Connect with us

Features

An Interview with Emmett Chapman by Steve Adelson

Published

on

In 1974 Emmett Chapman introduced his revolutionary musical instrument to the world through his manufacturing company, Stick Enterprises. His newly developed tapping technique, demanded a new musical tool to foster creative growth. The Chapman Stick was born, turning a guitar approach upside down (literally by way of tuning) and set the music world abuzz. History is now unfolding with two generations of players developing and expanding Emmett’s concepts. The Chapman Stick has become a very important contribution to the roster of musical instruments available to all players. It was time to get some background directly from Mr. Chapman.

You discovered a revolutionary way to play a string instrument. What was the inspiration and how did this new technique evolve?

I always loved chords and collected them for novel “flavors”, always with the idea of giving a meaningful skew to the melody phrase. It was the lead melody line, however, that seemed th ultimate reward (probably from my Mom’s Italian side). For the harmony I listened a lot to McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane’s pianist, also to Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans, all jazz pianists. For the melody I listened a lot to Jimi Hendrix and to Coltrane himself, along with other amazing jazz sax players.

I had to have it all on my guitar, which had expanded to nine strings including three bass strings tuned in reversed 5ths. My chords were jazz and my melody was turning into a kind of blues rock. I couldn’t do it all, at least not freely. My left hand was working too hard. I put Vaseline on the fretboard to make the strings slippery. I didn’t do anything good for the sound but it changed the feel. I started standing up while playing. I was trying to fly, or that was the sensation I felt as a guitarist.

One afternoon in August 1969 I made a simple gesture. I placed my right hand on the fretboard from the opposite side and began to drum my fingers. Then I squeezed some familiar jazz chords with my left hand, playing right over the top of them with my right hand (on the same strings). I realized that each hand was oriented at right angles to the neck and strings and so I lifted the neck of my home made 9-string guitar to a more vertical angle to make this two-handed fingering (tapping) more comfortable.

Immediately I knew I had it, a keyboard with string expression in my hands, bass with chords and melody, an open ended orchestra of capabilities. At that moment, I abandoned ten years of conventional picking technique on jazz guitar.

Obviously, this unique way of playing needed more than a standard guitar. What were the beginnings and describe the evolution of your “Electric Stick?”

A year later, in 1970, I designed the most minimal means of playing this maximal music on strings, a bodiless piece of ebony with the pickup in a box facing down toward the strings. I named it “The Electric Stick”, a very lightweight and brutally simple construction. Only the setup was important – very low string action across an even plane of fret tips. That Stick played as fast, as easily and expressively as my new Sticks from current productions. Every detail in the design, construction, materials and hardware is meant to enable this setup.

Emmett makes his television debut

The Stick is approaching four decades of life. How do you view it’s affect or impact on the music community, players and listeners?

Upon discovery of the playing method itself on my guitar, I immediately changed character as a musician and totally committed my guitar music to this new method. I’ve heard similar stories by many other Stick players over 36 years, that it changed their music, even changed their conception of music, and sometimes another recurrent theme, that it changed their lives, and it changed mine of course. And so the impact seems big and it seems small. I have no concept of size. I’ve built over 6000 Sticks of various models and tunings since 1974, and while some think that’s an impressive achievement, others are disappointed that it hasn’t been mass produced (“Is that all?”).

The Stick is sometimes associated with the bass world. Could you explain The Stick’s history in this respect?

You put your creation out there and you never know what the returns will be (“Message in a Bottle” or casting your “bread upon the waters). From my first Stick production in 1974 to the present time, my students and customers, came from guitar, keyboards, bass guitar and even sometimes drums. Then there were three bass players who “broke” The Stick to the public, most notably Tony Levin playing bass and Stick with Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp’s King Crimson. Tony defined two-handed bass lines on Stick 5ths, adding simultaneous patterns on Stick melody 4ths as polyrhythms to Fripp’s guitar patterns. Two other famous bass players also brought The Stick and its new method into their bands, including Alphonso Johnson who had just left Weather Report (Jaco Pastorius took his place), and Nick Beggs in the English band Kajagoogoo, who gave The Stick a signature sound on a hit record in the band, “Ellis Beggs and Howard”.

Now can you explain The Stick’s more complete, guitar-bass-piano-orchestra possibilities?

The instrument has a transparent sound simply by virtue of its tapping technique, where the attack is quick and the sustain is long. You can play a lot of strings at once and hear them all with the ears of an arranger/composer. The chords are clear and clean, and the melody is articulate and expressive in response to hundreds of what I call “finger effects”. Some regard Stick melody as less expressive than guitar because just one hand generates the notes. My transition to two-handed string tapping came by way of Jimi Hendrix and I was well aware of the expression inherent in low action, light gauge strings and just the right touch. He played some snaky lines with a flurry of tapped notes using just his fingering hand.

