Gavin Harrison here!

Gavin,

Just watched the Rhythmic Visions DVD and I am really blown away. This is a whole new way to think about time for me. The section on subdivions really made a light go on in my head. A mild epihinay if you will.

As for your performance......

A night in Tunsia was performed with all of the feel, acuracy and dynamics of a jazz legend ! I love jazz and I watch lots of live video with Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, etc as a learning tool and I have to say that you are right up there with them for sure. Have you ever performed with a jazz treo ?

Rythmic Horizons is on the way and I cant wait.

Thanks for the inspiration !
 
Hey Gavin,

My band recently recorded an album, and I must say it is a little sloppy. We have some tempo changes and so we do not play with a click, perhaps that is the key to why it is sloppy.

I would like to know how PT goes about recording everything. Do you guys play all together in a room isolated so there is no instruments bleeding on other mics? Do you guys record to a click one by one and layer it? Does Steven Wilson have his guitar record straight to the computer? or is it through an amp and a mic?

Please just run me through your recording procoss for Deadwing or the new album or both. It'll be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Steven
 
Hey Gavin-

I just gave your suggestion a try about the rings for the inside of the floor toms and also did it for the 1-2&3 tom as well. I tore all the toms and floor toms down and re-tuned them. Since my drums are DW's I still had the old factory heads that came with them, the heads were clear with rings. I cut the solid white ring out of the drum head and placed it inside all the toms plus the floor toms and they sound good. I had to place some cotton balls in the floor toms with the rings becaue of some subtle over tone, but got the sound I wanted-I didn't have to do that with the 3 higher toms though.
Just wanted to say, "Thanks for the suggestion" it did wonders for the over-all tone and sound of my drums.

Thanks,
Rob



Hi crookedrook,
I'm now trying something different in the floor tom. I've made a few "zero" rings out of old drum skins - and I lay one inside the 14" floor. It's the same principle as with the cotton wool - it should act as a subtle 'gate' by moving off the head and then resting on it again. I made a few of different sizes to find the right amount of muting.
 
Hey Gavin,

is it true that Porcupine Tree will play at the Southside-Festival in Germany? That would be a dream coming true. I totally love your work! I can't find any more words that describe how I'm looking forward to see you along with other great bands as the Queens of the Stone Age.

Afrolicious
 
Hello Gavin,
i just signed up DW, to let you know, that you are an exceptional creative motivator for all musicians. I say all musicians, because actually i'm a classical musician who makes his living from playing the lute (and no, i didn't play on the new Sting album ;-)).
I started playing drums about 6 months ago, actually to solve some metrical problems i have, playing especially modern music. And you released exactly the lessons (in form of your book, the dvd's i just ordered) i needed to get over it!! I would have never get a proper training to solve this problems, without your help! I'm so glad i started playing drums and get to know your work.
Thank you very much for your help and motivation!
Sören
 
Hi Afrolicious,
yes it's true.


23rd June - Southside Festival, Neuhausen, Germany
(PT to appear for a 60 minute main stage performance at approximately 4.30pm). Bill also includes Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth, Kings of Leon.

Cheers
Gavin


Hey Gavin,

is it true that Porcupine Tree will play at the Southside-Festival in Germany? That would be a dream coming true. I totally love your work! I can't find any more words that describe how I'm looking forward to see you along with other great bands as the Queens of the Stone Age.

Afrolicious
 
Hey Gavin!
I´m new to the forum and just saw you´re really caring about your fans. That´s great.
As I am also just getting into PT and your drumming, I´m really blown away by what you do with those drums! AWESOME!
About to order your educational stuff...
 
Thx for the quick answer. There are lots of great bands there, but it's already worth it for Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age and of course Porcupine Tree.
 
Hello Gavin!

I'm a huge fan of your playing, your band, your studio, everything!

But! I'm building out my own studio. In the "studio" clip on the site of Porcupine Tree, in a part of that clip, I saw you talking to the singer and telling him that you were thinking about industrial drums. I don't know if you remember this ...

I saw you use a Mackie 32:8 console. My question is, has it flying faders or something, am I missing something, because in that part of the clip you changed the volume on the Mackie panel and not on the computer.

Can you explain this to me, how your panel is connected ...

I'm not getting this ...

Great to have talked to you!

Sam
 
Hi Sam,

"I saw you use a Mackie 32:8 console. My question is, has it flying faders or something, am I missing something, because in that part of the clip you changed the volume on the Mackie panel and not on the computer.

Can you explain this to me, how your panel is connected .."


Yes I use a 32:8 Mackie. I had the track coming up two channels of the desk and the "industrial drums" (which Steve looks so unimpressed by *) coming up another two channels. I just reached over and turned them up. No mystery no flying faders. The faders aren't controlling Logic at all.

Cheers
Gavin

* A couple of years later he said that he really liked the idea.
 
Ow, ok cool ... just as I walked in my studio I thaught of that. :D

Do you have some future gigs in Belgium? I'dd really love to see you guys live.
 
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Hey Gavin,

Just received Rhytmic Horizons, and I love it.

Especially the Polyrhythmic Theory section opened some new insights for me in playing (counting) odd-time signatures.

The overriding Section got me thinking - how do you count 7/8?
I know some people count it in a half time way like 1-2-3-and1-2-3-and1.
Wich in 5/8 would be 1-2-and1 etc.

I know you probably don't count or need to count, but how would you do it in the past.

And wich book do you feel you learned the most from? I read somewhere you talking about New Breed by Gary Chester.

Thanks for giving the opportunity for asking questions.

Drizzle
 
Hi Drizzle,
glad you're enjoying the Rhythmic Horizons DVD.

I don't really count the 7/8 I just sing it to myself using sounds like this Da-un-Da-un-Da-un-a
- it's very similar to an Indian way of counting. When it gets fast I just think of the "Da Da Da.." which represents the 1st, 3rd and 5th accents of every 7.

I got a lot from working through the systems that you can apply to the Ted Reed "Syncopation" book. I probably worked more at that than any other book when I was young.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hey Gavin,

I read somewhere that you have 11 drumchannels. How do you split them up? Or can you record 11 seperate channels?

Most mixers, like mine, can only record 8 channels at once.


Sam
 
Hi Sam,
recently I've been recording 16 tracks of drums.

Bass Drum (SM91)
Bass Drum (Audix D6)
Snare Top (Audix i5)
Snare Bottom (SM57)
Hi Hat (AKG CK391)
Tom1 (Sennheiser 421)
Tom2 (Sennheiser 421)
Tom3 (Sennheiser 421)
Tom4 (Sennheiser 421)
Tom5 (Sennheiser 421)
Overheads (Pair of Royer 122's)
Close Ambience (Pair of Neumann TLM 103's)
Distant Ambience (Pair of Schoeps CMC5's)

Cheers
Gavin
 
I supose that is over 8 busses?

Or can you record 16 seperate tracks? In that case, WOW! ^^

How do you manage to put such huge 421 mics on that set with all those cymbals.

Do maybe have some new pics in your studio? I love those type of pics.

Thank you for answering my weird questions!

Sam
 
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hey. the BD "ruffs" in Mother and Child have such a great feel.. i think you said those are triplets.. i can only take your word on it, because i just cant figure them out.

the modulation in even less (the full version), and the (so symmetrical, yet beautiful) groove in sound of muzak make me want to cry in happiness. please keep creating beautiful ways to play the drums.

sorry for my english
ze, from portugal
 
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