bananers
Junior Member
Merry christmas Gavin! ?? Thanks for all of your patience on here, your advice and answers are always so helpful and insightful to us all ? Have a good one!
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Merry christmas Gavin! ?? Thanks for all of your patience on here, your advice and answers are always so helpful and insightful to us all ? Have a good one!
Andy
Honorary Member
Hi Gavin,
I'm pleased you got the files sorted. Most coincidentally, & FWIW, my default top & bottom head pitch relationships pretty much mirror yours.
Many newer players (absolutely including myself way back in the day) will gravitate to lower head tensions in search of that elusive recorded sound, not realising that higher tensions (especially the bottom head) are required to "excite" the instrument.
I'd like to add my voice to those grateful for your participation here, & hoping you + those dear to you have a contented festive season.
My fondest regards,
Andy.
I'm pleased you got the files sorted. Most coincidentally, & FWIW, my default top & bottom head pitch relationships pretty much mirror yours.
Many newer players (absolutely including myself way back in the day) will gravitate to lower head tensions in search of that elusive recorded sound, not realising that higher tensions (especially the bottom head) are required to "excite" the instrument.
I'd like to add my voice to those grateful for your participation here, & hoping you + those dear to you have a contented festive season.
My fondest regards,
Andy.
Botiarazman
Active Member
Hi Gavin!
Wanted to ask you about your drum parts. I'm a lyricist as well as a drummer, and so I was wondering about whether you take into consideration the lyrics of a song when writing the drum part. Do you think about the themes and emotions, do you try to understand and analyze them or do you only write to the music, also does your approach vary from project to project?
Thx and merry Christmas (to you and to everyone else reading this)!
Wanted to ask you about your drum parts. I'm a lyricist as well as a drummer, and so I was wondering about whether you take into consideration the lyrics of a song when writing the drum part. Do you think about the themes and emotions, do you try to understand and analyze them or do you only write to the music, also does your approach vary from project to project?
Thx and merry Christmas (to you and to everyone else reading this)!
Gavin Harrison
DRUMMERWORLD PRO DRUMMER
That's an interesting question. Ideally I'd like to know what the lyrics are about (if it's not exactly obvious from the words that they are singing) but I work on SO many songs where (at the time of the drum recording) the lyrics are not finished or haven't even been written. I do insist that if they haven't written the lyrics yet that they record some kind of vocals (even if it's it's just "la la la") so that I can hear where the melody is - and the exact rhythm of the melody. Then I just need to understand 'how' dynamic they are singing it (super soft / aggressive etc) to be able to know how best to approach it from a drum point of view. To be honest - if the lyrics are about unrequited love or that the local shop has run out of toilet paper - it probably won't influence how I compose the drum patterns - as long as I have a clear picture to work to. Most times I'll just ask the writer to get it closer to a finished thing before I work on it.
cheers
Gavin
bjarne-jepsen
New Member
Hi Gavin. I hope that you are enjoying Christmas.
I think that it is safe to say, that you have reached a level that quite a lot of drummers would give their right arm - hmmm, for a drummer that would probably not be the best career advice - to be on. Besides an insane amount of practicing and respect for the drums as an musical instrument, how do you stay "hungry"? What keeps you going and motivated? Are you drawing on inspiration from other genres/drummers or are you able to evolve by yourself?
I saw you (with Pineapple Thief) and Morgan Aagren (with Devin Townsend) right before COVID-19 decided to enter the stage. And I remember that after the shows, I was wondering how on earth you guys are able to keep the inspiration and grow as drummers. I know that you have been connected to progressive rock for quite some years now, but do you have as musically diverse interests as Morgan...whom I know is also very much into fusion-jazzy projects?
All the best from Copenhagen Denmark, and thank you very much for all of your wonderful contributions to the music that I am listening to.
All the best
Bjarne
I think that it is safe to say, that you have reached a level that quite a lot of drummers would give their right arm - hmmm, for a drummer that would probably not be the best career advice - to be on. Besides an insane amount of practicing and respect for the drums as an musical instrument, how do you stay "hungry"? What keeps you going and motivated? Are you drawing on inspiration from other genres/drummers or are you able to evolve by yourself?
