Gavin Harrison here!

Hi moncholo

I've been practicing with a metronome for a couple years and i had this thought the other day: Is it possible that by practicing with a metronome, you can develop a metronome-dependence? Like maybe you depend on a metronome to be able to keep steady time?


Yes I believe you can become dependent on a metronome. I think you need to practice playing time on your own. Really listening is the key. Record yourself play 64 bars of straight time and then listen back to it. Try the "Steve Gadd" exercises I outlined a few posts back.

Hi euphoric_anomaly

When studying a piece of music that you will play, let's say "Discipline" by King Crimson, how would you go about playing the song without feeling the need to copy the groove of Bill Bruford? Do you have access to a "no drum track" recording of the song?

I never played Discipline and I didn't have any access to 'drum less' versions either. On some of the KC songs that I learnt - I did copy Bill's part to begin with - but I tried to develop them more into my style.

Hi loser_user

how were your experiences with the kickport in the studio? Do you still use it?


It's in my bass drum right now - but I must say I can't really hear a difference at the moment. Maybe you need a bass drum that has no internal dampening.

Hi daniele,

Hi! Really make a "black swamp snare"? Where do i can heard it?

the recording samples I made were for Eric Sooy of Black Swamp. http://www.blackswamp.com/

Hi dr.funkenstien

I heard that you're drumming on the new OSI album, any insides on what it's going to be like???

I think it's a really good record - I'm very pleased with it. It's released at the end April.

Hi hidde

I just watched a video on youtube where you played Futile from your Rhythmic Horizons DVD, and somebody said in a comment that you completely stopped practicing rudiments. This can't be true right?

This is the comment i'm talking about:
"What I really love about this guy is his coordination. He doesn't even practice rudiments or exercise his arms or legs, it just flows out of his mind straight onto the set. Mind over matter"


Never take too much notice of comments that people put on YouTube videos. The comment is probably in reference to an interview where I said that I started concentrating more on my ideas than my muscles. I don't practise a lot of rudiments these days - maybe just single and double stroke rolls and paradiddles.

Hi Nige86

Two quick equipment questions for you! About two months ago I was fortunate enough to pick up a 12x5 Designer snare on Ebay and as you are the only other person I know who owns one, what head would you recommend?

Ambassador is good as is the CS head. I would imagine the Emperor X would kill it.

what Ride were you using for 'Strip the Soul'? was just listening to it the other night and was digging the bell sound!

I'm pretty sure it was a Zildjian K 20" Ride.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin!

I'm a young drummer and having been playing for a while now, I've grown tired of playing along to my CDs, and was wondering on what advice you give about finding your first gig? Not a band situation, but more a one-off type thing?

Thanks.
 
Hi Gavin!

I'm a young drummer and having been playing for a while now, I've grown tired of playing along to my CDs, and was wondering on what advice you give about finding your first gig? Not a band situation, but more a one-off type thing?

Thanks.
Hheheh, Tim. That was quick xP
 
Hi Gavin,
I've listened to The Sound of Muzak about 10.000 times and still the drum sound is the most incredible, clear, powerful drum sound I've ever heard, especially the bassdrum and the snare.
That brings me to my question: HOW did you get that awesome sound on the recording?

I just found out that you use the audix i5 snare mic, so now I'm not sure wether to buy this one or the Sennheiser E 905 which I tried out for a while and think it's a really good snare mic. I just can't get the sound as good as it is on In Absentia!!

How did you (or Steven or whoever) mix and master it and what special treatment did you give to the sound of the bassdrum?!? It has everything a bassdrum needs, hearing it is so satisfyingand I just don't know how to let my bassdrum sound that way when recording and mixing it. A hint for a desperate drummer, please?!

To sum it up: 1) Which snare mic do you think would be better? 2) How in the world can I achieve such an incredible bassdrum sound as on In Absentia?!

