Gavin!

DAMN you took your time with this! :) I'll write one or two questions about it at the end of this message, but first:

Guys, it's finally here! :)

CymbalShox

Quote from a drumshop's site:

Cymbalshox® by Trick are finally here! We have been anxiously awaiting their release for several years.

Designed and developed in conjunction with drummer Gavin Harrison, Cymbalshox® are manufactured from a space age material designed specifically for attenuating shock. No synthetic rubber or felt can dissipate energy as effectively as Cymbalshox®. Cymbalshox® are a visco-elastic polymer that moves like liquid under load, providing your cymbals with the ultimate in shock absorption while also extending the life of your cymbals.

"Like so many drummers, I have had problems with breaking cymbals in the past (mostly crashes and China type cymbals). While I was playing with Porcupine Tree, I had the CymbalShox installed on my American set and played solidly for five weeks without breaking any cymbals. We then went to Europe and played another five weeks (with the exact same set of cymbals) but I forgot to bring the CymbalShox, so I had to do the tour without them. I broke seven cymbals in two weeks! That convinced me that we were on to something great here. I tested the CymbalShox for two and a half years and feel we finally hit upon the right formula. I really believe CymbalShox will extend the life of your cymbals."
Gavin Harrison -
Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Gavin Harrison & O5ric (GHO5)

QUESTIONS:

1. If this has viscoelastic properties, it is like a jelly-type stuff, but a bit stronger I presume. How does this product behave under certain weights? Meaning a heavy cymbal or a tiny splash. How does it react if you use them on (under) an angled cymbal? Do you use it on both sides, or just the underside? Also do you(we) need to adjust the tightness? Or is it the same as if it would be cymbal felt? And does the material affect the vibration of the cymbal in any way (Shortens the sustain? Cuts off certain overtones, etc.)

2. Why only one size? I have extremely good results with the Cympad, I use bigger ones on the underside during practice to quiet my big cymbals a bit and also to make their sustain shorter, so in our smaller rehersal room my big cymbals (19"-18" crashes, 20" heavy ride, 20" cina, etc) don't "blanket" the whole space when I hit them. Meaning I can use their sounds and effects on the music, but they don't overshadow the other instruments. Admittedly, on chinas Cympad does not help me to protect them against shock (hits, etc), but the effects mentioned using bigger ones under my larger cymbals is a must have during practice. At least to me. So why only one size? I'd love to have these in different sizes. :/

3. This is mostly an aesthetic thing. Why grey? Black is more uniform, but maybe a bit too visible too. But if I remember correctly, you used a blue stuff before (were those the prototypes of Cymbalshox?)

Sorry for these questions, I'm a bit of a gear-junkie! :)

Cheers,
Matyas
 
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Hi Gavin
Just been listening to the late and great Mick Karn's "the tooth mother" on CD, and noticed you were playing on it , fabulous stuff , very interesting that you had your own sound even back then in 95 :)
Can you remember anything about the process of recording that Cd ?
 
I have tried many polyrhythmic possibilities in my time - but writing them into something 'musical' is quite another story - and it's difficult to make them sound NOT like a drum exercise. I made a lot of polyrhythmic stuff on the albums I recorded with O5Ric and I think we found good ways to write on top of of those rhythms. More than 2 pulses at the same time can be very confusing to the listener.

Hi Gavin

There's a Swiss piano player named Nik Bärtsch who writes very interesting polyrhythmic
and polyrhythmic based pieces music, I thought maybe you enjoy this! Excellent drummer,
too (Kaspar Rast):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX3vto4IZN8&list=UUsK-Ne0u3dU0Wyj7oiAzyLQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gXQ6eWEAKk
https://itunes.apple.com/ch/album/nik-bartschs-ronin-live/id557597298
 
Hello Gavin,

I have a quick question. Have you ever considered making your own VST extension for Superior or any only VST? With your vast knowledge of drums, producing what sounds you want out of them, and that incredible collection you have of drums and cymbals you would make a powereful sound library.
 
I have a quick question. Have you ever considered making your own VST extension for Superior or any only VST? With your vast knowledge of drums, producing what sounds you want out of them, and that incredible collection you have of drums and cymbals you would make a powereful sound library.

How much would you be willing to pay for that?
 
Hi szokematyi

1. If this has viscoelastic properties, it is like a jelly-type stuff, but a bit stronger I presume. How does this product behave under certain weights? Meaning a heavy cymbal or a tiny splash. How does it react if you use them on (under) an angled cymbal? Do you use it on both sides, or just the underside? Also do you(we) need to adjust the tightness? Or is it the same as if it would be cymbal felt? And does the material affect the vibration of the cymbal in any way (Shortens the sustain? Cuts off certain overtones, etc.)

It's stiffer than jelly of course - under heavy cymbals like rides - you don't really need it. How many rides do you break? The ones most likely to break - splashes - crashes - thin chinas etc. benefit the most. They should always be used on top and bottom to get the affect of the visco-elastic shock absorbing. It doesn't affect the sustain or tone compared to normal felts.