I saw you (with Pineapple Thief) and Morgan Aagren (with Devin Townsend) right before COVID-19 decided to enter the stage. And I remember that after the shows, I was wondering how on earth you guys are able to keep the inspiration and grow as drummers. I know that you have been connected to progressive rock for quite some years now, but do you have as musically diverse interests as Morgan...whom I know is also very much into fusion-jazzy projects?
All the best from Copenhagen Denmark, and thank you very much for all of your wonderful contributions to the music that I am listening to.
All the best
Bjarne
Gavin Harrison
DRUMMERWORLD PRO DRUMMER
HI Bjarne
I think what keeps me motivated the most are the projects that I'm involved with. I'm in a happy place working with The Pineapple Thief and the creative freedom that it gives me. Same with the new record with Antoine Fafard. I can do whatever I think is right on the instrument. There are some other musical projects I'm involved in (such as King Crimson) that I have the same feeling about. Regarding outside influence - I'm sure I hear things that other musicians play that creep into my own playing in one way or another - it's not necessarily other drummers - it could be other instruments too. Plus lots of practise and improvising help me discover new things.
I guess I'm an eternal student of the instrument. It seems endlessly fascinating to me.
cheers
Gavin
I think what keeps me motivated the most are the projects that I'm involved with. I'm in a happy place working with The Pineapple Thief and the creative freedom that it gives me. Same with the new record with Antoine Fafard. I can do whatever I think is right on the instrument. There are some other musical projects I'm involved in (such as King Crimson) that I have the same feeling about. Regarding outside influence - I'm sure I hear things that other musicians play that creep into my own playing in one way or another - it's not necessarily other drummers - it could be other instruments too. Plus lots of practise and improvising help me discover new things.
I guess I'm an eternal student of the instrument. It seems endlessly fascinating to me.
cheers
Gavin
bjarne-jepsen
New Member
Thank you very much for your reply Gavin. It is inspiring to read how connected and dedicated you are to your instrument...still eager to explore.
I didn't know that much about Pineapple Thief before I saw the band in Copenhagen 2 years ago. And...what an excellent surprise that was. I look forward to listen to your collaboration with Antoine Fafard
All the best in the year to come.
B
I didn't know that much about Pineapple Thief before I saw the band in Copenhagen 2 years ago. And...what an excellent surprise that was. I look forward to listen to your collaboration with Antoine Fafard
All the best in the year to come.
B
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Drummerrobin
Member
Love this quote!
Also thanks for posting clips of the tom tunings Gavin, much appreciated. So nice of you to take the time to share that kind of stuff with us!
Doraemon
Well-known Member
Hi, Gavin! Happy New Year! I wish you a safe and joyous 2021 full of concerts in front of vaccinated crowds.
I'm thinking about getting your Sonor signature snare one day, but it makes little sense now, and I was wondering how long it will be manufactured. How do these things work? Do you have any data on how many they make or sell and what they plan with them? I'm a little worried as I already see very few stores that have it (but these are not normal times..).Thanks,
Dora
I'm thinking about getting your Sonor signature snare one day, but it makes little sense now, and I was wondering how long it will be manufactured. How do these things work? Do you have any data on how many they make or sell and what they plan with them? I'm a little worried as I already see very few stores that have it (but these are not normal times..).Thanks,
Dora
Adam Sayers
Member
Hi Gavin, hope you had safe and happy festive season! and with that Happy New Year!
I've got a few things I wanted to ask you about. I just got round to listening to "Chemical Reactions", and first off I wanted to say congratulations on it! As per usual your work is phenomenal, but this for me took it to another level hearing your playing in context to responding to an orchestral based setting. This record really made me think about how beautiful it is to listen to music, and in particular appreciate that you are listening to someones inner workings, ideas and flow all manifested in an audio form captured in time. Your sound was very distinct, but your parts were unlike anything i've heard from you before. It sounded like you were given full creative rein, and really went out there conceptually and had fun with it. I had to laugh out of sheer joy listening to some of your parts, (purely from the sheer brilliance of them!) but also out of the fact they just took me by complete surprise! They had me wondering "where the hell did he pull this from??" and the only other drummer i've ever had that from is Vinnie!
Anyway the first question is how did you even begin to develop/write parts for an album like this? Did Antoine give you a framework to go off by some sort of demo drums? Or did you just receive the tracks as demos minus drums? I'm really curious as to what your methods for composing/writing would be in a scenario like this.