Thanks in advance
 
How did you (or Steven or whoever) mix and master it and what special treatment did you give to the sound of the bassdrum?!? It has everything a bassdrum needs, hearing it is so satisfyingand I just don't know how to let my bassdrum sound that way when recording and mixing it. A hint for a desperate drummer, please?!

Sounds like an AKG D112 inside the kick and perhaps a large diaphragm condenser outside (U47?), about a foot back. Fairly easy to achieve. Boost a little 3k-5k on the D112, cut out a lot of mids, leave the lows. Take the outside mic and rolloff a lot of the highs. Compress to taste. That should get you right in the ballpark.

Make sure your kick is pretty dead, a la Mr. Harrison! In Absentia is one of my favorite drum sounds.
 
Hello, Gavin.
First of all, I would like to say that you're a great inspiration. I started to play drums about 3 months ago and drummers like you make me want to practice more and more =D.

Well, My question is this: In an interview you said that you didn't know much about King Crimson and stuff, but me and a friend have this great doubt "What's the meaning of 'Book Of Saturday' from the great album 'Lark's Tounges In Aspic'?'

If you could answer that, I would really apreciate xD
Oh, by the way, are you planning to come to Chile with Porcupine Tree in the tour for your next album? We are a lot of pepole waiting for you to come.

Well, my best wishes and keep your great Drumming.
Cristóbal.
 
Hi Gavin,

Great performance on MD Festival 2008 DVD, which has just come out in UK.

The kit sounds fantastic.

I wanted to ask: with so many stellar drummers on the bill, is there any competitiveness between the musicians, and which of the other performances did you particularly enjoy?


Cheers
 
Hi Fragile

I'm a young drummer and having been playing for a while now, I've grown tired of playing along to my CDs, and was wondering on what advice you give about finding your first gig? Not a band situation, but more a one-off type thing?

Your best bet is to find some local musicians and try to get a play with them. I don't really understand what you mean by a 'one-off type of thing'? What are you expecting?

Hi Vylor

I've listened to The Sound of Muzak about 10.000 times and still the drum sound is the most incredible, clear, powerful drum sound I've ever heard, especially the bassdrum and the snare. That brings me to my question: HOW did you get that awesome sound on the recording?

There are so many things that would make a difference - it would hard to describe. There's the drums themselves, the way that I hit them, the skins, the tuning, the dampening, the microphones, the room, the mic amps, the eq, the very experienced engineer, eq/compression, the mixing, the mastering and so it goes on.

I just found out that you use the audix i5 snare mic, so now I'm not sure wether to buy this one or the Sennheiser E 905 which I tried out for a while and think it's a really good snare mic.

The Audix i5 is VERY close to a Shure SM57 and that's really the industry standard for snare drum. I use the Audix because I thought it could take a few more stray hits than the Shure.

How did you (or Steven or whoever) mix and master it and what special treatment did you give to the sound of the bassdrum?!? It has everything a bassdrum needs, hearing it is so satisfying and I just don't know how to let my bassdrum sound that way when recording and mixing it. A hint for a desperate drummer, please?!


see the answer above about variables - but Nishmaster had some good suggestions. I think I remember using my Beyer M88 on that session in combination with the U47.

Hi Tobal90

Well, My question is this: In an interview you said that you didn't know much about King Crimson and stuff, but me and a friend have this great doubt "What's the meaning of 'Book Of Saturday' from the great album 'Lark's Tounges In Aspic'?'


I don't even know that song. As I said - I don't know much about King Crimson.

Oh, by the way, are you planning to come to Chile with Porcupine Tree in the tour for your next album?


We have no plans to come at the moment.

Hi supermac

Great performance on MD Festival 2008 DVD, which has just come out in UK.
The kit sounds fantastic.


Thanks

I wanted to ask: with so many stellar drummers on the bill, is there any competitiveness between the musicians, and which of the other performances did you particularly enjoy?


