Gavin Harrison here!

Edit: I also forgot one thing. Please tell Mr. Edwin he would be so much more awesome if he would show a little more emotion on stage :). Just kidding! Take it easy!

I think he just does what he needs to do and thats ok. I saw nummerous bands (usually support groups) with band members that showed too much emotion. That irritates me more then almost no emotion.

Reminds me of the bassplayer from the Who, he was the only guy that just played and everytime he did a step aside. At the end of the gig, he was almost behind the curtain...
 
Congratulations to you Gavin for beeing voted No. 1 Prog Drummer in the Modern Drummer Poll 2007!!!!

Great!!!

Bernhard
 

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Congratulations Gavin !!!

If i could, i'll give you the "online drummer teacher Award"

Best wishes and thank you

alex
 
Hey Gavin !

Congratulations for winning the title "Best Prog drummer".
I was so happy reading this news.
You have reached this aim by musical quality and not by just playing in a famous band.
Love the peaces you drum on Rhytmic Vision. The movement of your arms and hands looks so easy and smooth... and so the sound. You should receive the titles "best allround" and "best Studio drummer" too !!! :)

Your foot technique looks for me like the famous flat foot technique .. right ?
You dont use much finger control ... more hand motion .... right ?

See you in Frakfurt Offenbach ^^ .... of course

Nice greetings from germany my drumming hero !

Timbo
 
Gavin,

Congrats! on winning Best Prog Drummer in the modern drummer poll.

One quick question: During the recording of this latest cd, were you using Ambassador coated heads on the bottom of your drums or clear diplomats?

Thanks,
Rob
 
Hey Gavin! Sam again!

Okay, I'm def going to buy the Mackie 24:8. One question about a certain function. (if you use it at least). In the manual the say that it has a "switch" function, where you can switch between "downmixing" and "tracking". I know that it doesn't have flying faders. But is it like emulated in that way?

So you track the drums. Okay, everything is recorded in Nuendo (with two interfaces and everything) Little eq'd on the mackie.

Now I want to downmix ... what happens? The signal of the drums goes back in to the mackie? And i can adjust the volume?

Sorry if I'm being anoying. No one I know has that mixing desk.

Sam
 
Hi Timbo,

Your foot technique looks for me like the famous flat foot technique .. right ?
You don't use much finger control ... more hand motion .... right ?


No, I always play heel up on the bass drum pedals (never flat foot) - I use both finger control and hand/wrist motion.

Hi crookedrook


One quick question: During the recording of this latest cd, were you using Ambassador coated heads on the bottom of your drums or clear diplomats?


Actually they were clear ambassadors on the bottoms - the ones that came on the Sonor kit - and Coated Emperors on the tops of the toms.


Hi Sam

Now I want to downmix ... what happens? The signal of the drums goes back in to the mackie? And i can adjust the volume?

The 32:8 Mackie is not a digital desk - you cannot control your computer from it. Once I have recorded my drums into the computer - I mix using the virtual faders inside the computer program. I don't really use the Mackie in the mixing process other than listening to the stereo output from the computer.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hey Gavin,

Regarding finger control, watching your DVD's and other video's it looks like you grip the stick with your index and middlefinger, with the thumb in between.

With this grip does the finger control comes from the middlefinger, ringfinger and little finger, but mostly from the middlefinger??

I've noticed that you sometimes play the (hi-hat) with the thumb up and sometimes sideways. But mostly sideways. Is this to play different dynamics , speeds?? And do you do it conscious?

Did you pay a lot of attention to how you gripped the sticks in your early years or did it evolve through the years.

Did your marimba playing had any influence in the grip.

I know many questions, but I'm very interested in how you do it, it seems to me that your grip is a big part of your clean execution.


Greetz
Dre
 
Hi Drizzle,
I have a variety of grips going on. Most of the time I grip the left stick at the absolute back of the stick with my little finger. My grip with the right stick focuses around my middle and index finger and use the middle and third finger for manipulating the stick...and again I tend to hold it right at the back end of the stick.
I do move from German to French grip quite instinctively - I never think about it when I'm playing.

I don't really play marimba - that was just for the video.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin,

If I'm not mistaken, you said you do not know or use the Moeller technique.