The second question is to do with a part on the track "Pair of a Perfect Four" (@ 03:38 - I think it may be hertas?). I watching a video of you doing a soundcheck for remo a while ago and I seemed to recall you playing that same pattern then.
Was that the inception of this concept/part? Or was it something that came out of you as a result of you writing for Antoine at the time?
(@ 03:11)
All the best!
Adam
I've got a few things I wanted to ask you about. I just got round to listening to "Chemical Reactions", and first off I wanted to say congratulations on it! As per usual your work is phenomenal, but this for me took it to another level hearing your playing in context to responding to an orchestral based setting. This record really made me think about how beautiful it is to listen to music, and in particular appreciate that you are listening to someones inner workings, ideas and flow all manifested in an audio form captured in time. Your sound was very distinct, but your parts were unlike anything i've heard from you before. It sounded like you were given full creative rein, and really went out there conceptually and had fun with it. I had to laugh out of sheer joy listening to some of your parts, (purely from the sheer brilliance of them!) but also out of the fact they just took me by complete surprise! They had me wondering "where the hell did he pull this from??" and the only other drummer i've ever had that from is Vinnie!
Anyway the first question is how did you even begin to develop/write parts for an album like this? Did Antoine give you a framework to go off by some sort of demo drums? Or did you just receive the tracks as demos minus drums? I'm really curious as to what your methods for composing/writing would be in a scenario like this.
The second question is to do with a part on the track "Pair of a Perfect Four" (@ 03:38 - I think it may be hertas?). I watching a video of you doing a soundcheck for remo a while ago and I seemed to recall you playing that same pattern then.
Was that the inception of this concept/part? Or was it something that came out of you as a result of you writing for Antoine at the time?
(@ 03:11)
All the best!
Adam
Samuel Balavoine
New Member
Hello Gavin, here are some news !
But first, I wish you happy new year, may 2021 be kind with you !
So here's what happened after you sent me your soundcloud with the recording of your toms. -In short- I asked a friend what notes you were playing (more precisely, wich octaves, because I couldn't find out in low registers). Here's what he told me :
8 : F4 G4
10 : C4 C#4
12 : G3 A#3
15 : C3 D#3
18 : F#2 G#2
So I tuned my toms like yours when sizes were the same, and did some math to find out wich notes would be best for the others. I borrowed my brother's tunebot and it went like this :
10 : C4 C#4
12 : G3 A#3
13 : E3 G3
16 : A#2 C#3
I was pretty happy with the results but also surprised. I never thought the sound of your toms as the sound they would make through the recording chain. I don't now why I never thought that your drums in real life and recorded would sound different. Now thinking about it, it seems obvious.
I did some recording of the toms only, here it is if you want to check them out :
drive.google.com
They are raw and unedited. The mics are the most basic thomann mics and they go through a focusrite 18i20 2nd gen into Reaper. I hit the toms one by one and improvise a bit afterwards. I'm not playing with a click, I just wanted to know how they would sound. What do you think of the way they sound ? ^^
I did not try tuning the snare and bass drum because I didn't have the time, I'll try later. Thanks again for helping me for my toms.
Happy new year.
But first, I wish you happy new year, may 2021 be kind with you !
So here's what happened after you sent me your soundcloud with the recording of your toms. -In short- I asked a friend what notes you were playing (more precisely, wich octaves, because I couldn't find out in low registers). Here's what he told me :
8 : F4 G4
10 : C4 C#4
12 : G3 A#3
15 : C3 D#3
18 : F#2 G#2
So I tuned my toms like yours when sizes were the same, and did some math to find out wich notes would be best for the others. I borrowed my brother's tunebot and it went like this :
10 : C4 C#4
12 : G3 A#3
13 : E3 G3
16 : A#2 C#3
I was pretty happy with the results but also surprised. I never thought the sound of your toms as the sound they would make through the recording chain. I don't now why I never thought that your drums in real life and recorded would sound different. Now thinking about it, it seems obvious.
I did some recording of the toms only, here it is if you want to check them out :
toms bruts(raw unedited).wav
drive.google.com
They are raw and unedited. The mics are the most basic thomann mics and they go through a focusrite 18i20 2nd gen into Reaper. I hit the toms one by one and improvise a bit afterwards. I'm not playing with a click, I just wanted to know how they would sound. What do you think of the way they sound ? ^^
I did not try tuning the snare and bass drum because I didn't have the time, I'll try later. Thanks again for helping me for my toms.