No - everyone was very supportive of each other - I didn't feel any competitiveness. Loved Simon Phillips set - and so many of the others too. The standard was very high indeed.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Fragile

I'm a young drummer and having been playing for a while now, I've grown tired of playing along to my CDs, and was wondering on what advice you give about finding your first gig? Not a band situation, but more a one-off type thing?

Your best bet is to find some local musicians and try to get a play with them. I don't really understand what you mean by a 'one-off type of thing'? What are you expecting?


I was thinking something that isn't full commitment to a particular band, but more a session job (but live), I tried playing in a band a couple of times, but I much prefer having the experience of playing many types of music, rather than confining to one genre, at least for now.
 
Hi Fragile

I'm a young drummer and having been playing for a while now, I've grown tired of playing along to my CDs, and was wondering on what advice you give about finding your first gig? Not a band situation, but more a one-off type thing?

Your best bet is to find some local musicians and try to get a play with them. I don't really understand what you mean by a 'one-off type of thing'? What are you expecting?


I was thinking something that isn't full commitment to a particular band, but more a session job (but live), I tried playing in a band a couple of times, but I much prefer having the experience of playing many types of music, rather than confining to one genre, at least for now.

Sorry to butt in, but are 'Jam Nights' a possibility for you?
They're a good way to get a decent variety of styles under your belt without committing to anything. Other than that, maybe get a few friends around maybe.

Alright Gavin.

I've recently bought the Axis A Longboard. I was just wondering how long you had them before you experimented with the settings on it?
It's unlike any pedal I've had before and I'm just wondering if tinkering at this stage is counter productive? Maybe I should just get used to the feel of it in the factory standard settings before messing about with settings.

What's your take on it?

Thanks.
 
Hello Gavin

A big fan of your for many years, I wanted to ask a few questions if I may?

With material such as the stunning album you did with 05ric, how much of your playing is improv or is it rehearsed with exact rhythms and fills? For example, if you played it live, how much would be as per the album or would it always vary, or would you naturally vary things anyway?

Is there a chance of any live shows with 05ric?

My next question is, as someone returning to the drums after 20 something years, I have always played by ear, I never had lessons and don't read music. I did ok before I quit, but given your background in theory, do you feel it is possible to be a good drummer without the theory?

Finally, have you ever played or owned any of the Roland V Drums range and if so what are your thoughts on them?

Thank you once again, I consider you the greatest drummer performing.
 
Hi Fragile

I was thinking something that isn't full commitment to a particular band, but more a session job (but live), I tried playing in a band a couple of times, but I much prefer having the experience of playing many types of music, rather than confining to one genre, at least for now.

Then maybe as MaidenFanSte suggests - a jam session is the way to go.

Hi MaidenFanSte,

I've recently bought the Axis A Longboard. I was just wondering how long you had them before you experimented with the settings on it?


It's certainly a pedal that has a lot of adjustment possibilities. I messed around with it straight away and tried to match the feel of my previous pedal - and although it didn't feel the same - I quickly got used to the Axis.

Hi Vdrummer09

With material such as the stunning album you did with 05ric, how much of your playing is improv or is it rehearsed with exact rhythms and fills? For example, if you played it live, how much would be as per the album or would it always vary, or would you naturally vary things anyway?

There's a video on YouTube of me playing "Unsettled" so I guess you can see for yourself how much (or little) I changed. Also there's three GH05 songs on the Modern Drummer Weekend 08 DVD. I think I pretty much play the parts of the songs with some variation in the fills.

Is there a chance of any live shows with 05ric?


Not at the moment.

My next question is, as someone returning to the drums after 20 something years, I have always played by ear, I never had lessons and don't read music. I did ok before I quit, but given your background in theory, do you feel it is possible to be a good drummer without the theory?

Yes you can get a long way without any 'theory' (as you call it) - but you could go a lot further and get there faster if you did have more theory. It depends if you want to be the best you can be - or just ok.

