Gavin Harrison here!

Hi Fox622003

The other day I was rehearsing with one of my bands and in the middle of the song I was playing this weird group of seven in a sixteenth note triplet feel that lasted for a bar and a half, and while at it, I was thinking: "Alright, what the heck?" I mean, even if your other band members manage to follow you on that, don't you think it breaks ther groove a bit? How do you decide when to do the whacky stuff?

As with anything you play you have to consider the context. If you're play some kind of way out fusion in a band like Allan Holdsworth's then it might have a place*. If you're doing top 40 music in a function room - it won't have a place.

* but it's also a question of taste. Presuming that you were playing in something like Allan's band - you would have to consider if you think it's tasteful and appropriate for that moment. Just because you CAN play it - doesn't mean it's always right TO play it.

It shouldn't break anyone's 'groove' if you play it in time. The moments where I choose to do something a little 'crazy' are only when I feel it's not going to ruin anything, and be in some way tasteful. I have witnessed drummers doing crazy things - and quite often I felt they were not in the right context and so it came across pretty badly (in my opinion). Someone else might have been standing in the same room and thought it was fantastic. It's all subjective to ones own personal taste.

Hi MyNameIsMud

I registered here mainly to tell you that you guys were great last night (Monterrey, Mexico).

thanks - we had a great time!!

Hi KevShephard

I am going to see you guys in Quebec City on May 6 and was wondering if you had an idea if the setlist was going to include the entire disc one of "Incident". I saw you in Montreal last year and, of course, you did the entire disc then, but I was just wondering if you were going to change that up, being back in the same neighbourhood.

I don't know what we will play exactly that night. I don't think we played Quebec last year - so there may be lots of folks there who are hoping to see the entire "Incident" performed as they didn't get chance last time.

cheers
Gavin
 
Gavin,

During the middle of 19 Days, you switch to a 3/8's? triplet on the hi-hat. I saw you recently stated that playing a 3/16 triplet over a 7/8 time is difficult, was it just as tough mastering that technique for the song? Whenever I play triplets it always seems to throw me off beat because I subconsciously want to start a triplet on 1.

Did you ever get the link to my website that I sent you?

Eric
 
First of all, congrats on your first gig in Monterrey, I have a friend who lives there and that was the first time he saw you guys live. He was amazed!! He never believed me how amazing Porcupine Tree sounds live, but he totally does now!

Best of wishes on your (also) first gig in Guadalajara, bet is gonna be a blast!!

I'll see you guys on Wednesday in Mexico City, I already saw you guys in 2007, it was definitely the best gig (and day), of my life. I remember I got there at 12:00 p.m. and was waiting for you guys to come out at least to get something to eat, but never happened. It's ok though, just watching/listening you guys play was way worthy!

Bottom line, I was wondering, is there any chance to catch you up before or after the concert, just to say hi, shake hands and maybe have a picture? If not I'd totally understand, I guess you guys get tired of people asking for this, but you know I bet when you were younger (and even now), you had to wait outside a venue to catch your favourite musicians or so.

Anyway, in the end is all about the music and if there's no chance to meet you at least I know I'll watch/hear an amazing concert, and my favourite musician (which happens to be you) haha.

Thanks in advance, just for reading this Gavin. Best of wishes again, and have fun in Mexico!!!!
 
hello Gavin

I wanted to ask you about your buzz and ghost notes technique,
in many PT songs i can hear that you do buzz rolls on the snare in fills or play 16th notes buzz while keeping 8th notes on the hihat or ride.
which technique do you use? are there any exercises or rudiments that you use to improve that technique, or ghost notes or buzz in general?

P.S
I'm really looking for the PT show here in Israel, is there any chance that while you are here you will do a clinic?

I really like your drumming, you are absolutely one of my favorite drummers
and thank you very much for answering your fans questions!

cheers
omer
 
Hi euphoric_anomaly

During the middle of 19 Days, you switch to a 3/8's? triplet on the hi-hat. I saw you recently stated that playing a 3/16 triplet over a 7/8 time is difficult, was it just as tough mastering that technique for the song? Whenever I play triplets it always seems to throw me off beat because I subconsciously want to start a triplet on 1.