The Stick also has a revolutionary tuning. Can you explain how this came about and why it works?

The overall design as well as the hardware inventions and innovations will accommodate any tuning in any sequence of strings, limited only by tension of the thinnest string at the high end, and the human hearing range at the low end. We set up new Sticks and also older repairs for any possible tuning under these two limitations, and about ten percent of our orders are for various custom tunings according to the needs and musical concepts of the customer. The other 90 percent or so are set up with one of the “Stick” family of tunings – descending melody 4ths from a highest 1st string and ascending bass 5ths from the center to a highest outer string. Lowest melody and bass strings are thus at the middle of the sequence and spaced a bit further apart to separate the two groups – two boards on one board.

I reversed the three lowest strings on my 9-string guitar in the late ’60s (before my tapping discovery) so that I’d have a comfortable bass note in every chord. I raised the lowest E string up an octave, left the next higher A alone, and lowered the next higher D down an octave (voila, the bass in inverted 5ths but with the same lettered notes!). The lowest bass strings were thus positioned toward the middle of the sequence of strings, allowing easier fingering of chords with a bass note on this new division into two string groups.

This “Stick” tuning and its variations allows the hands to be independent, left hand bass and chords accompanying right hand melody and chords, more of a pianistic concept. The hands can also be interdependent, all eight fingers focusing on either the bass side’s uniform 5ths (as Tony Levin introduced to the world) or on the melody side’s uniform 4ths (as some two-handed tapping guitarists later explored).

What are the different variations of Stick models?

We make Sticks with 8, 10 and 12 strings on very long 36-inch scale length necks (total Stick length is 46 and 47 inches), and on short guitar length necks, as with our new 12-string “Stick Guitar” model. Also, we make an 8-string NS/Stick bass guitar designed by Ned Steinberger and myself as a “multi mode” electric bass extending into the guitar register. It’s the only Stick model with a body and can be played by tapping as well as all the regular bass guitar techniques, or both together.

Do you have any new modifications on the drawing board?

Yes, it’s a radical Stick design with a patent granted and another one pending. I wish I could tell you more but I first need to make sure the next prototype will actually fly.

Tell us a bit about Emmett Chapman, the musician not the inventor.

I’m an improvisor and I built the first Sticks for that. I needed to improvise the chord progressions as well as the lead melody lines, and then the bass line began to emerge. I also like to “rearrange” well known songs from all genres, almost beyond recognition, and then use them as vehicles for more improv.

As an improvisor I try to find that zone where I listen to what was just played, enjoy it, and pin the next idea onto it. This is truly playing the intervals, a focus on distance and movement rather than on the notes themselves. You give a speech, you read the words. You speak extemporaneously and no one knows how the mind works – something about the shape of movement.

The Stick has already made its mark on recorded music. How do you see its impact in the foreseeable future?

The instrument design is minimal but with maximum musical capabilities. The two-handed tapping method, which I named “Free Hands” in my mid ’70s lesson book, brings together the performance disciplines of four major instrument of our time, including:

– Guitar, with its soulful string expression, fingered with eight or even ten digits if thumbs are included.
– Keyboard, with its independent lines and orchestration.
– Bass, with a powerful drive of tapped bass strings down to the lowest register.
– Drums, with polyrhythms in “quad”, considering that each hand conceptually has two sides.

In the early ’70s I focused on the expanded guitar possibilities, then got absorbed with the bass, adding lower strings in 5ths. Playing in Stick/drum duos in the ’80s, my hands began to take on some of the drummer’s role, playing fills and counter-rhythms. With age I find myself gravitating to The Stick’s pianistic qualities and I long ago put my rack and pedalboard aside and play with no effects, just the “room” sound. It’s a lighthearted feeling – no plugs and connections to go wrong. I feel like I’m carrying the finest grand piano on-stage. It’s more than a piano though, as the fingers directly engage the strings and the bass register has a resonance and drive. To be fair, it’s not acoustic like piano, and needs an amp, or two in stereo (or the room sound).

Coke or Pepsi?

I’m too old for that. It’s filtered coffee with honey and cream in the morning.

For more information:
www.stick.com

Bass Videos

Interview With K3 Sisters Band

Published

on

Interview With K3 Sisters Band

K3 Sisters Band Interview…

It is very rare when I talk to a band where all the members play bass. The K3 Sisters Band is a perfect example of a group where Kaylen, Kelsey and Kristen Kassab are all multi-instrumentalists and take turns playing bass.

Hailing from Texas, these three sisters have been playing music since they were very young and have amassed an amazing amount of original music,  music videos, streaming concerts, podcasts, and content that has taken numerous social media platforms by storm. On TikTok alone, they have over 2.5 million followers and more than a billion views.