Happy new year.
Gavin Harrison
DRUMMERWORLD PRO DRUMMER
Hi Dora
I'm thinking about getting your Sonor signature snare one day, but it makes little sense now, and I was wondering how long it will be manufactured. How do these things work? Do you have any data on how many they make or sell and what they plan with them? I'm a little worried as I already see very few stores that have it (but these are not normal times..).Thanks,
I don't really know the answer to how long it's available for. There's certainly no time limit that I'm aware of. It's been out there 8 years and is still selling. I guess if it's popular they keep making it and when sales drop below a certain level they stop.
Hi Adam
I've got a few things I wanted to ask you about. I just got round to listening to "Chemical Reactions", and first off I wanted to say congratulations on it! Anyway the first question is how did you even begin to develop/write parts for an album like this? Did Antoine give you a framework to go off by some sort of demo drums? Or did you just receive the tracks as demos minus drums? I'm really curious as to what your methods for composing/writing would be in a scenario like this.
thanks - glad you like it. Antoine does write a very basic drum machine part - and I do give a listen - usually to see where (in the odd time signatures) he's hearing the back-beats being placed. Sometimes it lines up with the bass line so I might take special note of it. Sometimes I just ignore it and see what I can come up with. After I've listened through the the demo - I might follow it through with the full score (with all the violins, violas and cello parts) to see what some of the phrases are and to check out the time time signatures. Other times I have asked Antoine to just write me out a bar chart with some basic accents/phrases in.
The thing with syncopation over odd times is that you might hear it in a strange way or think that the time signature is different and it could be difficult to understand. Sometimes that illusion could be a good thing and I might chose to use that alternative angle.
I tend to put coloured blocks across my screen (in Logic). I can see the screen of my computer from my drums - so it might save me having to write out a full chart.
I don't really have a strict colour coding but usually an intro is green, a verse is yellow, and a chorus is red. After that I use a different colour if it's a different musical section. That way I can see the shape of the arrangement and also see what section is coming next whilst I'm playing. If there's a really tricky part (let's say the light blue sections) I will notate that section and have it on a music stand so I can read it when that moment comes round.
In music like Antoine's I might just work on a certain section for a while until I think I have found something that I like - and that it meets a certain set of requirements in my mind such as: Is it musical, interesting, something I haven't played before, should it be less so that I can build it next time this section comes around?...and then from a more performance point of view : can I make it groove better, can I think of an interesting fill or way to introduce this section? - and then from an engineering point of view: could the sound be better, should I mix it differently, is this the right tuning/snare/ride/hi hats etc?
I can't really answer where the ideas come from - I guess you either feel inspired or you don't. Sometimes it's the music itself and sometimes it the mood you are in. It's a bit of a mystery to me - but I do know when I think something is working...or not.
So I work through the sections (recording ideas as I go) and then finally think about trying to perform the whole piece from start to finish and find good fills to link certain sections.
The second question is to do with a part on the track "Pair of a Perfect Four" (I think it may be hertas?).
Was that the inception of this concept/part? Or was it something that came out of you as a result of you writing for Antoine at the time?
In most of Antoine's pieces he will write a section that is meant to be a little drum solo. So rather than take a typical approach to soloing (where I just rip around the drums showing off my chops kind of thing) I started to think that perhaps I could just play a section that just has an interesting rhythm in it. On my birthday 2018 I sat at my drums and started to play a herta (two 32nds followed by two 16ths) between my feet (hi hat and bass drum) and then I just wondered what it would sound like if I played a herta between my hands (cross stick and ride cymbal) over the top of it but displaced by one 16th.
It made me laugh and I played it for a few days just for fun. 18 months later I'm trying to think of a part I could play in the solo section of "Pair Of A Perfect Four" and I remembered the herta over herta thing.
Hi Samuel
They are raw and unedited. The mics are the most basic thomann mics and they go through a focusrite 18i20 2nd gen into Reaper. I hit the toms one by one and improvise a bit afterwards. I'm not playing with a click, I just wanted to know how they would sound. What do you think of the way they sound ?
Nice work ! The 10" and the 12" sound good to me. I think the 13" has a small issue. It sounds like it's slightly out of tune with itself. I can hear a note beating against itself. I would try tuning the reso head up or down a bit (or at least check the pitch at each lug to see if it has moved) - at the moment the sustain is a bit too long (in my opinion). Is it 13" x10" ?