Your question has confused me - I don't play triplets on the hi hat in that song. A triplet is different to a group of 3/16ths. During one of the performances of 19 Days I do play a group of 3/16th of the 19/8 time signature...and yes it's quite hard!

Hi FearOfaPlanetWithoutGavin

I was wondering, is there any chance to catch you up before or after the concert, just to say hi, shake hands and maybe have a picture?

Sorry but I can't promise to meet you before or after the show as I don't know exactly when or what I'll be doing at those times. Sometimes we see people after the show - sometimes we leave the venue directly from the stage. Hope you enjoy the show.

Hi omer

I wanted to ask you about your buzz and ghost notes technique,
in many PT songs i can hear that you do buzz rolls on the snare in fills or play 16th notes buzz while keeping 8th notes on the hihat or ride.
which technique do you use? are there any exercises or rudiments that you use to improve that technique, or ghost notes or buzz in general?

I can't say that I use any particular technique for that. I guess it comes from my jazz background. The hard part is getting the ghost notes at the right volume for the context of the tune - and still being able to hit a hard backbeat too.

cheers
Gavin
 
G'day gavin,
recently i have been accepted in to the orchestra of this thing in australia called the victorian state school spectacular, it sort of like an estedford meets a musical, any way i was just wondering in what ways can i maximize the experience i get and the people i meet from this awesome opportunity?

Also the other day i was playing to anesthetize on my kit tuned to the intervals said earlier in this thread but it still sounded off, because this song is in drop c do you tune your drums any differently?

and before i forget, is your tour rack (the ICON) and your home rack set up so you can just drop your kit from oe to the other? like are they set up the same way?

thanks for your help
Hurlza
 
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Hey Gavin, i caught you guys in Mumbai at the start of the year. I loved the show, PT are insane, and so are you. I hope you come to India more often, do a clinic tour here or something.

Anyway, i just wanted to ask you what kind of space do you record in for a good drum sound. None of the studios in Pune ( which is where i live) have that sound, so i was planning to record in this pub that i just did a show in over the weekend, and the drum sound on the live recording was really good. Anything wrong in that?

Shreyas
 
Gavin Harrison said:
I wanted to ask you about your buzz and ghost notes technique,
in many PT songs i can hear that you do buzz rolls on the snare in fills or play 16th notes buzz while keeping 8th notes on the hihat or ride.
which technique do you use? are there any exercises or rudiments that you use to improve that technique, or ghost notes or buzz in general?

I can't say that I use any particular technique for that. I guess it comes from my jazz background. The hard part is getting the ghost notes at the right volume for the context of the tune - and still being able to hit a hard backbeat too.

cheers
Gavin
Click to expand...

Hi Gavin,
first I want to thank you for your quick and detailed anwering the last time ( the question about the piece of wood in your bass drum)!

Everytime I hear your ghost notes they sound amazing, just perfect and I ask myself the same question like omer. I mean, do you play one stroke on the ride cymbal an then rlrl on the snare and then again a stroke on the ride cymbal or is it more like lrll on the snare?
(At the Preview "Way out of here" of the new DVD I can see, that you play the ghost notes with both hands)

Cheers,
Padman

Yesterday I ordered the grey Editio of the Anesthetize DVD and the T-Shirt. Can't wait to get it! :D
 
Gavin,

My apologies for the confusion in my last post. What I thought was a triplet was just a group of 3 1/8th notes on the hi-hats, with the hats open on 3.

So to clarify, the intro is on the marimba? Looks like a huge xylophone?
Also, what are the tiny instruments that you hit with the small hammer in the middle of the video?

Thanks for your time Gavin
Cheers

Eric
 
Hey Gavin,

Blind House is one of my favorite songs off of the The Incident. There's that big break with all that keyboard stuff, really reminds me of some of the stuff that Steve Jansen did with Japan. Is that you playing there or is that just something that Richard has sampled on keyboards?



