Gavin Harrison
DRUMMERWORLD PRO DRUMMER
Hi Robert Schmidt
I noticed that in the intro of the first song you turned off the snare at first and turned it on again a few moments later just before the first backbeat occures? Why did you do this - do you want just this one tom fill to be free of snare rattling?
Yes it was just a bit cleaner to play those opening tom fills with the snares off. If I had to play a really simple tom melody that was exposed in the arrangement - I'd see if I could play it with the snares off just for that moment - or maybe play the toms with my right hand and put my left hand on the snare drum to really cut down as much sympathetic buzz as possible. When the music is playing you tend not to notice it so much.
When you record these days - are you using any other snare drums than your two signature ones?
Almost never. I can't remember in the last few years when I used any other snare drums. I think the thing is - I'm trying to make a snare sound that sounds like me. I'm really not much of a chameleon session drummer anymore. Maybe I used to be more in the past - but I lost interest in trying to sound like someone else.
I think you said that when you´re on tour practicing backstage on a pad you get through a lot of your ideas. Is there sort of a defined point when you stop working on one idea and go to the next one - for example when you feel that you can play it well enough?
Sure - once I think I have control of it - I'll move onto the next idea. Sometimes the next idea is directly related to the previous - like a kind of natural progression that seems obvious to me.
cheers
Gavin
I noticed that in the intro of the first song you turned off the snare at first and turned it on again a few moments later just before the first backbeat occures? Why did you do this - do you want just this one tom fill to be free of snare rattling?
Yes it was just a bit cleaner to play those opening tom fills with the snares off. If I had to play a really simple tom melody that was exposed in the arrangement - I'd see if I could play it with the snares off just for that moment - or maybe play the toms with my right hand and put my left hand on the snare drum to really cut down as much sympathetic buzz as possible. When the music is playing you tend not to notice it so much.
When you record these days - are you using any other snare drums than your two signature ones?
Almost never. I can't remember in the last few years when I used any other snare drums. I think the thing is - I'm trying to make a snare sound that sounds like me. I'm really not much of a chameleon session drummer anymore. Maybe I used to be more in the past - but I lost interest in trying to sound like someone else.
I think you said that when you´re on tour practicing backstage on a pad you get through a lot of your ideas. Is there sort of a defined point when you stop working on one idea and go to the next one - for example when you feel that you can play it well enough?
Sure - once I think I have control of it - I'll move onto the next idea. Sometimes the next idea is directly related to the previous - like a kind of natural progression that seems obvious to me.
cheers
Gavin