Join me as we hear the story of their musical journey, how they get their sound, and the fundamental principles behind these prolific musicians.

Here is the K3 Sisters Band!

Photo, Bruce Ray Productions

Follow Online:

k3sistersband.com/
TikTok
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook 

Continue Reading

Bass Videos

Interview With Bassist Danielle Nicole

Published

on

Interview With Bassist Danielle Nicole

Bassist Danielle Nicole…

Blues music has universal appeal. We all have our ups and downs and this particular musical genre often fits our reality. Just hearing that we are not alone makes us feel a bit better. 

Danielle Nicole writes and sings the Blues. She does an amazing job at delivering both exquisite smoky vocals but plays just the right bass line to drive the tune home. Danielle recently released “The Love You Bleed” last January and will be touring the album this upcoming year.

Join me as we learn about Danielle’s musical journey, how she gets her sound, her plans for the future and more.

Follow Online

daniellenicolemusic.com/
IG @daniellenicoleband
youtube.com/daniellenicoleband

Photo, Missy Faulkner

Continue Reading

Features

Bergantino Welcomes Karina Rykman to Their Family of Artists

Published

on

Bergantino Welcomes Karina Rykman to Their Family of Artists

Interview with Karina Rykman…

Karina Rykman…The high-energy bassist discusses her path on bass, her upcoming tour, how she came to find Bergantino through another Bergantino artist, and more!

A lifelong Manhattanite diehard New Yorker, Bergantino welcomes new Artist Karina Rykman. Jim and Holly had the privilege of meeting Karina and her band in Boston to see her perform. She lights up a stage with her charismatic passion as a bass player and singer – a true powerhouse of joy and energy. On stage, she smiles from ear to ear, hopping, jumping, and dancing; the entire room overflowing with positivity! If you don’t know this titan of bass yet, you will soon enough. Karina’s JOYRIDE 2024 tour picks up this month with the debut of her new album. We had the opportunity to ask Karina some questions about her career so far. 

You have quite the career that began at a very young age. You have so much going on!! Can you share some of your musical path highlights you are most proud of?

Oh man, thank you! What a long, strange trip it’s been. I’m proud of still being so absolutely enthralled by music after playing in a million bands and finally ending up at this current juncture: being able to make my own music and tour under my own name. It just seems completely surreal – every gig, every recording…I’m on cloud 9 being able to continue to do this, and we’re just getting started. I’m extremely proud of being so young and being able to learn so much from Marco Benevento, without whom I’d be absolutely nowhere. Being put up to a large task with enormous shoes to fill, and stepping in even though I barely knew what I was doing at the time. Every gig with Marco is extremely special to me. 

Tell us about your new album release Joyride and your 2024 tour.

Joyride is my debut record! It came out in August 2023, and we’ve been touring behind it nonstop ever since. You only make your first record once, and I’m so proud of this one – it’s fun, searing, lush, with chantable choruses and, of course, incredibly thick bass and infectious grooves. It was produced by Phish’s Trey Anastasio, who also contributes guitar parts to 5 of the 9 tunes. 

What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate towards it?

There’s nothing quite like feeling the subs rumbling under your feet in a venue and being responsible for those sounds is thrilling. I played guitar first, at age 12, but essentially completely switched over to bass when I was 22 and got the gig playing bass with Marco Benevento. I haven’t looked back since, except for a few gigs on guitar here and there (notably in the house band on Late Night with Seth Meyers and on The Today Show backing up Julia Michaels). 

People hate this question, but: If you were constructing your personal Bass Mt. Rushmore, who are the four players that would make the cut and why?

Geddy Lee, Cliff Burton, Bootsy Collins, Les Claypool. The list goes on and on, of course, but those four have imprinted their unique styles upon my brain since I was so young, and I’m perpetually learning from them – even in the case of the deceased Cliff (RIP), going back and watching Cliff ‘Em All videos is something I do all the time. Endlessly compelled by these four players and their original takes on the instrument.

How did you learn to play?

I never took lessons, but in middle school and high school, I just surrounded myself with equally music-obsessed people. All we did was play music and go and see live music, which is wildly accessible when you grow up in New York City. I had a really tight-knit crew of amazing players as my friends, and everyone would teach each other riffs and licks. I was fearless – playing with people much better than me and saying “yes” to every cool opportunity that came my way. I essentially learned from playing in a million bands and playing along to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin records. 

Are there any other instruments you play?

I started on guitar, and still love to write on guitar. I can get around on keyboards a bit, but you’d never hire me as a keyboardist. The same goes for drums – I LOVE playing drums but you’d never hire me as a drummer. 

Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.

I play both with a pick and my fingers, depending on the specific needs of / vibe of the tune. I love playing fuzz bass and writing bombastic “lead bass” moments, which are a staple of my live show. I’d say I’m about the least “traditional” bassist in just about every way – which is both a strength and a weakness depending on how you frame it. I play what I hear, what I like, and I adhere to very few rules. I’ve always hated rules, and I didn’t start playing rock n roll to follow them. 

