Gavin Harrison here!

Kenneth,
thanks for making the Wikipedia page. (I corrected a couple of minor things in my equipment list)

Hi Ege,
I think the snare head question has been answered already. As for bass drum head - I use a Remo Powerstroke 3 clear at the moment. I suppose a medium tuning - and a large heavy pillow. This is only good if it's going to be mic'd up - otherwise it sounds pretty dead.

Hi Midnite Mike,
Thanks for spreading the word about PT. We appreciate it.

Foog,
I just listened to that fill. It's a favorite sticking of mine. 5 notes played in triplet form. RLRRL. In fact I go through this sticking/triplet idea in my DVD at some point.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hello Gavin! I'd like to say that I think you are one the best contemporary drummers in the world, and certainly one of the most creative! I watched the "Cymbal Song" video here on DW,
and was absolutely amazed. I look forward to hearing more of your work!
 
Hey Gavin,

If you have any other important biographical information to add to the page let me know and I'll work on it. Also, I couldn't get a working picture of Rhythmic Illusions on the page as you could see. It was an issue with Wikipedia I believe. If you'd like to see something else on there, feel free to give suggestions.

Regards,
KW
 
Hey Gavin,
Big fan of PT, really love your playing style, very unique, has that 'efficient' yet 'sensitive' sound to me. I have a question or two for you... I'm sure you stretch out before you practice, so my first question is Do you have a regular stretch routine, or can it vary? And what stretches do you commonly use? ...and the second one is When you warm-up, do you have a near-regular routine, or can it depend on other factors?

Thanks a lot for your time!
(love Deadwing!!)
 
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Hi Cardan,
thanks for the post. I've only recently (in the last 2 years) warmed up before a show. It came about because of Deadwing. When we used to open the show with the song Deadwing - my arms (especially my right hand) would hurt. I think it's because I was playing 4 in a bar open hi hat for something like 5 minutes at around 160bpm without stopping. That's nothing particularly hard - but when it's the opening number you tend to play too hard because of the adrenaline. Added to all that the fact that I didn't used to warm up - it would all add up to some bad pain.
So I stretch my arms up so that my elbows are at the top of my head and my arms are going down my back. That really helps stretch the long muscles that run from the arm pit down to the elbow. Also I play double and single stroke rolls on a pad for about 20 minutes before the show.
We dropped playing Deadwing as an opener - but I've carried on with the stretching and pad exercises anyway - and I think it helps.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Futile is essentially a B side from the In Absentia sessions. It was released on the European version of In Absentia and also the Futile EP featuring other unreleased tracks from In Absentia. Also, the DVD Audio version of In Absentia contains the surround mix of Futile.

The Futile EP is available for download from Porcupine Tree's online store.

Hope that helped
KW
 
Alright, just wanted to say thanks a lot for responding so fast, Gavin.
 
Hey Gavin,
I just recently got my hands on a copy of "Mother and Child Divided." I'm curious as to where the opening beat derived from. I've counted it in 8 with the hi-hat playing 8th notes, but the underlying beat on the snare and bass is something i cant get my head around. Please help.
 
Thanks Gavin,

Yah that did help, i figured it was something like that. I also have a question about "Orchidia" Specifically at 2:28 you throw down an awsome beat. The Hi-Hat is following the guitar line and the snare is dropping on the 3, but i cant seem to hear the bass drum triplets, and were they fall. If you could shed some light that would be great. Also i tried sequencing the 8 against 9 with different combinations between the snare, hi-hat, and bass. Lets just say that its MESSED UP!!! :) I'm going to try a bunch of other combinations, i'll let you know how they turn out. Talk to yo soon.

MM
 
Kenneth Wilson said:
Futile is essentially a B side from the In Absentia sessions. It was released on the European version of In Absentia and also the Futile EP featuring other unreleased tracks from In Absentia. Also, the DVD Audio version of In Absentia contains the surround mix of Futile.

The Futile EP is available for download from Porcupine Tree's online store.

Hope that helped
KW
Thanks for the info Kenneth.
 
Congrads!

Congratulations to getting signed to Roadrunner Records! I knew it was only a matter of time and i cant wait for the next album. Keep up the good work.

MM
 
The Drum Festival in Montreal in November should be fun. I'm driving 5 hours north to check it out. I'm interested to know if your introducing some concepts from your new DVD. Also the PT songs that you are performing, are they new songs or old favorites. Hope everything is great on your end. Take care and God bless.

MM
 
Hi Gavin!

You've been my favorite drummer for some time now and I signed up basically to ask you what may seem like an elementary level question, haha.

I've been drumming almost all my life and, more than anything, I enjoy incoporating subtleties (which you refer to as rythmic illusions), BUT occasionally I run into the problem of losing time. Doesn't happen often and I can usually get right back on track, but it still shakes me up every time.

Is there some kind of trick you use to keep time in the back of your head when playing? I know you're probably thinking "just count", but it's really hard to focus on that at this level.

Do you have any tips on that end?
 
Hey Gavin,
I have a question about Copyright. I noticed your DVD has Copyright on it and also the PT albums of course. I was just wondering if you yourself play a role in aquiring the copyright paper work and do the necessary steps to complete the process, or is all that taken care of by your publisher. If you could point me in the right direction that would help, i am scoring a short film for my friend and i want to cover my end so i dont get burned down the road. Thanks

MM
 
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