2. Why only one size? I have extremely good results with the Cympad, I use bigger ones on the underside during practice to quiet my big cymbals a bit and also to make their sustain shorter, so in our smaller rehersal room my big cymbals (19"-18" crashes, 20" heavy ride, 20" cina, etc) don't "blanket" the whole space when I hit them. Meaning I can use their sounds and effects on the music, but they don't overshadow the other instruments. Admittedly, on chinas Cympad does not help me to protect them against shock (hits, etc), but the effects mentioned using bigger ones under my larger cymbals is a must have during practice. At least to me. So why only one size? I'd love to have these in different sizes. :/

They're not designed to change the sound of the cymbal.

3. This is mostly an aesthetic thing. Why grey? Black is more uniform, but maybe a bit too visible too. But if I remember correctly, you used a blue stuff before (were those the prototypes of Cymbalshox?)


We wanted to use a light colour - so when you drop them on a dark stage or black carpet you can still find them.

Hi michaelg

Just been listening to the late and great Mick Karn's "the tooth mother" on CD, and noticed you were playing on it , fabulous stuff , very interesting that you had your own sound even back then in 95 :) Can you remember anything about the process of recording that Cd ?


I remember it well. We recorded the drums in a local studio - where I had recorded with Mick before - when he played on my first album Sanity & Gravity. It was recorded onto tape - so all the drums takes were continuous performances with no 'drop ins'. We had a great time - Mick had a brilliant sense of humour - so there were a lot of laughs. So sad that he died so early.

Hi Swiss Matthias

There's a Swiss piano player named Nik Bärtsch who writes very interesting polyrhythmic
and polyrhythmic based pieces music, I thought maybe you enjoy this! Excellent drummer,
too (Kaspar Rast):


nice stuff - thanks.

Hi Venimal

I have a quick question. Have you ever considered making your own VST extension for Superior or any only VST? With your vast knowledge of drums, producing what sounds you want out of them, and that incredible collection you have of drums and cymbals you would make a powereful sound library.

I've been asked many times - but I have absolutely no interest in making a sample library.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin,

found a very interesting albeit much too short drum solo of yours on the "DGM live" youtube channel. It gives me hope that one day in distant future I'll kind of catch up with your playing ;).

Back to seriousness: It seems your having lots and lots of fun during the rehearsal sessions. It would be great if KC would tour europe or even better germany. All the best for the tour!

--
Tom
 
Hello Gavin! I know your're busy so let's get to the point. I was looking for some information related to "Preparing Backing Tracks For Live Use" and found an article published in the Soundonsound.Com November 2003 issue in which you shared the gear you were using at that time to accomplish this. Simple Two-track Playback and Using Multitracks On Stage was the main topics. I got a gig with a local singer here in the Dominican Republic and I need to use backing tracks for the live shows. I would like to know your current gear/setup to. Do you still use the Simple Two-track Playback? What about the use of Multitracks instead? Thanks for your consideration and advice :)
 
Hi Ivan Jaquez

I was looking for some information related to "Preparing Backing Tracks For Live Use" and found an article published in the Soundonsound.Com November 2003 issue in which you shared the gear you were using at that time to accomplish this. Simple Two-track Playback and Using Multitracks On Stage was the main topics. I got a gig with a local singer here in the Dominican Republic and I need to use backing tracks for the live shows. I would like to know your current gear/setup to. Do you still use the Simple Two-track Playback? What about the use of Multitracks instead? Thanks for your consideration and advice :)

Currently I use a Macbook Air (running Logic Pro software) and a MOTU Microbook 2. That gives me 4 outputs so I can send a stereo mix (with no click) to the 'front of house' engineer and have various options for mixes with clicks on stage. I have a personal mix of the backing track (plus a click and cues) into a headphone mixer that's right next to me. I can set all the relative levels inside Logic. It's best to use a computer that has an SSD drive (like the Macbook Air) so you don't have problems with the vibration of the drums.

Hope that helps you.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin!

It's great to see you're replying to everyone's questions on this thread, I've had a great time reading through it.

I was wondering if you could tell me about your home-studio floor? I've got a 'home-studio' setup and I use thin carpet tiles on the floor with various sound-proofing underneath. But as of late I have been experimenting with placing MDF boards underneath the kit to help 'improve' the sound of the drums on recordings.

Ultimately my questions is, is this necessary and how much would you say the acoustics of the floor matter in a home-studio recording environment? (My room isn't dead sounding).

Cheers Gavin!

Max.
 
Gavin, I too have a larger kit (3 up, 2 down). When you record your overheads, about how high are they? Also approximately how far from the snare are they to each mic? Do you find yourself changing the height when you switch to different thicknesses of cymbals, to rebalance the drum/cymbal mix in the overheads?

Thanks for the help!
 
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