Thanks

--Branndon
 
Hi Gavin,
I just quit my band after being told that "Music is #2, business and making it are #1" and "I know you want to play more complex stuff, but that doesn't sell and I'm trying to make records that sell". (I posted about one of them not being able to play with a click or understand that eighth notes or quarter notes don't have a specific tempo and you said "get a gun" haha) To me music always has and will always be number 1. I've always thought of it as I'd just try to write or play the best that I can and if something happens good, if it doesn't, I'm still going to be playing, writing, and recording. Just creating something like Fear Of A Blank Planet or The Incident would be a success in my opinion. Is marketing a huge part of what you do? I'm just trying to see if I'm being nutty or not.
-Stan
 
chongzilla said:
Hi Gavin,
I just quit my band after being told that "Music is #2, business and making it are #1" and "I know you want to play more complex stuff, but that doesn't sell and I'm trying to make records that sell". (I posted about one of them not being able to play with a click or understand that eighth notes or quarter notes don't have a specific tempo and you said "get a gun" haha) To me music always has and will always be number 1. I've always thought of it as I'd just try to write or play the best that I can and if something happens good, if it doesn't, I'm still going to be playing, writing, and recording. Just creating something like Fear Of A Blank Planet or The Incident would be a success in my opinion. Is marketing a huge part of what you do? I'm just trying to see if I'm being nutty or not.
-Stan
Click to expand...

Man, some punk that can't even keep the beat to an eighth note groove doesn't have a clue about anything, much less music...Ignore his comment, he is *not* going to "make it". Get a band of serious and more dedicated musicians, you just did yourself a favour by quitting.
Good luck.


Fox.
 
Neil Peart once said that musicians either sacrifice their lives for their music or their music for their lives.

I think most professional musicians have to strike a balance between gigs that stimulate their creative impulses and that stimulate their bank accounts. You need both to be a professional and to stay sane, I think. Unless you are one of the lucky 1% that hits mega-success with one good band (your Danny Careys and Neil Pearts (ironic given the quote above)).

But just as already has been mentioned, if the guy doesn't understand basic musical concepts like 8th notes and quarter notes, he's not gonna make in the industry bottom line. It's like someone wanting to play in the NBA without knowing what a pick & roll is.
 
Yeah, in Neil Peart's video called A Work In Progress, he mentioned that he packed everything up in a crate and flew to England to make it. He said at the time he thought "all you have to do is get good and you'll make it", but he learned a hard lesson and after a while flew back to Canada and worked on farm equipment for his father's company. Well, until the clouds parted and he tried out for Rush and everything changed!

I like playing gigs, it's just when I feel the aim is off I find it's hard to really be as into business like they are. By aim I mean both they're "business before music" and they book shows in random places where nobody knows us and the bands that are playing with us don't sound anything like us ("If you're really into Barry Manilow, you'll love ICP!" - Zach Galigianakis). My idea was to build a following in VA, then DC, then MD. That way some of the people from the other places would bleed over into the other areas. Instead of just being like "uh, lets play baltimore, um, new york, um, maybe dc?". Plus the guitarist was threatened by people he thought were better. I just thought of it as "bring your A game" or that it forces you to try harder if you're playing with better bands. If you book a bunch of band that aren't as good as you, you don't have to really work as hard. The best show was random. It was The Dreaming (ex-Stabbing Westward's Singer and Drummer) and Trust Company openning for us. Other than that, it's been mainly acts that don't have a crowd so we don't gain much from them. Or we'll play someplace and nobody'll be there like the last two shows we had three people that came to see us.

Outside of that, my musical direction is more progressive! haha
 
I might want to add that I'm not bashing them. I just feel that I'm just going a different direction. It took me a while to leave too. I wanted to leave in the recording process, but I didn't because I knew they couldn't afford it on their own and I couldn't leave them hanging. Plus, I wanted to get the album done. Even if it was taking forever. Like I recorded three of the tracks in 5 hours (including setup and teardown) and then guitarist took 5 hours to record a rhythm track that he had been playing before he was in the band. So things took a while. haha, though, I'll give it to him that he'd never recorded in a studio before the band so it was new for him.
 
Hurlza

recently i have been accepted in to the orchestra of this thing in australia called the victorian state school spectacular, it sort of like an estedford meets a musical, any way i was just wondering in what ways can i maximize the experience i get and the people i meet from this awesome opportunity?

Record as much as you can and keep your ears and ideas open.