You can tell that medium hard hits in the middle of the drum make quite a sound difference than light hits off centre. So, where you hit the drum and how hard you hit it can make the difference of it sounding good or bad. Thanks for the recording.
Happy New Year to everyone !
Gavin
I'm thinking about getting your Sonor signature snare one day, but it makes little sense now, and I was wondering how long it will be manufactured. How do these things work? Do you have any data on how many they make or sell and what they plan with them? I'm a little worried as I already see very few stores that have it (but these are not normal times..).Thanks,
I don't really know the answer to how long it's available for. There's certainly no time limit that I'm aware of. It's been out there 8 years and is still selling. I guess if it's popular they keep making it and when sales drop below a certain level they stop.
Hi Adam
I've got a few things I wanted to ask you about. I just got round to listening to "Chemical Reactions", and first off I wanted to say congratulations on it! Anyway the first question is how did you even begin to develop/write parts for an album like this? Did Antoine give you a framework to go off by some sort of demo drums? Or did you just receive the tracks as demos minus drums? I'm really curious as to what your methods for composing/writing would be in a scenario like this.
thanks - glad you like it. Antoine does write a very basic drum machine part - and I do give a listen - usually to see where (in the odd time signatures) he's hearing the back-beats being placed. Sometimes it lines up with the bass line so I might take special note of it. Sometimes I just ignore it and see what I can come up with. After I've listened through the the demo - I might follow it through with the full score (with all the violins, violas and cello parts) to see what some of the phrases are and to check out the time time signatures. Other times I have asked Antoine to just write me out a bar chart with some basic accents/phrases in.
The thing with syncopation over odd times is that you might hear it in a strange way or think that the time signature is different and it could be difficult to understand. Sometimes that illusion could be a good thing and I might chose to use that alternative angle.
I tend to put coloured blocks across my screen (in Logic). I can see the screen of my computer from my drums - so it might save me having to write out a full chart.
I don't really have a strict colour coding but usually an intro is green, a verse is yellow, and a chorus is red. After that I use a different colour if it's a different musical section. That way I can see the shape of the arrangement and also see what section is coming next whilst I'm playing. If there's a really tricky part (let's say the light blue sections) I will notate that section and have it on a music stand so I can read it when that moment comes round.
In music like Antoine's I might just work on a certain section for a while until I think I have found something that I like - and that it meets a certain set of requirements in my mind such as: Is it musical, interesting, something I haven't played before, should it be less so that I can build it next time this section comes around?...and then from a more performance point of view : can I make it groove better, can I think of an interesting fill or way to introduce this section? - and then from an engineering point of view: could the sound be better, should I mix it differently, is this the right tuning/snare/ride/hi hats etc?
I can't really answer where the ideas come from - I guess you either feel inspired or you don't. Sometimes it's the music itself and sometimes it the mood you are in. It's a bit of a mystery to me - but I do know when I think something is working...or not.
So I work through the sections (recording ideas as I go) and then finally think about trying to perform the whole piece from start to finish and find good fills to link certain sections.
The second question is to do with a part on the track "Pair of a Perfect Four" (I think it may be hertas?).
Was that the inception of this concept/part? Or was it something that came out of you as a result of you writing for Antoine at the time?
In most of Antoine's pieces he will write a section that is meant to be a little drum solo. So rather than take a typical approach to soloing (where I just rip around the drums showing off my chops kind of thing) I started to think that perhaps I could just play a section that just has an interesting rhythm in it. On my birthday 2018 I sat at my drums and started to play a herta (two 32nds followed by two 16ths) between my feet (hi hat and bass drum) and then I just wondered what it would sound like if I played a herta between my hands (cross stick and ride cymbal) over the top of it but displaced by one 16th.
It made me laugh and I played it for a few days just for fun. 18 months later I'm trying to think of a part I could play in the solo section of "Pair Of A Perfect Four" and I remembered the herta over herta thing.
Hi Samuel
They are raw and unedited. The mics are the most basic thomann mics and they go through a focusrite 18i20 2nd gen into Reaper. I hit the toms one by one and improvise a bit afterwards. I'm not playing with a click, I just wanted to know how they would sound. What do you think of the way they sound ?
