A series of Jim Reilly's interviews with players, fans, and the people behind the scenes of the Chapman Stick.

Virginia Splendore

"Dal Cuore"

October 18, 2004

Virginia performing at the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville Photo: Jim Meyer

Fall in Charlottesville. The sun setting, a light pattering of rain on the porch roof. A cup of coffee in hand. In the distance a cow moos absentmindedly, a little closer a dog or two bark, chasing shadows. It's a world away from the hustle and bustle of modern day Rome. It's almost as far away from the frantic pace of just a day earlier at the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Stick Seminar.

It was on that porch on a lazy Monday evening that I sat down with Italian Stick player, teacher and the Italian agent for Stick Enterprises: Virginia Splendore.

The day before wasn't so lazy. Virginia, Greg Howard, Bob Culbertson and I, along with 20 other Stick players were in the middle of the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Stick Seminar. Music was coming out of every room at the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville. Stick players in every room.

Italy is one of the hotbeds of Stick activity these days. New players are joining the Stick community. Players who have had Sticks for years are making wonderful music. This surge in Italian Stick popularity is due in no small part to Virginia.

Since she first picked up a Stick, 19 years ago, she has been thinking up ways to enhance the Stick experience. She once dreamed up a gig bag-before gig bags were available-with a hole cut out of it so the belt hook could stick out and you could tuck it into the back of your pants, holding The Stick in the bag like an archer's bag of arrows.

Virginia's latest contribution to the Stick community is the first amplifier designed specifically for The Stick. While Stick Enterprises is currently waiting for the final prototype of the StickAmp , we used the amp that the StickAmp is based on (the Jam 150) exclusively during the seminar and the Saturday night Stick Night performances. In no uncertain terms, these little amps rock. Made by the Italian Company SR Technology, the Jam 150 has a big, bold sound yet is incredibly small and portable. The StickAmp will have the same configuration as the Jam 150 but with inputs better suited to The Stick. You will also be able to add a compatible extension speaker, enabling full stereo panning and increased volume.

When Virginia performs, she sits on one of those little Jam 150s, plugs her lacquered rosewood 10-string Stick, with an ACTV2 switched to mono, into a small Korg Pandora multi effects unit (the blue guitar version) then plugs directly into the amp. Her sound is wonderful-clean, clear, present, with more than a hint of old-world European charm.

Her music is the same: open, honest, straightforward. For that matter, that's the way Virginia is too-straightforward, no nonsense, direct. But sometimes appearances are deceiving. Her music flows, seemingly uncomplicated but just beneath the charming melodies she weaves an intricate web of polyrhythms and countermelodies. With Virginia one has the sense that below the calm exterior beats a passionate, romantic, Italian heart.

One of my highlights from the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Chapman Stick Seminar was sitting on the porch when everything was done and talking with Virginia about all things Stick. I invite you to grab a cup of coffee, maybe pour a glass of wine, put on a warm sweater, listen to the wildlife around you and enjoy our talk too.

JR: We've just finished another Stick seminar. What were some of the highlights for you?

VS: The seminar was great. I had a lot of fun. I could see a lot of young people approaching The Stick. That makes me very happy because I see a new generation coming. I had a good time with the other teachers. Everything was perfect.

JR: Do you see any differences between the Stick students here and those in Europe?

VS: That's a good question. I think the Americans are more connected to the "Stick World." My Italian students are into The Stick but they seem to think it's kind of strange and distant world. In this seminar I saw young people, 18 years old, already skilled on the instrument. In Italy that doesn't happen so much. There are people who have had Sticks for a long time but don't do much with it.

JR: Do you think that The Stick is more accepted in North America than in it is in Europe?

VS: From what I've seen in Italy people like The Stick when they hear it. I've never had anyone say, "That's boring," or anything like that.

JR: What about the Italian audiences?

VS: Maybe it's just the places I play but I feel more accepted here. At the places we played here in Charlottesville and when I was in San Jose it felt like the audiences were there to really listen to us play. In Italy, when I play in a place like Gravity Lounge (the 2004 Mid-West Seminar Stick Night venue) everybody is drinking, making noises, the music is just something in the background, not the reason they are there.

This happens to every musician, not just Stick players. It's just a different approach, a different way of being in the clubs. Music is something that is there because it's offered by the club. It's not something people are going out specifically for.

