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" Apart from Scottish traditional music, I wasn't really influenced by any kind of music. I just basically followed my own instincts. "

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" The thing about playing percussion is that you can create all these emotions that can be sometimes beautiful, sometimes really ugly, or sometimes sweet, sometimes as big as King Kong and so on. And so there can be a real riot out there, or it can be so refined. "

" Holidays are about experiences and people, and tuning into what you feel like doing at that moment. Enjoy not having to look at a watch. "

" Anything you strike, anything you shake or rattle, or just anything that can be picked up, and you can create a sound. "

" Hearing is a form of touch. You feel it through your body, and sometimes it almost hits your face. "

" Before my teen years, I was losing my hearing pretty quickly, and I was getting very, very angry. I was beginning to become an angry person because of that. "

" I suppose I don't hear things, but I listen, if you know what I mean. And there is a big difference between hearing and listening. So it's like a conversation, you know. When you speak to someone, it's one on one, and that's exactly how I play. "

" My favorite instrument is the snare drum. In Scotland, the snare drum is very prominent in Highland bands. The Scottish style of playing is in my blood. It's a very powerful instrument, but it can also be soothing, like velvet. It's a real challenge for composers. "

" I walk into a kids' store, and it's amazing, the types of instruments - little squeaky things, rattling things, spinning tops. "

" Percussion is physical, as most instruments are. The body must function well in order to play the instruments well. Last year I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. "

" Once you're in a particular country, and you're surrounded by musicians who are so adept at traditional music, you suddenly realize how much there is to explore and digest and learn and experience. "

" I've kept a diary since I was 11. "

" As we live longer and healthier for longer, we need to keep ourselves busy... the diary is pretty full. "

" Concerts have to be seen as a real event for which the aim is to try and feed everybody. "

" A large part of my work has been collaborating with composers; I think we've commissioned about 140 pieces now, a lot of them percussion concertos. "

" Percussion is the most adaptable family of instruments. The biggest challenge is to project percussion in a lyrical way. "

" I didn't decide to become a musician until the age of 15, which is quite late. "

" I think I can only help to expose percussion to all sorts of people. The balance between the lighter and more serious side is important. "

" Music is about communication... it isn't just something that maybe physically sounds good or orally sounds interesting; it's something far, far deeper than that. "

" The human body and mind are tremendous forces that are continually amazing scientists and society. Therefore, we have no choice but to keep an open mind as to what the human being can achieve. "

" A lot of things which come with a high profile will always be criticised one way or another. "

" I often play on the cello-bass side of the orchestra, because I prefer the deep sounds. I can't hear the violins well. "

" And as I grew older, I then auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music in London, and they said, well, no, we won't accept you, because we haven't a clue - you know - of the future of a so-called 'deaf' musician. And I just couldn't quite accept that. "

" Society cannot continue to disable themselves through their need to categorize people or make assumptions as to another individual's abilities. "