Nice work ! The 10" and the 12" sound good to me. I think the 13" has a small issue. It sounds like it's slightly out of tune with itself. I can hear a note beating against itself. I would try tuning the reso head up or down a bit (or at least check the pitch at each lug to see if it has moved) - at the moment the sustain is a bit too long (in my opinion). Is it 13" x10" ?
You can tell that medium hard hits in the middle of the drum make quite a sound difference than light hits off centre. So, where you hit the drum and how hard you hit it can make the difference of it sounding good or bad. Thanks for the recording.
Happy New Year to everyone !
Gavin
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Doraemon
Well-known Member
Hi Gavin!
Thanks! I panic bought it anyway. So excited! Now I just have to build a house around the snare..
I could only get the standard edition. I don't mind the case, but I was wondering if one day I'd miss those special wires. What's your go-to snare wire and how much do you use those 3 different configurations on recordings or live? Is there an example for each?
I can't find any store in the US selling them, I guess it can be special ordered as long as it's not discontinued, but can they be recreated to some extent by cutting wires out of 12 strands? (Even those are hard to find, and probably would not be Sonor..)
Dora
Thanks! I panic bought it anyway. So excited! Now I just have to build a house around the snare..
I could only get the standard edition. I don't mind the case, but I was wondering if one day I'd miss those special wires. What's your go-to snare wire and how much do you use those 3 different configurations on recordings or live? Is there an example for each?
I can't find any store in the US selling them, I guess it can be special ordered as long as it's not discontinued, but can they be recreated to some extent by cutting wires out of 12 strands? (Even those are hard to find, and probably would not be Sonor..)
Dora
Samuel Balavoine
New Member
Thanks !
Yes it is 13"x10". I did hit it in the center and it sounded good, but I agree there is too much sustain... I'll try a different tuning later.
Warrenoids
Member
Hey Gavin!
I was watching your many videos on YouTube with your old Pearl Drums rack, and you were using the mic boom clamped directly to the rack without the vertical arms. What kind of arm was that?
I was watching your many videos on YouTube with your old Pearl Drums rack, and you were using the mic boom clamped directly to the rack without the vertical arms. What kind of arm was that?
Gavin Harrison
DRUMMERWORLD PRO DRUMMER
Hi DoraHi Gavin!
Thanks! I panic bought it anyway. So excited! Now I just have to build a house around the snare..
I could only get the standard edition. I don't mind the case, but I was wondering if one day I'd miss those special wires. What's your go-to snare wire and how much do you use those 3 different configurations on recordings or live? Is there an example for each?
I can't find any store in the US selling them, I guess it can be special ordered as long as it's not discontinued, but can they be recreated to some extent by cutting wires out of 12 strands? (Even those are hard to find, and probably would not be Sonor..)
I usually just use the steel "Straight 8" wires for most things. I designed the 8 strand snares as that's my preference but you can of course put any other snare wires you want on the drum. Hope you like it !
Hi Warrenoids
I was watching your many videos on YouTube with your old Pearl Drums rack, and you were using the mic boom clamped directly to the rack without the vertical arms. What kind of arm was that?
I think I just bought some cheap mic stands and took the straight top arm from them. I used the Pearl PCX 200 clamps to mount those arms and it seemed like a good tidy solution. However - as I discovered - you do get quite a noticeable 'bang' going through the mics when you hit a cymbal that is mounted anywhere close to one of those mic arms. The shock that goes through the rack can be quite a problem for mics. So the mics need to be 'shock mounted' and ideally so do the cymbals (have a look at https://www.crsnorway.com/ for a great way to isolate the shock from the cymbals to the hardware).
cheers
Gavin
GalenMusic
Member
Hey Gavin, I've been reading this thread for years, it's awesome that you're still responding to everyone on the regular here!
I'm currently working on my LTCL certificate in drum performance, and I'm playing a few pieces from your excellent GH05Ric material; Unsettled, Source, and Beyond the A. Because of the strictures of exam format, it's pretty tricky learning parts note-for-note where I imagine you improvised a lot of the nuance, but it's useful from a technical perspective to be able to emulate your musical style. I'm not really interested in that outside of the exam context though - you once mentioned on a podcast (maybe Give The Drummer Some? I forget) that you overheard someone outside your practice room say something to the effect of, "oh no, not another Steve Gadd clone..." which prompted you to aim to develop your style - how did you set about creating your own style? You've spoken about liking players like Jansen who don't sound like other drummers, but it seems like a dangerous proposal to avoid emulation by initially emulating less idiomatic players. Apologies if that's a little too broad!