How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?

I’m pals with Mike Gordon, bassist of Phish, and his tech is named Ed Grasmeyer. Ed suggested he bring Mike’s Bergantino for me to try out at a show I was playing in Vermont, and I fell instantly in love. 

You have been using the Bergantino Forté HP2 head. How have you been setting the controls on this and what changes to those settings might you make as you plug into your other individual instruments?

I love my Forté HP2! The versatility and headroom are incredible, and I’ve been having a lot of fun dialing it in at home. The real fun will begin this weekend when I take it out for 2.5 weeks of tour – dialing something in an apartment just isn’t the same as on a big stage with a PA and subs and all that good stuff. I like to roll my highs a bit and I keep “punch” on all the time. So far, it’s been a dream.

You are the inspiration behind Bergantino cab the new NXT410-C. Can you tell us more about this cab and your experience so far?

Firstly, I’m beyond touched to be the inspiration behind, well…anything! But this is truly insane, and such an honor. I love this cab. Not only is it light and extremely good-looking, it can handle all my loudest, most abrasive and obnoxious effects. My old amp didn’t come close, and could just fart out or I’d have to turn down to appease it. I’m a big fan of playing at earth-shattering volumes, so this is going to be a match made in heaven. 

We all love your custom-made Goldie Hawn bass guitar! Can you share more with us about this bass design and why it is so special to you?

Thanks! That’s made by “Zeke Guitars” – it’s the second custom bass he’s made for me! He reached out in the summer of 2019 and asked what my dream bass would be, and I said it was basically my 1978 Fender P-Bass, but lighter, whiter, with Lindy Fralins, gold hardware, and shorter scale. And, well..he did exactly that! I love that bass so much. And the gold, which is referred to as Goldie Hawn, was born in December of 2022, and has the same specs. I just love it, it sounds amazing and looks, arguably, even better. 

Jim and I were lucky to get to meet you in person when you came to Boston with the band. The members of the band are such a great group of people! Can you share more with all about the band and crew. 

I’m so lucky to keep such incredible company. My bandmates, Adam November and Chris Corsico, are not only unbelievable musicians but also incredible humans. We just laugh and laugh, and we’re there for each other when the road gets tough or we’re exhausted or whatever life throws at us. It’s the joy of my life to get to tour the world with these guys. And the crew! That night was Connor Milton on sound and Nick Koski on lights – we have a rotating cast of people who play those roles based on availability, and everyone who works for us are absolute consummate professionals and the sweetest humans. They are my team of experts and I just adore them so much. Shout out to Zach Rosenberg, Jeff Volckhausen, Dylan Hinds, Dom Chang, for being the best rotating crew a gal could ask for!  

What else do you do besides music? 

Not much! I love going to the beach! I love eating dinner! 

Because I am a foodie, I always ask people what their favorite food is!

Oysters, caviar, sushi. I’m a raw bar fanatic. 

At a very young age, Karina is a diligent hard worker. She juggles many balls managing her business and is savvy beyond her years. We are very happy to be working with Karina and are excited for her continued success!

Follow Karina Rykman:

Instagram: @karinarykman
X (formerly Twitter): @KarinaRykman
Facebook @karinarykman/

Continue Reading

Bass Videos

Interview With Bassist Ciara Moser

Published

on

Interview With Bassist Ciara Moser

Bassist Ciara Moser…

Ciara and I sat down for this interview a few months after the launch of her debut album, “Blind. So what?”

Blind since birth, she is a powerhouse of talent; she is not only a professional bassist, but also composes music, and is a producer and educator. I am just blown away by her talent and perseverance.

Join me as we hear about Ciara’s musical journey, the details of her album, how she gets her sound, and her plans for the future.

Visit online:

www.ciara-moser.com 
IG @ moserciara
FB @ ciara.moser

Photos by Manuela Haeussler

Continue Reading

Bass Videos

Interview With Bassist Travis Book

Published

on

Interview With Bassist Travis Book

Interview With Bassist Travis Book…

Bluegrass music has had a very solid following over many years and I am always happy to hear from one of the pioneers in that genre.

Travis Book plays bass for the Grammy award-winning band “The Infamous Stringdusters” and has recently released his first solo album “Love and Other Strange Emotions”. As if he wasn’t busy enough, Travis also hosts a podcast, Plays a Jerry Garcia music show with Guitarist Andy Falco, and is constantly gigging locally in his neck of the woods.

Photo, Seyl Park

Visit Online:

www.thetravisbook.com
www.thestringdusters.com
FB @ TheTravisBook
IG @ travisbook

Continue Reading

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Facebook

Trending