[Interview] Gavin Harrison

Le rock, le Jazz, l'électro, le métal, le latino, la pop, la variété etc etc , tout est là

Modérateurs : Sages, Modérateurs

batmike
kuchnie na wymiar Dąbrowa Górnicza Chorzów Jaworzno

Message par batmike »

Pas de problème pour le "petit" nombre de questions qui ont été posées ici.
C'est juste que j'ai des contacts avec pas mal d'autres batteurs très intéressants, mais dont ( pour certains ) j'ai moins connaissance du parcours, donc si je leur propose une interview et qu'après je me retrouve bloqué à trouver des questions pertinentes, ça le fera pas.
D'où mon hésitation à recommencer l'expèrience, qui, de mon avis, est très intéressante.

RSD
Fondateur
Messages : 1405
Inscription : dim. 13 nov. 2005, 17:07
Localisation : Toulon

Message par RSD »

Et voilà les réponses tant attendus...!
Un grand merci à BatMike !!!!

A savoir que Gavin est pour le moment en tournée, il a donc répondu parfois peut-être un peu succinctement et souhaite donc revenir sur quelques unes de ces questions lorsqu'il aura plus de temps !


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ABOUT YOUR BANDS :

> You have been drumming for Porcupine Tree since the 2002 album « In Absentia ». How did you get involved in the band ?
I’ve been friends with Richard Barbieri since 1990 and worked with him on other projects, so when Porcupine Tree’s drummer left - Richard asked me to come and record “In Absentia” in New York. After that they asked me to join the band.

> You are currently on tour with Porcupine Tree, and this until mid december. How do you manage your physical condition during such long tours ?
It’s difficult but - I try to rest - I don’t get drunk and I don’t take drugs. I warm up for about 30 minutes before the show.

> About the older Porcupine Tree songs that the band is still playing live, are you free to perform your drum parts any way you want, or do you have to stay true to the original parts that Chris Maitland performed on the studio album ?
No, I’m free to do what ever I want. Obviously I pay attention to the original parts as they were part of the song.

> What can you tell us about the creative process in Porcupine Tree ?
We write in different ways. Sometimes together - sometimes just two of us - or sometimes Steve writes on his own. Some of the best stuff comes from our jamming sessions.


> Your drum fills rarely are the same live than what was recorded on the studio version. Do you improvise them depending on your mood each night or is everything planned in advance ?
No, I try to improvise every night. even if it’s quite small sometimes and I’m the only one who can tell - it depends on the mood I’m in, but if I don’t improvise I go mad.

> The music of Porcupine Tree has changed a lot since you joined the band, lots of polyrhythms, and odd time signatures have been added to the band’s sound, as well as a more metal-oriented edge. In which measure did you take part in this shift ?
I guess I’ve been some influence in the way the band sound has changed - buy if any part of a 4 piece group changes then the chemistry will change too...and therefore the whole sound will evolve.


> Did joining Porcupine Tree change the way you play or approach your instrument ? Could you tell us what this experience brought to you ?
I don’t think PT really changed the way I play - I was already evolving year by year before them. I think my playing is always changing - I’d be disappointed if it didn’t.


> You just put out an album called « Drop », what part did you take in the composition of this album ? Do you have any concerts planned yet ?
All the songs are written by myself and 05Ric. I’m very pleased with the way it turned out - I think it’s some of the best drumming I’ve done so far. We don’t have any plans to make live concerts yet. I feel that we need to make another album or two before we have enough material to play in a concert.



ABOUT YOU :

> Which are the events or people that gave you the will to become a musician ?
A drummer from the BBC big band (Paul Brodie) inspired me greatly when I was very young. My father Bobby was a great musician who played trumpet and a little bit of drums too. He was obviously a massive influence on my development.

> How did your learning process go ? Did you study in music schools, did you take any lessons ? What is your background ?
I took private lessons with a theatre drummer called Joe Hodson from about 11-15 years old. Then I studied with an ex-Berklee student Dave Cutler when I 18-19 years old. The rest of it I made up along the way.

> On your discography, the first record is an Iggy Pop record. Could you please tell us more about this experience ?
I actually made records before that - but they were too bad to mention. I made one tour with Iggy Pop after I auditioned for him in 1986 and out of that came an MTV performance - which later became a live album.

> Your seat is very low when you are behind your drumkit, how did you come up with the choice to play this way ?
I’m quite tall - and I like the feeling of sitting ‘behind’ the drum rather than ‘on top’ of the drums. I’ve sat low for a long time now.

> Your teaching videos, books, and your playing itself are a goldmine for anything related to polyrhythms and various musical and rhythmic illusions. It seems like this concept is a really dear one to you. What kind of advice would you give to drummers who are getting onto this side of playing drums ?
It’s all about working on your sense of rhythm. There’s nothing hard from a technique/muscle point of view - it’s all mind over matter. The books and DVD’s focus on the manipulation of rhythmic perception.

> The way you use your feet in your music is peculiarly impressive, being on the double bass drum or the hi hat. How do you work on your technique for that side of your playing ? What is really compulsory for you when someone wants to work on this technique ?
I don’t think of myself as a “double bass drum player:”. The only things I really strive for on the double pedal is to have control and be accurate. It's easy to play a load of fast nonsense - but to play them REALLY in time and in sync with your hands (with no flams) is hard. I've played double since 1984 - and I'm still trying!!!
In terms of technique - I always play 'heel up' and play single strokes starting with the right foot. I don't work on speed - I'm not interested in playing 16ths really fast - I just try to use my imagination to see if I can find some interesting ways to play them inside grooves and fills.

> Many drummers only have very few moments to devote to practising their instrument. According to you, how should they spend these moments if they want to be efficient ?
Practice things you can’t play. Don’t just sit there playing the same old things over and over. You need to plan out what you need to work on and stick to it.

> What part do you think maths take in music ?
All music is mathematics - if you choose to think of it that way. I never think in numbers when I’m playing. Occasionally I might think of the mathematics when I’m composing a new rhythm and I need to see how it adds up across a certain amount of bars and beats.

> You have an incredibly vast array of music styles in your discography and in your background, do you have a preference for any of these styles ? why ?
No, to me there’s is just good music and bad music (according to my musical taste).

> Your experience as a session/studio drummer is equally impressive, how do you get yourself ready for your studio sessions ?
I don’t have preconceived ideas about what I’m going to play. I just listen to the music carefully and wait for ideas to appear. I don’t sit there preoccupied about how many of my fills I can fit in to this tempo.

> Do you think, like Christian Vander, that tempo is the matter of the band more than it is the matter of the drummer ? What would be your viewpoint on what makes the music « groove » ?
For the music to feel good and have a nice groove EVERYONE in the band needs to be playing in time. You could have Steve Gadd or Jeff Porcaro playing a great solid groove - but if the players around them are not in time - it will sound bad.

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