An additional question - you love polyrhythm and odd groups, but unlike players like Donati or Matt Garstka who revel in weird tuplets, you generally seem to err away from quintuplets and septuplets, toward odd-group phrasing in groups of 3 and 4. Is this a conscious decision toward more palatable phrasing, or do you find those tuplets less practical and too deliberately weird when composing parts?
Thanks for the excellent work! I was at the London Drum Show in 2014 and during a clinic I turned around and you were right behind me watching the player. I almost jumped of my seat!
I'm currently working on my LTCL certificate in drum performance, and I'm playing a few pieces from your excellent GH05Ric material; Unsettled, Source, and Beyond the A. Because of the strictures of exam format, it's pretty tricky learning parts note-for-note where I imagine you improvised a lot of the nuance, but it's useful from a technical perspective to be able to emulate your musical style. I'm not really interested in that outside of the exam context though - you once mentioned on a podcast (maybe Give The Drummer Some? I forget) that you overheard someone outside your practice room say something to the effect of, "oh no, not another Steve Gadd clone..." which prompted you to aim to develop your style - how did you set about creating your own style? You've spoken about liking players like Jansen who don't sound like other drummers, but it seems like a dangerous proposal to avoid emulation by initially emulating less idiomatic players. Apologies if that's a little too broad!
An additional question - you love polyrhythm and odd groups, but unlike players like Donati or Matt Garstka who revel in weird tuplets, you generally seem to err away from quintuplets and septuplets, toward odd-group phrasing in groups of 3 and 4. Is this a conscious decision toward more palatable phrasing, or do you find those tuplets less practical and too deliberately weird when composing parts?
Thanks for the excellent work! I was at the London Drum Show in 2014 and during a clinic I turned around and you were right behind me watching the player. I almost jumped of my seat!
Warrenoids
Member
Thank you Gavin! And by the way, the new Antoine Fafard record is great! I think Transmutation Circles is the only song I've ever heard you record a 12" snare in. Is that correct? Your snare sounds perfect, be it the 12" or the 14".
Gavin Harrison
DRUMMERWORLD PRO DRUMMER
Hi DeganMusic
you once mentioned on a podcast (maybe Give The Drummer Some? I forget) that you overheard someone outside your practice room say something to the effect of, "oh no, not another Steve Gadd clone..." which prompted you to aim to develop your style - how did you set about creating your own style? You've spoken about liking players like Jansen who don't sound like other drummers, but it seems like a dangerous proposal to avoid emulation by initially emulating less idiomatic players. Apologies if that's a little too broad!
That thing was actually in a small club - and a drummer walked into the venue and saw my black Yamaha 9000 drum set - and that's when I heard him say that. He didn't know that I heard it - but it did make me think about how I was coming across.
I think one thing is copying note for note what a drummer does - and another thing is to take note of what they are really saying on the instrument. How it affects the music and how it makes you feel. You can analyse 'why' they played a certain groove or fill - and try to emulate that feeling. So you take the influence rather than 'copying'. I liked everything about Gadd back then (and I still do) and it was probably the reason I bought the black Yamaha drums. I liked his sound, groove and musicality. However I wasn't just fixated on him - there were lots of other drummers I was influenced by and I tried to absorb everything I could about them all. I guess I always had my own voice - I just needed to let it come through - but it took years for it to become something recognisable. There is a saying: "To be original, seek your inspiration from unexpected sources". Later in life - when I could think more abstractly - I considered things outside of music such as design and architecture.
you love polyrhythm and odd groups, but unlike players like Donati or Matt Garstka who revel in weird tuplets, you generally seem to err away from quintuplets and septuplets, toward odd-group phrasing in groups of 3 and 4. Is this a conscious decision toward more palatable phrasing, or do you find those tuplets less practical and too deliberately weird when composing parts?
I spent a long time working on 'odd-tuplet' subdivisions. During my first tour of the USA where I discovered the Steve Via transcription book of Frank Zappa'a "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar" album I was pretty obsessed with odd-tuplets. Playing them - understanding them and seeing how I could incorporate them into what I was playing. However - no band I was playing in could use them - nor did the other musicians like it if I ever tried to sneak them in. I realised that you need to be a special band situation where you write music that is based on those ideas. Outside of that they were just too strange. Plus you needed to be super accurate otherwise it just sounded like you were playing out of time.
