Gavin Harrison at PASIC 2008: Overriding odd meters to smooth out the groove

Vic Firth presents Gavin Harrison at PASIC 2008: Overriding odd meters to smooth out the groove.

Gavin has performed with:

05Ric
Alice
Artful Dodger
B.J. Cole
Bananarama
Black
Camouflage
Claudio Baglioni
Dave Stewart
Dizrhythmia
Donna Gardier
Ed Poole
Eddie and The Tide
Eros Ramazzotti
Eugenio Finardi
Fiorella Mannoia
Froon
Gail Ann Dorsey
Geno Washington
Go West
Icognito
Iggy Pop
Kevin Ayers
King Crimson
Lene Lovich
Level 42
Lewis Taylor
Lisa Stansfield
Manfred Mann
Mick Karn
Mieko Shimizu
Paul Young
Peter Blegvad
Porcupine Tree
Renaissance
Sam Brown
Sarah Jane Morris
The Kings Of Oblivion
Tom Robinson
Yasuaki Shimizu
Zerra One

Category:

Music

Tags:

• gavin
• harrison
• vic
• firth
• pasic
• 2008
• Overriding
• odd
• meters
• to
• smooth
• out
• the
• groove
• drum
• clinic
• porcupine
• tree
• king
• crimson
• sound
• of
• muzak

[Ollievarium]

I think 'overridding' might be syncopation. Not sure exactly what he's reffering to when he says overriding though.

[jez12]

If I understand correctly, the concept of overriding should be used in odd time signatures.

Overriding can give a complex polyrhythmic beat a steady pulse to follow. Basically a simpler beat overrides a complex beat, so that the simpler beat is accented on top and it stands out. Just look at the examples in this video.

I think technically overriding is just a synonym for a polyrhythm, but when specified, overriding is a polyrhythmic concept for smoothing out the beats.

[Ollievarium]

Yeah, I think in music theory, this concept is called syncopation. Check wiki explaination of syncopation and tell me if you think it's what Gavin is on about!

[jez12]

No, with overriding Gavin does not mean syncopation. Syncopation is basically just rhythm displacement. For example you can displace a beat to a different position in standard 4/4 beats to give it a different feel. Gavin explains rhythm displacing in his educational DVDs.

Overriding is used on polyrhythms or odd time signatures to give the listener a steady pulse to relate to while listening, instead of a choppy and jerky polyrhythm which the listener might have a hard time following.

[jez12]

If you look at the first example in this video, he plays a 7/8 beat with straight 8th notes on the hihat, and it sounds very stiff as he says. But when he accents the quarter notes, it starts to sound really smooth and almost dancable.

The accented quarter notes kind of overrides the beat beneath it. In the first bar the accents are on the beat and in the second bar they are off the beat. That's probably where the term "overriding" comes from.

[TT1086]

"I don't want to do this stuff just to say I'm clever. I want people to enjoy it."

+1. Why he's the best.

[OrganicShadows17]

this guy is just so unbelievably genius. he's on a whole different level.

I just sit on my computer watching his videos with a HUGE smile on my face. just blows my mind away.

[RIdrummer96]

1:40 to 1:52 was a low blow to Dream Theater lol

[krombee]

i was lost after a minute and a half...

[iPLaYdAk3Ys]

Polyrhythms.......mmmmmmmm....­...

[ThePretender94]

no dislike - how it should be

[fingerboy18]

Ladies and Gentlemen; the master of actually making odd-meters sound smooth.

[controlh]

Gavin Harrison's an amazing musician so don't take this as criticism, but "overriding" seems like a clever way to obscure the time signature - sort of a catch-22. Maybe that's why I have trouble finding the time signatures in some of the PT songs.

Vinnie Colaiuta got a lot kudos using the same concept on Seven Days. Not sure why a song with that title would be played in 5 though - another form of overriding I suppose.

[PositivelyBored]

@jez12

Listen to any of Rushes odd-time stuff and you get exactly what he is talking about NOT doing. Rush was famous for the stiff odd-time or the "Hey look at me I'm playing in 7/4!"

[InatorCorp]

As a guitarist, I love this guy. It's not all about technicality for him. He's a musician, not a mathematician,

[Cazaq]

Just had a Meshuggah moment.

[ahvaimusicom]

he is so good its stupid