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The Chapman Stick by Steve Adelson
Building the ultimate musical instrument would be a noble goal for any inspired craftsman. Such an instrument would need to have multiple sonic capabilities and an expressive nature. The ability to play melodies, rhythms, bass lines, harmonies, chords, and multi timbres would be high on the wish list.
In 1974, Emmett Chapman produced his first commercially available “Electric Stick” later known as The Chapman Stick (TM). Now almost four decades old, this “futuristic” tool enables the player to present all the aforementioned possibilities in a unified voice. Mr. Chapman developed The Stick to actually accommodate his string instrument technique discoveries. Visually, The Stick is a long bodiless fretboard with a unique tuning. His early concept was to allow both hands to have equal roles on the fretboard, each “tapping” out an ingredient of the music. By hammering on the strings with 8 fingers (sometimes more) the possibilities became endless. The door was flung wide open and the revolution was to commence. Emmett called this system “Free hands”
Conventionally, a bass player or guitarist needs two hands to produce one sound. One hand holds a position on the neck and the other plucks, slaps, pops, or strums the strings. With Emmett’s technique, the string is set in motion simply by tapping it against the fret, creating the vibration. This is processed through the electronic pickup and sent to the amplifier. The fingers act much like the hammers inside a piano. With each hand having equal capabilities, the player can now tap chords, bass lines, melodies, rhythms and improvs simultaneously in real time. Add to this the processing possibilities, and the goal as stated is within reach.
Mr. Chapman’s explorations went further with the introduction of a new ingenious tuning. The melody or treble side of The Stick is tuned in ascending Perfect fourths, while the bass side is tuned in inverted ascending Perfect fifths. The lowest string is in the center of the fretboard and continues higher in pitch outward to each side of the board. Once explored, this system becomes a fantastic study in logic. Its symmetrical, its user friendly, and it stimulates new ideas.
For years, the Stick has been a bit underground. It became associated with rock bands like King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. The most well known players like Tony Levin and Alphonso Johnson, were primarily bassists. But The Stick community is steadily growing and showcasing new music with a new style. Bob Culbertson from California has pioneered many unique Stick techniques. Emmett himself has led the way with his view of music as applied to his instrument. Thirty seven years into the evolution, the output is pouring in from many international players. Andres Pelat, Greg Howard, Kevin Keith, Jim Lampi, Don Schiff and Guillelmo Cides are few of the more accomplished performers. I’ll throw my own hat into the ring as well; having written a Stick method for Mel Bay Publications called “Stickology” and recorded a tutorial DVD for TrueFire called “Ultimate Stick. There are many recordings featuring The Chapman Stick (TM).
The Chapman Stick (TM) has evolved over the years from a nine string prototype in 1969 to ten strings and now The Grand Stick with 12 strings. Other models like the 8 string NS Stick designed in conjunction with Ned Steinberger are also available. There are electronic pickup options, including the Roland GK3 MIDI system. As well, Chapman Sticks can be made from various woods including bamboo, maple, rosewood, and padauk. There is a history of evolution of course which we may touch on in the future. But for now, this is a taste for your curiosity into a truly remarkable musical tool. Emmett Chapman’s technique discoveries led to the necessity of an instrument. It’s available to any musician who wants something more, something that will expose creative paths and inspire sonic output forever.
For more information:
www.stick.com
www.steveadelson.com
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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