I think there is a movement for some players to keep searching for ever higher levels of complexity - including going way out there with tuplets - and that's great if you have a musical outlet to do it. But it's a small club of people who can really 'hear them' and 'understand them'. In my musical ventures of playing complex music (with lots of odd times and illusions) - I only ever found a small and specialist audience who wanted to hear it - and sometimes I felt they were only interested in the mechanics and complexity of the music - rather than it having any deeper meaning and really touching their soul.
Hi Warrenoids
the new Antoine Fafard record is great! I think Transmutation Circles is the only song I've ever heard you record a 12" snare in. Is that correct? Your snare sounds perfect, be it the 12" or the 14".
Thanks very much. I have recorded with a 12" snare drum many times. Almost all of the songs on the records I made with O5Ric (Drop, Circles, The Man Who Sold Himself) and the albums I made with Ed Poole (Depth, Ed4 and Routes) are with a 12" snare. Plus I played the 12" snare for the first 5 years with King Crimson (so all the live albums have that too).
cheers
Gavin
you once mentioned on a podcast (maybe Give The Drummer Some? I forget) that you overheard someone outside your practice room say something to the effect of, "oh no, not another Steve Gadd clone..." which prompted you to aim to develop your style - how did you set about creating your own style? You've spoken about liking players like Jansen who don't sound like other drummers, but it seems like a dangerous proposal to avoid emulation by initially emulating less idiomatic players. Apologies if that's a little too broad!
That thing was actually in a small club - and a drummer walked into the venue and saw my black Yamaha 9000 drum set - and that's when I heard him say that. He didn't know that I heard it - but it did make me think about how I was coming across.
I think one thing is copying note for note what a drummer does - and another thing is to take note of what they are really saying on the instrument. How it affects the music and how it makes you feel. You can analyse 'why' they played a certain groove or fill - and try to emulate that feeling. So you take the influence rather than 'copying'. I liked everything about Gadd back then (and I still do) and it was probably the reason I bought the black Yamaha drums. I liked his sound, groove and musicality. However I wasn't just fixated on him - there were lots of other drummers I was influenced by and I tried to absorb everything I could about them all. I guess I always had my own voice - I just needed to let it come through - but it took years for it to become something recognisable. There is a saying: "To be original, seek your inspiration from unexpected sources". Later in life - when I could think more abstractly - I considered things outside of music such as design and architecture.
you love polyrhythm and odd groups, but unlike players like Donati or Matt Garstka who revel in weird tuplets, you generally seem to err away from quintuplets and septuplets, toward odd-group phrasing in groups of 3 and 4. Is this a conscious decision toward more palatable phrasing, or do you find those tuplets less practical and too deliberately weird when composing parts?
I spent a long time working on 'odd-tuplet' subdivisions. During my first tour of the USA where I discovered the Steve Via transcription book of Frank Zappa'a "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar" album I was pretty obsessed with odd-tuplets. Playing them - understanding them and seeing how I could incorporate them into what I was playing. However - no band I was playing in could use them - nor did the other musicians like it if I ever tried to sneak them in. I realised that you need to be a special band situation where you write music that is based on those ideas. Outside of that they were just too strange. Plus you needed to be super accurate otherwise it just sounded like you were playing out of time.
I think there is a movement for some players to keep searching for ever higher levels of complexity - including going way out there with tuplets - and that's great if you have a musical outlet to do it. But it's a small club of people who can really 'hear them' and 'understand them'. In my musical ventures of playing complex music (with lots of odd times and illusions) - I only ever found a small and specialist audience who wanted to hear it - and sometimes I felt they were only interested in the mechanics and complexity of the music - rather than it having any deeper meaning and really touching their soul.
Hi Warrenoids
the new Antoine Fafard record is great! I think Transmutation Circles is the only song I've ever heard you record a 12" snare in. Is that correct? Your snare sounds perfect, be it the 12" or the 14".
Thanks very much. I have recorded with a 12" snare drum many times. Almost all of the songs on the records I made with O5Ric (Drop, Circles, The Man Who Sold Himself) and the albums I made with Ed Poole (Depth, Ed4 and Routes) are with a 12" snare. Plus I played the 12" snare for the first 5 years with King Crimson (so all the live albums have that too).
cheers
Gavin
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