Finally, have you ever played or owned any of the Roland V Drums range and if so what are your thoughts on them?

I have played many electronic drums in my time (including Vdrums) and I have to say it's really not my thing. I don't really enjoy it - and therefore try to avoid it. I can see the great advantages to practising with them - if you're in a situation where playing the real drums are just too loud for everyone around.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hey Gavin!
I recently joined a group here in Boston (after moving here in December), and we're getting ready to play some exciting gigs...exciting, especially for me, as i've never played a live show before. As it were, our first performance will be a live studio performance at a radio station....i suppose i've done things a bit backwards since i started drumming anyway, so no matter. My question is this - over your career, as you performed with different groups and your time began to become more precious, how did that affect your personal practice time? Did you find that playing, in general, was good enough? The music i'm playing is based on improvisation and dynamics (a blend of rock, funk, and a hint of jazz), so at this point i feel like ANY time behind the kit is time well spent. However, now that i'm rehearsing these songs or working on new ones with these guys, the time i've previously spent wandering around in my own head has really diminished. Did you ever experience this, and notice a difference in your playing or your progress? It's difficult for me to evaluate myself in the first place, only having played for 2 years, so perhaps you could better judge how one's personal practice time compares to gaining general experience on the kit?

Thanks so much, Gavin.
If you're ever in the Boston area, and have some time, I'd love to have a lesson with you.
-Chris Anderson
 
Hi Gavin,

I've been practicing with a metronome for a couple years and i had this thought the other day: Is it possible that by practicing with a metronome, you can develop a metronome-dependence? Like maybe you depend on a metronome to be able to keep steady time?

I have no doubt that playing with a metronome makes you better at, well, playing with a metronome. But does just playing with a metronome make you better at keeping steady time when playing without a metronome? Are there any specific excercises for that?

I ask this because since i started playing/practicing with a metronome, i started to notice that when playing without one, my time isn't that steady anymore. I'm thinking that maybe that happens because i may be developing "metronome-dependence", but then again, maybe it's the fact that by playing with a metronome, i've started to develop a better ear for time, and i start to see flaws in my playing that i didn't see before.

I realize that this whole "metronome-dependence" idea may be ridiculous, but i'd love to hear (read) your take on this.

Cheers!

Sorry to interrupt, but I have a practice method that might help you out (and anyone else on this thread). When you're playing along with your met, it's usually set on quarters or eighths. Start setting it on half notes - it probably will still feel pretty normal depending on the tempo. Then move it to whole notes. Keep decreasing the frequency like that until you can play four measures and land right back with the click on beat one (you might need to use a drum program or advanced metronome on the computer if your met can't click once every 4 bars). It's frustrating and quite difficult, but it will really clean up your time.
 
Cheers for that Gavin.
:)



Good idea, I think I saw a sign for one in a local pub, but I think it might be 18+ =[

They usually are 18+. But depending on your age, you can usually either go in and not drink alcohol, or see if you can get an adult to take you. I'd say it's definitely worth a try.
 
Hi Gavin!

I hope you're doing well! I have a few questions for you:

1.- I'm playing in a band and obviously drums are loud enough, so there's no need to put them through the PA-system, BUT they sound dry overall, especially the snare drum. In a recording situation one always puts some sort of hall on it. So the question would be if you (or anybody else reading this thread) have any experience/recommendation regarding drum effects (hall) in a rehearsal situation.
(By the way: I'm the bass player in the band, but I wanted to ask you before I suggest anything to my drummer :p)

2.- I bought your Rhythmic Horizons DVD, it's great :D. I have one question regarding overriding: In this chapter you suggest different subdivisions for overriding with the hi-hat e.g. quarter notes 8ths and every 3 16ths. The relation between quarter notes and 8ths is obvious, but is there any logical relation to overriding with every 3 16ths? Or is it arbitrary and could just as well have been overriding with every 5 16ths for instance?

Take care and thanks!

Stefan
 
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