Chapamnm Stick

[William James Easton]

now i'm in the mood for poking at something so this mornign i've chosen the Chapmanstick.

Is it a 'bass'? If so what makes it one? I am ( a little narrow minded) of the school of thought that a bass is a -- (cough cough wiki)
[i]is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb (either by plucking, slapping, popping, tapping, or thumping), or by using a pick.

The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass,[5] which also corresponds to one octave lower in pitch than the four lower strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G).[6] In order to avoid the excessive use of ledger lines, bass guitar is notated in bass clef an octave higher than the sound it makes (as is the double bass). Like the electric guitar, the electric bass guitar is usually plugged into an amplifier and speaker for live performances.

Since the 1950s, the electric bass guitar has largely replaced the double bass in popular music as the bass instrument in the rhythm section. While the types of basslines performed by the bass guitarist vary widely from one style of music to another, the bass guitarist fulfills a similar role in most types of music: anchoring the harmonic framework and laying down the beat. The bass guitar is used in many styles of music including rock, metal, pop, blues and jazz. It is used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and in some rock and metal (mostly progressive rock and progressive metal) styles.[/i]

Surley a multi stringed instrument of higher register is not a bass? yet we see Tony Levin (is that his name) and others on the front of bass publications/websites holding their favourite toy the Chapman Stick! And here i 've read a few posts and comments about them. In my view it's like me saying i play keyboards (badly) but claining it's still a bass of sorts.

Now as stated I could be way of the mark with the respect to it not falling into the bass gene pool. And i am not ignoring the fact that it is a beautiful sounding instrument and take serious skill to pull off playing one (i couldnt). but surley 'tapping' it is the only thing that brings it close to a certain style of playing bass?

Am I wrong? chances are high.......

[Bilbo]

Its not a bass. It's a Chapman Stick.

Get over it.

[Al Heeley]

Not sure why the human brain feels the overriding urge to put everything into neat little compartments.
Why do you think that might be? The search for order amidst the chaos of life?
The need to feel you are in control of an environment beyond control or comprehension?
These are the deeper questions behind your crule attack on te Chapman stick. It's just another instrument.

[William James Easton]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='398742' date='Feb 3 2009, 11:38 AM']Not sure why the human brain feels the overriding urge to put everything into neat little compartments.
Why do you think that might be? The search for order amidst the chaos of life?
The need to feel you are in control of an environment beyond control or comprehension?
[b]These are the deeper questions behind your crule attack on te Chapman stick. It's just another instru[/b]ment.[/quote]
very deep. however i think you have failed in reading my post.

[thepurpleblob]

Did anybody say it was a bass? As far as I can tell, it has more in common with playing the piano.

[William James Easton]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='398860' date='Feb 3 2009, 01:05 PM']Did anybody say it was a bass? As far as I can tell, it has more in common with playing the piano.[/quote]

as stated before i have read interviews with tony levin in bassist (UK) and bass player (usa) that feature a large portion of the interview on the use of the stick.

[Rich]

Well, some of its strings are in the bass register. So in part it could be viewed as a bass, yes. But is it a bass [i]guitar[/i]? No, it's a Chapman Stick. It essentially performs the same sort of task as an ERB, it's just played differently, that's all. Yes, Tony Levin plays one, and so does Nick Beggs. They are bass players who also happen to play the Stick.

[quote name='William James Easton' post='398731' date='Feb 3 2009, 11:29 AM']I am ( a little narrow minded) of the school of thought that a bass is... [b]a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers[/b] or thumb (either by plucking, slapping, popping, [b]tapping[/b], or thumping), or by using a pick.[/quote]Check.

[quote]The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body[/quote]Errm, Steinberger anybody..?

[quote]the electric bass guitar is usually plugged into an amplifier and speaker for live performances.[/quote]Check

[quote]Surley a multi stringed instrument of higher register is not a bass?[/quote]But it's not an instrument of purely higher register, any more than an ERB is. If you're going to take issue with the Stick, you should be having a pop at 7/8/9/+ string bass guitars too.

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='William James Easton' post='398877' date='Feb 3 2009, 01:14 PM']as stated before i have read interviews with tony levin in bassist (UK) and bass player (usa) that feature a large portion of the interview on the use of the stick.[/quote]

Well that says something about Levin not the stick, surely? If he was playing a descant recorder he'd still be on the front of Bass Guitar magazine

[William James Easton]

[quote name='Rich' post='398882' date='Feb 3 2009, 01:18 PM']Well, some of its strings are in the bass register. So in part it could be viewed as a bass, yes. But is it a bass [i]guitar[/i]? No, it's a Chapman Stick. It essentially performs the same sort of task as an ERB, it's just played differently, that's all. Yes, Tony Levin plays one, and so does Nick Beggs. They are bass players who also happen to play the Stick.

Check.

Errm, Steinberger anybody..?

Check

But it's not an instrument of purely higher register, any more than an ERB is. If you're going to take issue with the Stick, [b]you should be having a pop at 7/8/9/+ string bass guitars too.[/b][/quote]

i'm not having a 'pop', tut tut.
now i know how Jesus or Mandela felt!....i joke of course.
thankyou Rich a constructed and valid counter debate with regards to my post. pointing out to me the obvious required bits n bobs that could make them fall into the same pigeon hole. But still wht do/did (do not read these mags anymore) keep featuring them/the players?
I love mike watt, i sit down to read about his bass playing, i dont need to know about his kyacking (SP?). the samegoes for Jeff Ament and his skateboarding.

[William James Easton]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='398884' date='Feb 3 2009, 01:19 PM']Well that says something about Levin not the stick, surely? If he was playing a descant recorder he'd still be on the front of Bass Guitar magazine [/quote]

holding a descant recorder and being interviewed about it? cripes it's a world gone mad!