Over here it feels like people go to the club because you are there and they want to listen to your music. It was like that in Switzerland when I played there and hopefully it will be the same in France when I am there in November. So I feel more comfortable, people are really listening and that makes me feel more comfortable when I'm playing.

JR: How long have you been playing Stick?

VS: I've been playing it for 19 years now, since 1985. I didn't play too much till 1989 but when I started playing a lot in 1989 it was like reaching the top of mountain. It brought me so many things that made my life better.

JR: Like what?

VS: Starting to think that I could be a musician. That was because of The Stick, not because of any of the instruments I had played before. I went to school to learn how to play piano, guitar, clarinet, sing, but I couldn't find the way to express myself. I always had the idea that I could do much more than any of those other instruments offered and I found what I was looking for with The Stick.

I started to find melodies to compose and the chords to go with the melodies started happening. I grew up as a musician because of the instrument itself. It was the way I found the things inside me that I wanted to get out as a musician.

JR: How did you find out about The Stick?

VS: I went to a music show in Milan in '85 and there was a demonstration by Jim Lampi. The way Jim played made me feel like I could actually do on The Stick what I was trying to do on other instruments, it was like love at first sight for the instrument.

People were pushing and shoving and I was one of about 20 people crowded around Jim. Even though it was so crowded, I started to cry. The music he was playing and the emotion of seeing an instrument that could make that kind of music brought tears to my eyes. At that moment I knew that I had to have this instrument. I bought a Stick there, that day.

JR: When you started were there other Italian Stick players near you?

VS: No. When I started playing I had a friend who practiced with me for a year then bought his own Stick a year later. We demonstrated at that same music show with Jim Lampi the next year, in 1986. But there weren't any other players. I had one lesson on tape from Jim Lampi to learn from but that's it.

JR: Did you start recording with The Stick as quickly as you started performing?

VS: In '85 it was not like now. Now you have software on your PC and you can record everything in a snap. Back then you needed a Fostex or some kind of 4-track recorder. It was difficult for me to record because I didn't have all that gear. I did some recoding though. I have some demo tapes but the first recording I did specifically for The Stick was for my first CD, Guilty, in 1998.

JR: Guilty is one of my favourite Stick CDs. The chemistry between you and Roberto Fiorucci and the overall musicality is truly a treat.

VS: Thank you. I like Guilty a lot but recording that CD was difficult for me. I didn't know very much about the recording process at the time. I really wanted to get the same sound that we got live but I don't think we got it quite right. I like the performances on the CD but the same music played live by me and Roberto has that live feeling and energy that I don't think comes across on the recording.

JR: I beg to differ. As a listener, the energy in the music is very obvious. In fact, it has more life to it than most recordings, at least to my ears. How did you and Roberto meet?

VS: Roberto bought a Stick in '94 in London and he met Jim Lampi. I was still in contact with Jim, we had become friends over the years. Jim gave Roberto a telephone number for me but unfortunately I had moved and was no longer at that number. Roberto and I both lived in Rome so he started asking his friends if anybody knew me and eventually he was able to track me down.

So I started to give him lessons. I had taught a little bit before but he was my first fulltime, paying Stick student. He was a very good musician, a good bass player and in one year he was able to play Stick very well.

At the time I was playing with a flugelhorn player and a drummer. I had Roberto play as a guest with us. It worked so well that we started performing together more and more. Then we started composing together for Guilty.

JR: After Guilty you stopped playing with Roberto. How different is it playing without him?

VS: It was very hard at first. He stopped playing altogether and it was very hard for me to think that I could go on without him. When I recorded Different Things I involved Andrea Moneta (drums, Stick bass, MIDI Stick drums) and Raffaele Magrone (clarinet) a lot and I could do all the Stick parts myself so I didn't really need Roberto but I still wanted him to be a part of the music.

So he's there. I put him there. I took some live recordings of him playing and mixed them with the studio parts. On Habla Conmigo I included a song from our first demo together called "Aout." He has started playing again and we have plans to perform together so things may work out.

JR: Your music is very beautiful. I hear elements of classical, folk and rock. How would you describe your music?

At the 2004 World Stick Seminar in San Jose Photo: Tom Griesgraber

VS: As a composer I have this classical influence but it's more in the structure of the songs. I rarely improvise, even live, so the music is very structured like in classical music. There are specific parts and they must be played correctly for the piece to work. The structure is not like a pop song format with an intro, verse, middle eight, not AABA or ABAC. It's more like three As, two Bs, one C, more progressive.