But Moeller is also about gripping the stick with the little finger, especially when you have to hit hard.

There's a nice website on it :
http://www.digbydoodle.com/MOELLER/MoellerJazz-rock1.htm

When you practiced your singles and doubles did you use both French and German style or mostly German. And would you grip the stick tight or loose.

Thanks,
Dre
 
Hi Gavin,

A few questions if I may:

Are you using larger, heavier sticks for the tour? Are you playing harder in a tour setting than in the studio?

Lastly, the brief drum fill (solo) on the track FOABP is so well executed! What's the time signature for that fill? Are you using both kick pedals and using your left foot to brush the hi-hat pedal too, or are you playing doubles on one foot for the kick?

Thanks - looking forward to Chicago again!
Jeff
 
Hey Gavin,
Congrats on the MD reader poll and the new album. I was curious about the 3rd video from the Musikmesse. First of all, excellent performance! Just wondering who you wrote that piece with, and if you plan on writting anymore with him/her/them? Take care and God bless.

MM
 
Hi Gavin,

I came across your video (on this site) called Futile and I just had a quick couple of questions about your snare used in the video:

What brand/model/dimensions is it? I am guessing Sonor but I could be wrong.

What heads are you using?

Last one: Are those snare cables you are using or the 8 strand "modified" Puresounds that I read about in an earlier post.

It's pretty obvious that I really enjoyed your snare sound .... and performance as well.

Great drumming and many thanks!
 
Hi Drizzle,

When you practiced your singles and doubles did you use both French and German style or mostly German. And would you grip the stick tight or loose.

Yes I use both grips and the sticks are always pretty loose.

Hi JeffV71

Are you using larger, heavier sticks for the tour? Are you playing harder in a tour setting than in the studio?

Lastly, the brief drum fill (solo) on the track FOABP is so well executed! What's the time signature for that fill? Are you using both kick pedals and using your left foot to brush the hi-hat pedal too, or are you playing doubles on one foot for the kick?


I'm using Vic Firth "rock" hickory and yes I do play heavier on tour than I do in the studio.
The FOABP fill is two bars of 4/4 - it's coming out of a section in 5/8. I use the double pedal on that and have the hi hat cymbals 'dropped' on the clutch.

Hi Midnite Mike,

I was curious about the 3rd video from the Musikmesse. Just wondering who you wrote that piece with, and if you plan on writing anymore with him/her/them?

That piece is called "Quite Firm" written by the bass player on that track Laurence Cottle (a good friend of mine). I'd love to play some more of his 'big band' type tunes. That tune is featured on my first DVD Rhythmic Visions.

Hi RogerTheShrubber,

I came across your video (on this site) called Futile and I just had a quick couple of questions about your snare used in the video:
What brand/model/dimensions is it? I am guessing Sonor but I could be wrong.
What heads are you using?
Last one: Are those snare cables you are using or the 8 strand "modified" Puresounds that I read about in an earlier post.


The snare on that track is a Sonor 14x6 "Cottonwood" and it has a Remo Coated Ambassador on top and - yes it has the modified 8 strand Puresound snare wires on it.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin,

I'm not a drummer, but I've got a question more from a physics standpoint regarding your use of a single bass drum with a double kick pedal vs. using two bass drums, which came to mind with the release of Fear of a Blank Planet. Is there any loss in the sound quality or resolution of the bass drum from some of the rapid double kick passages on FoaBP? The issue I was considering was the relaxation time of both the drum head and the standing waves set up with in the drum chamber itself. I notice the front head of your bass drum has a hole, which I assume is to create shorter sustain, but does it decay fast enough so that you avoid interference during very rapid song passages? I really don't know much about the properties of the drum head, i.e. vibrational modes, decay rates, etc, so I couldn't sit down and calculate anything to put this argument on a more firm theoretical ground. It seemed to me, at least to first order, interference effects could creep in that could muddle the articulation of an individual note during the most rapid double kicks (not that I'm claiming to have heard anything like that in the recordings - my ear isn't good enough). I almost asked you about this after your show in Toronto, but I figured you'd rather not field physics questions right after a show :) Great show, btw...

Cheers,

Scott
 
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