Also the other day i was playing to anesthetize on my kit tuned to the intervals said earlier in this thread but it still sounded off, because this song is in drop c do you tune your drums any differently?

I don't really tune my drums to specific notes. That tuning list I wrote down before was just a guide - it may not have been the exact tuning I used at the time that I recorded that song.

is your tour rack (the ICON) and your home rack set up so you can just drop your kit from oe to the other? like are they set up the same way?

Yes - I can easily drop one kit into another - the two racks (although not identical racks) are set up the same.

Hi Shreyas

Anyway, i just wanted to ask you what kind of space do you record in for a good drum sound. None of the studios in Pune ( which is where i live) have that sound, so i was planning to record in this pub that i just did a show in over the weekend, and the drum sound on the live recording was really good. Anything wrong in that?

Usually I record at home where I have a couple of different spaces. If your pub sounds good to you - then record your drums there.

Hi Padman77

Everytime I hear your ghost notes they sound amazing, just perfect and I ask myself the same question like omer. I mean, do you play one stroke on the ride cymbal an then rlrl on the snare and then again a stroke on the ride cymbal or is it more like lrll on the snare?
(At the Preview "Way out of here" of the new DVD I can see, that you play the ghost notes with both hands)

Quite often I play ghost notes with both hands and just move the right hand across from the ride to the snare drum. Sometimes it's doubles on the snare rrll and sometimes it's singles. Whatever I think sounds the best for the song and whatever sounds the most articulate in the mix. Sometimes I need the ghost notes to actually be quite loud for them to be audible in heavy songs. Occasionally I might even play the ghost notes on the rim of the snare.

Hi euphoric_anomaly

My apologies for the confusion in my last post. What I thought was a triplet was just a group of 3 1/8th notes on the hi-hats, with the hats open on 3.

Are you sure you're referring to "19 Days"? I don't recall playing what you describe there.

So to clarify, the intro is on the marimba? Looks like a huge xylophone?
Also, what are the tiny instruments that you hit with the small hammer in the middle of the video?

I think it is a large Xylophone. The other instruments are a pair of Javanese Gamelan

Hi pixelbreaker

Blind House is one of my favorite songs off of the The Incident. There's that big break with all that keyboard stuff, really reminds me of some of the stuff that Steve Jansen did with Japan. Is that you playing there or is that just something that Richard has sampled on keyboards?

It's not me playing - it's programmed. I'm a big Steve Jansen fan.

Hi chongzilla

I just quit my band after being told that "Music is #2, business and making it are #1" and "I know you want to play more complex stuff, but that doesn't sell and I'm trying to make records that sell". I've always thought of it as I'd just try to write or play the best that I can and if something happens good, if it doesn't, I'm still going to be playing, writing, and recording. Just creating something like Fear Of A Blank Planet or The Incident would be a success in my opinion. Is marketing a huge part of what you do?

Not everyone in a band always has the same plans and desires for the direction of where they should be heading. Chasing what you might think is a good 'commercial' way to go - usually ends in disaster. It's much better to make music that you like - and then hope the audience likes it too. On the other side of this is the need to make a living. I've played plenty of jobs that I didn't absolutely love - because I needed to make enough money to survive. Is marketing important? It can be very important if you've made an album that you think is really good and you want as many folks as possible to hear it and hopefully buy it.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hello Mr. Harrison

I can't seem to put to words my admiration for your playing and I simply wanted add a thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions. I have learned so much, found some inspiration and even have a couple new things to practice from reading through this thread the past couple hours. The suggestion about approaching a difficult override from the 'other' perspective was especially brilliant and rang a bell with me (no pun intended).
So looking forward to seeing you guys in Dallas Tuesday night.. My tix have been on the fridge for months. I realize you cant make any promises but I'll be around before and after the show with my Incident LP and a sharpie :)

A million thanks for your time and input. I will be visiting this thread quite often from now on.

Jeff F
 
19 Days instrumentation

Hi all. The intro to 19 Days is played on marimba and the small instruments are Balinese barangan, which (as Gavin says) is a type of gamelan metallophone.
 
Hi Gavin. How would you describe (in your own words) a double-dotted note? How you look at that. and do you look dotted note as three smaller notes or 1.5
 
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