Gavin Harrison here!

Just a quick thought that popped into my mind reading the conversation about your stick models;
Do you find a difficulty in the gripping of the Matte paint style? I've tried your sticks and VF sticks with the Vic Grip and there's a huge difference - to me the matte slips too much, just wondering how you get on with that as it must have been a fair change!

Hi Alannah
the answer for me is this stuff...pure magic. My hands have not been in better shape thanks to this. http://shop.bigbangdist.com/c/brands-n-z_sex-wax

products35694-1200x1200-1094019.jpg

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Alannah
the answer for me is this stuff...pure magic. My hands have not been in better shape thanks to this. http://shop.bigbangdist.com/c/brands-n-z_sex-wax

View attachment 90694

cheers
Gavin

Ahhhhh! I see, I've seen this stuff around yeah - I suppose the Vic Grip material tends to give bad blisters right? That's good to know - I don't personally have much of an issue with gripping on normal sticks but it would be interesting to try.

Thanks!
Alannah
 
Hi Gavin,

I'm a little nervous about your tour, please put your healths first and stay safe. I'm sure fans would support any change if needed. Btw, I've heard holding drumsticks can reduce the chance of infection by not allowing one to touch their face. :)

I was able to buy a SHAR1, the paint improved a lot indeed.
DSC03067 (1).jpg

A question regarding Pineapple Thief, I looked through setlist.fm and it seems they've only played Build A World before you joined, is that right? It's my favorite song of the Pre-Gavin era, and I keep imagining the things you'd do with it, hope it'll happen one day. Now I can't wait to hear that new LP (hopefully in digital form) 'Uncovering the Tracks' with 4 songs re-worked by you. What were the things that you were looking for in old songs when choosing them?

Dora
 
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Hi Dora

What were the things that you were looking for in old songs when choosing them?

I was just looking for songs that gave me some inspirational idea that I could start with. I try to hear the songs as if they were new songs - and imagine what could I bring to them. There was no point in me just replaying whatever the previous drummer had already played. There is a plan to do some more back catalog songs like this.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Dora

What were the things that you were looking for in old songs when choosing them?

I was just looking for songs that gave me some inspirational idea that I could start with. I try to hear the songs as if they were new songs - and imagine what could I bring to them. There was no point in me just replaying whatever the previous drummer had already played. There is a plan to do some more back catalog songs like this.

cheers
Gavin

Hey Gavin,

Thanks, that's a great plan. :) Sounds like we may hear something totally new then... Can't wait!
Cheers,

Dora
 
Just saw the new Sonor video, love the new kit Gavin! I absolutely adore birch kits, can't wait to hear what it sounds like!

Alannah
 
Hi Gavin - it was great watching the Sonor video the other day, even if it was only 25 mins....:( Hopefully you’ll be able to do another one some time in the future. Question for you, if you don‘t mind - Love your new Sonor kit, what was your reason for going with Birch this time? I read what Sonor says about Birch versus Maple, what, if anything, could I expect from a Birch kit that isn’t written somewhere? I’ve been playing with the configurations on the site (you’re correct, it’s pretty cool), Sonor will be my next kit in a few months. Thanks - Stay safe, Phil
PS - just changed all my hoops on my current kit to S Hoops - love them!
 
Hi Gavin,

Thanks for all the inspiration. Watching Blackest Eyes live (Chicago,2005) on the internet in my late teens knocked me out of my comfort zone and opened my eyes to the incredible possibilities of the instrument. I missed watching Porcupine Tree in Mumbai, India cause I had exams going on right during the gig which was terrible. But then finally I got to watch you live up close, good seats, at the King Crimson gig in Oakland California (September, 2019). Mind blowing! Very grateful!

So the question:

You spoke about Ted Reed's Syncopation during you live video chat on Youtube recently, where you mentioned practicing patterns on the bass drum and filling the remaining triplets with the left hand. During this chat you mentioned few specific famous pages in the book, which you laminated separately. What are those pages? Couldn't find them on the internet.

Thanks
 
Hi KeithEnglish

Question for you, if you don‘t mind - Love your new Sonor kit, what was your reason for going with Birch this time? I read what Sonor says about Birch versus Maple, what, if anything, could I expect from a Birch kit that isn’t written somewhere?


Basically I thought I'd try it for a change. My previous Sonor sets were all maple and I haven't had a birch set since the early 1980's (my Yamaha Recording Custom set). Still sounds like a great Sonor set to me:

Hi AbhiramSMenon

You spoke about Ted Reed's Syncopation during you live video chat on Youtube recently, where you mentioned practicing patterns on the bass drum and filling the remaining triplets with the left hand. During this chat you mentioned few specific famous pages in the book, which you laminated separately. What are those pages? Couldn't find them on the internet.

They are from Ted Reed's book. Pages 38 - 45. I don't know if you find them on the internet. It's definitley a book worth buying !

cheers
Gavin
 
You spoke about Ted Reed's Syncopation during you live video chat on Youtube recently, where you mentioned practicing patterns on the bass drum and filling the remaining triplets with the left hand. During this chat you mentioned few specific famous pages in the book, which you laminated separately. What are those pages? Couldn't find them on the internet.