[Rich]

[quote name='William James Easton' post='398893' date='Feb 3 2009, 01:25 PM']i'm not having a 'pop', tut tut.[/quote]
Ahem...
[quote name='William James Easton' post='398731' date='Feb 3 2009, 11:29 AM']now i'm in the mood for poking at something so this mornign i've chosen the Chapmanstick.[/quote]

[YouMa]

Not a fan,i preferred the work Nick beggs did with kajagoogoo,im not joking.

[Hector]

Felt I ought to chip in as one of my pet peeves is people getting hung up about what instrument people play. The end goal is to make music, it's that simple. People should be allowed to make music with whatever they want. If you feel that expressing yourself via the medium of a Chapman Stick doesn't suit you then fine, but it might suit others.

[William James Easton]

[quote name='Hector' post='399014' date='Feb 3 2009, 03:07 PM']Felt I ought to chip in as one of my pet peeves is people getting hung up about what instrument people play. The end goal is to make music, it's that simple. People should be allowed to make music with whatever they want. If you feel that expressing yourself via the medium of a Chapman Stick doesn't suit you then fine, but it might suit others.[/quote]

again. read the post.

[Russ]

No, the Stick is not a bass. However, it is an instrument that can play in the bass register (down to low C in standard tuning, below low E on a 4-string bass), and it has a unique sound in this regard. Other similarities are that the Stick is the same scale length as the bass guitar, and is tuned in a combination of 4ths and reciprocal 4ths, making it relatively easy for bassists to get around on.

Regarding Tony Levin, he is a man of many talents... he also plays cello, guitar and upright bass - he's not just a bass guitarist (although he's obviously best known as one). Many of his best-known bass parts were played on the Stick (eg, Elephant Talk) so it's natural that interviewers will want to talk to him about it and that listeners/readers will be interested and might be interested in replicating that sound.

[Owen]

I played one once. It was very disorientating. I became very light headed and had to sit down.

[nig]

Get yer wedge out, buy one, play one....theyre great, as tony tiger says. if you dont like it, sell it, someone will bite your hand off.

[Golchen]

For some reason, the chapman stick seems to attract bassists more than it does guitarists, keyboard players et al. I never understand why?

I play chapman stick, but I don't relate it to bass playing at all, to me it is melody playing with my right hand whilst accompanying with the left hand (utilising some bass notes) - all tapped with the fingers. Curiously that description sounds like piano playing!

I agree with you that a stick is NOT a bass! Having said that, it can be used to fill the role of bass within a band. I have an interview with Tony Levin, and he states that when he plays stick in a band setting, he only uses the bass strings, he doesn't use the whole thing unless playing solo.

Great instrument, but extremely hard to master in my opinion (eg I'm nowhere near!)

[SteveK]

Perhaps the OP could post a link to any article that refers to a Stick as a "Bass guitar"

[William James Easton]

[quote name='SteveK' post='400707' date='Feb 5 2009, 09:47 AM']Perhaps the OP could post a link to any article that refers to a Stick as a "Bass guitar" [/quote]

not everything is on the internet you know. you pesky kids with your 'links' and your scobby doos....

[William James Easton]

[quote name='Golchen' post='400687' date='Feb 5 2009, 09:25 AM']For some reason, the chapman stick seems to attract bassists more than it does guitarists, keyboard players et al. I never understand why?

I play chapman stick, but I don't relate it to bass playing at all, to me it is melody playing with my right hand whilst accompanying with the left hand (utilising some bass notes) - all tapped with the fingers. Curiously that description sounds like piano playing!

I agree with you that a stick is NOT a bass! Having said that, it can be used to fill the role of bass within a band. I have an interview with Tony Levin, and he states that when he plays stick in a band setting, he only uses the bass strings, he doesn't use the whole thing unless playing solo.

Great instrument, but extremely hard to master in my opinion (eg I'm nowhere near!)[/quote]

Bingo. all the answers are there!

[Guest subaudio]

[quote name='William James Easton' post='400737' date='Feb 5 2009, 10:14 AM']not everything is on the internet you know. you pesky kids with your 'links' and your scobby doos....[/quote]

Can I nominate this for the best quotes sticky if it's still going Brilliant !

[SteveK]

[quote]not everything is on the internet you know.[/quote]



[quote]Can I nominate this for the best quotes sticky if it's still going[/quote]
Or maybe more appropriately, [b][i]"Can I nominate this for the best quote if the going gets sticky"[/i][/b]

[Rich]

[quote name='SteveK' post='400793' date='Feb 5 2009, 11:03 AM']Or maybe more appropriately, [b][i]"Can I nominate this for the best quote if the going gets sticky"[/i][/b] [/quote]
Or how about "[b]Can I nominate this for the best stick if the quote gets going[/b]"?

Perhaps not.

[tauzero]

[quote name='William James Easton' post='398731' date='Feb 3 2009, 11:29 AM']Surley a multi stringed instrument of higher register is not a bass? yet we see Tony Levin (is that his name) and others on the front of bass publications/websites holding their favourite toy the Chapman Stick! And here i 've read a few posts and comments about them. In my view it's like me saying i play keyboards (badly) but claining it's still a bass of sorts.[/quote]
It's worse than that. After all, a Chapman Stick is at least a lump of wood with strings on, some of which are in the right general area of tuning to conflict with a bass guitar, and you can play different notes on a single string by making the vibrating length change by fretting it (or fretlessing it) at different points. But far more insidious is the fact that inside these bass guitar magazines you can find articles on such completely un-length-of-wood-with-strings-on-like items as amplifiers and effects pedals. How on earth am I supposed to get a note out of a Boss OC-3 when it doesn't even have any strings on, eh?