Chapman Stick

I have been playing since 1982. The movement from just playing Stick to playing music on Stick is a great question and actually applies to all instruments. I think if you wrote to every musician including Stick players you would find a different road for each person. Each player comes from a different musical background (piano, guitar, bass, drums, composition, ect). You also bring your own emotions and prejudice to any instrument; so first, and foremost, you must look at where you came from and where you want to go-solo Stick, duo, ensemble, part time player or full time stick player. I will tell you how I began learning.

I studied initially with Jim Bruno and Bob Culbertson in the early 80's for a short period of time to get started. I studied music formally in college which was important to my overall growth as a musician. I joined some bands and played with a lot of different musicians in the SF Bay Area. The novelty of the Stick got me a lot of gigs. I emphasize the term musician over just instrumentalists. These were people who looked at a piece of work completely. I learned to use the Stick as a dynamic and expressive instrument. I personally learned the most from piano players-broad 2 hand voicing, tonal movement, interval variation. I learned a lot about the instrument by playing with drummers also(1 hand tempo issues, funk variation, 2 handed bass tricks). I studied with the unbelievable guitarist Tuck Andress (of Tuck and Patty fame) from 1985-86 in Berkeley. Tuck is a tremendous guitar player and musician who approached his instrument in a very unique way. He knew nothing about Stick but was such a tremendous musician that he taught me to look at the instrument differently-dysfunctional chording, working a melody through serial chords, phasing, subtle but powerful bass movement. He was a great teacher. I played with a couple of Stick players and learned some new tricks after that but realized I wanted my own Stick style to go in a certain direction. I went to a couple of Stick seminars and learned some cool techniques (slapping, harmonics, dragging, thumb and 2-hand crossover) from other Stick players. It was great to see how each individual approached the instrument-really exciting. I transcribed tunes I liked and tried them on the Stick. I bought fake books and learned standards. These were really fun and helpful and made your music more accessible. Recently, I met the outstanding bass player Michael Manring who generously sent me the transcription of one of his tunes "Gizmo", a tune I always thought would be cool but challenging for Stick (it is challenging for any instrument.) Now, my Stick playing has become a component of my overall musicianship. I approach the Stick as a single instrument and not 2 independent instruments if that makes sense. I don't worry about the stereo separation as much as having a more acoustic and delicate sound. I do use the GRID now on the melody end but mostly to add color. Again for me the Stick is a tool in my palette of music. Initially I was only focused on Stick but now I have rounded out my approach with the other instrument I play. You must find where you want your voice to go. You may find you want some metal guitar tricks for the melody side-find a metal guitarist as a teacher. You may want to play classical-find a teacher in the period you enjoy (Baroque works well for Stick). You may merely want to compose on the Stick-find a composition teacher. Again, balance your own learning between Stick and non-Stick based teachers.

So what am I saying-you must decide where you want to go with your sound and music. The Stick is a beautiful yet very jealous instrument and requires a lot of time since the technical requirements are high, especially as you start. I am sure you already well aware of this. There is a big difference between just hitting the note and "playing" the note and that just take hours of practice and feel. You really want to move beyond technique to allow your music and emotions to come through (that's why we play.) Videos are a start and I know Bob Culbertson has some excellent videos (he is a tremendous player). Greg Howard (also an excellent player) has a very good instructional manual and is a great resource. The Sticknight 99 video from Stick Enterprises is very good for observing the many different approaches. Listen to the CDs of many different Stick players. There are some great sounds out there. Don't try to copy, just listen to what people are doing and how it would help your music. Going to Stick seminars is very helpful but remember, they are not the basis from which to learn your music, more to learn about the instrument and share ideas. There is a StickWire listserv and a StickNews digest (moderated by Greg Howard) that is a nice clearinghouse for info and a great way to ask questions. However, playing with other musicians is the most important part of learning. Find a drummer, guitarist, or keyboardist who you feel are musicians and experiment. Find teachers of other instruments who you believe have the sound you want and ask them if you can study with them-remember you are studying music, not just Stick. Listen to how recent players like Michael Hedges (acoustic guitar), Michael Manring (fretless bass), Stanley Jordan(electric guitar), Yo Yo Ma (cello), Bobby McFeren (vocals) all thought out-of-the-box and moved their music into important new levels. You certainly have musical influences. Where do you want to go? This soul searching is critical as you move to that next level. Stick Enterprises has a lot of different instructional resources and both Emmett and Yuta are very helpful.

I hope this rambling helps. Remember this is one persons voice. Certainly feel free to ask more questions. You will always feel like you are scratching the surface of the instrument-I'm sure Emmett does too. I find new sounds and approaches every time I play. My ultimate goal is to have the first words I hear after playing be "Wow I loved that piece of music" and not "What's that instrument your playing?" I had the pleasure of playing a gig with Richard Elliott (the smoooth jazz star and formerly of Kittyhawk) a few weeks ago and really felt that the instrument had a life of its own.

If you are ever in Northern California I am happy to jam with you. I don't formally teach Stick anymore but I love to share ideas-and it's free!

Good Luck

John