Hey AbrahimSMenon,

Sorry to butt in! Not sure where you're based, I got my copy from a shop in Denmark St, London several years back for £6.95! Still haven't gotten through nearly as many possibilities as I wanted but it's soooo worth it. Probably a copy available to buy online for a similar price
 
Hey AbrahimSMenon,

Sorry to butt in! Not sure where you're based, I got my copy from a shop in Denmark St, London several years back for £6.95! Still haven't gotten through nearly as many possibilities as I wanted but it's soooo worth it. Probably a copy available to buy online for a similar price


Hey bananers,

I am based near San Francisco, CA. I did get my book about a year back on Amazon. But haven't really got to it and started working on it. But the idea that Gavin Harrison suggested seemed pretty cool to me and I guess I would like to focus on that. But talking about possibilities, just keeping an ostinato on any two limbs and playing the patterns on the third limb and filling in remaining notes on the fourth limb, trying all limb combinations, opens up a ton of possibilities. Then there is straight and swing. Its just a lot of work!:rolleyes: Thinking about these ideas seem a lot easier than actually working through all of them. Haha

Abhiram
(Pronounced Aa- bee- ram, the Hindu version of Abraham or Ibrahim)
 
But talking about possibilities, just keeping an ostinato on any two limbs and playing the patterns on the third limb and filling in remaining notes on the fourth limb, trying all limb combinations, opens up a ton of possibilities. Then there is straight and swing. Its just a lot of work!:rolleyes: Thinking about these ideas seem a lot easier than actually working through all of them. Haha

There's so much to do, I worked from page 38 alone for many exams I had - one of the most challenging and interesting for me was playing a jazz ride line and stepped 2&4 hats whilst interpreting the rhythm between left hand and right foot!

I won't clog up the page with this chat but it really is the drummers bible ? Modern Reading in 4/4 is a great one too!
 
Good Evening Gavin,

I was hoping to ask your advice regarding the drumset hearing through in-ear monitor during live sessions.

I have an extreme necessity to hear the feeling with my instrument so I can play relaxed and I can focus on groove with the band.
Currentyl I’m using a Yamaha MG82cx mixer where in first channel I put the bass drum mic, in the second channel the snare drum top mic, third channel for left overhead and fourth for right overhead.
In the fifth channel I have a cable that comes form the sound technician’s mixer where I have all band’s sound, except my drum.
I also have another channel for the click.

Honestly I’m not satisfied yet with the result that i get in my headphones during live sessions.
Did you have any advice about your way of feeling drumset through headphones during live sessions?

Thank you very much for your time and to keep inspiring me every day.

Best regards.
 
I was hoping to ask your advice regarding the drumset hearing through in-ear monitor during live sessions.

I have an extreme necessity to hear the feeling with my instrument so I can play relaxed and I can focus on groove with the band.
Currentyl I’m using a Yamaha MG82cx mixer where in first channel I put the bass drum mic, in the second channel the snare drum top mic, third channel for left overhead and fourth for right overhead.
In the fifth channel I have a cable that comes form the sound technician’s mixer where I have all band’s sound, except my drum.
I also have another channel for the click.

Honestly I’m not satisfied yet with the result that i get in my headphones during live sessions.
Did you have any advice about your way of feeling drumset through headphones during live sessions?

Hi Federico

I'm now using a similar desk MG10XU right next to my drums. I think before that - I used the exact same one you have.
I guess some of it depends on which in-ears you use and if they are custom molds or generic fit? How much outside sound is leaking into your ears passed the in-ears?
I also have the bass drum in channel one (plus I have the Porter & Davies system that gives me the bass drum directly into the stool top).
Snare drum in channel two (plus some reverb and compression)
A mix of my (toms and overheads) and the band in channels 3&4. However - all of this is being pre-mixed via the band's PreSonus desk. I can change anything I want from that desk via my iPad - although I almost never touch it during the show.

It's a bit of a complex monitoring configuration but it's pretty consistent from show to show - apart from the sound of the venue and the proximity of the sub speakers. It is really important to feel as comfortable as you can on stage - but it's never ideal because the drums themselves make SO much sound - it's virtually impossible to have a 'great' mix. I just to end up with something I can play to.

best of luck
Gavin
 
Gavin! How are you? You're one of my favorite "modern" rock drummers. I appreciate your humility and your musicality. Cheers.

- Allen
 
I've included a little cheat sheet with the applied system discussed by Gavin. It is just the first 24 measures of page 38, with the bass drum playing the original notation and the snare filling in the gaps. The right hand and left foot play a standard swing.

Highly recommended to purchase the book. It is pretty daunting and looks like it was written in sharpie, but contains an overwhelming amount of practice material. You could also do similar systems to Modern Reading in 4/4 by Louis Bellson, and in a slightly different way, The New Breed by Gary Chester. It's also worth noting the the two John Riley books (Art Of Bop Drumming and Beyond Bop Drumming) automatically apply similar comp patterns to swing, and can be very challenging.

Michael
 

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It is just the first 24 measures of page 38, with the bass drum playing the original notation and the snare filling in the gaps. The right hand and left foot play a standard swing.

I like using this system because it helps a lot with jazz phrasing and comping ideas - since you shared this is what I've been revisiting lately, similar idea, in swung time but "longer" notes are assigned to the bass drum and shorter to the snare. My struggle is with the stepped hi hats.

Alannah
20200425_000509-min.jpg
 
My struggle is with the stepped hi hats.

Totally hear you on that. That aforementioned John Riley book "The Art of Bop Drumming" and its logical progression of comp examples really helped me get the hi-hat more properly "installed" on beats 2 and 4. The third comp example is essentially the same as your interpretation of the Syncopation stuff and features some nice eighth note back and forth with the kick and snare, often with some "question and answer" qualities, highly recommended.
 
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