But I don't know how it comes out. I have no idea. I think I'm drawn to melodic music. I don't rely on music theory, I just follow my ears so what comes out comes out. I know I have a particular style but I have no idea where it comes from.

JR: Who has influenced you musically?

VS: What I listened to when I was younger was what everyone my age listened too: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Beatles. I like the three King Crimson albums from the '80s a lot, that kind of music with the intricate lines.

Melodically, I like Pat Metheny. I listen to Pat Metheny, Mark Egan, that kind of music. There are lots of things. Let's say that Windham Hill records and ECM records brought me closer to composing my own music.

What I try to do is write music that could appeal to anyone, music that is melodic and beautiful but at the same time has more complex and intricate arrangements. When musicians listen to my music I want them to hear polyrhythms like 7/8 against 5 and be able to enjoy that. I love to write music that is fun to play and engages people who know music as well as those who are just listeners.

JR: So there are different levels that one can listen on.

VS: Yes. It works if you have a difficult harmony part but put a simple melody on top. Then anyone can enjoy it. That's what I like to do.

JR: What some of your songs where those different layers work together? Some of your favorites?

VS: I love "Living Colours" from Guilty and "Come Orologi." Come orologi means 'like a clock.' The sound the whole song makes is like a clockwork-tick, tock, tick, tock. Roberto and me had to be like clocks when we played it, we had to be very perfect otherwise it would be a mess.

I like "Virginia's Song" from Different Things. I wrote "Light Blue Dark Blue" for Roberto because he has a light blue side and a dark blue side. That one means a lot to me.

This last CD, the one I recorded this summer (Habla Conmigo), all the songs are amazing to me. I recorded it myself at home and played a little fretless bass and sang, which I almost never do. On the cover I put a heart. Not a heart like in a Valentines card, it's a heart from an anatomy book, kind of gothic, hardcore. It's only 35 minutes of music, but the music is like that picture. It's red like my heart.

It was hard to record at home. I'm not a producer but I knew what I wanted to hear and I worked with the software until I got that sound.

JR: Let's talk about your sound. It's very clean yet strong and present. How do you get it?

VS: I think that the touch on The Stick is the most important part of my sound. I have a classical approach there too. Technique is very important. Classical music as all the dynamics-piano, forte, rubato-I like to use all those too.

I have the sound I use from my little box, a Korg Pandora: a little compression, delay and chorus, that's it. That's my sound.

JR: And you tend to stay with that one sound throughout your performances?

VS: Well, if had some footswitches and pedals I might be inclined to change sounds but not too much. I approach The Stick as one instrument, not a guitar and bass together, so I'm not inclined to change the sound while I'm playing. If I'm playing a solo on someone else's song, I have a sound I like that I call 'Frisell's Sound'' after the guitar player Bill Frisell. It has a bit of overdrive, reverb and delay. It's a little bit more aggressive than my usual sound but not too heavy.

So yes, I basically have the one sound that I use for an entire concert. If I want to change the sound, I'll change my technique, maybe play harder or softer, more staccato, something like that.

JR: Tony Levin plays on a track on Different Things. How did you meet him?

VS: I met him at the NAMM show in 2001 at the Stick Enterprises booth. We got along right away. I asked him to come to the seminar I was doing in Milan in March that year and he came. It was great. He's a nice person. He's not one of those musicians who acts like he's on the top so he's not going to bother with anyone below him.

I played a concert during the seminar. At the end of the concert Tony told me that his favourite song of mine was "Flamingos." That song was going to be on Different Things. When I started recording the album I decided to ask Tony to play on a song. He said he would love to and I gave him the choice of any of the songs but I new he would pick "Flamingos." It was great. I thought he would play bass but he played a melody on the melody side on The Stick. So instead of the typical very powerful Tony Levin bass part, there is this very beautiful, classical type, Tony Levin melody.

JR: As well as making all this music, you're the agent for Stick Enterprises in Italy. What does that involve?

VS: I do as many demonstrations as I can in music stores and shows. I also do a lot of individual demonstrations. People will contact me and I will show The Stick to them. I organize seminars as much as I can. I go all around Italy and teach. I have three Sticks that I rent to people so the can try one out and decide if they want to buy one. And I respond to thousands of emails. I have a forum on www.megabass.it where I answer questions, post articles, lessons, all sorts of things related to The Stick.

JR: Who is going to be the next big Italian Stick player?

VS: Besides Roberto and me...?

JR: You're already there. Who's next?

VS: There are a lot. Emanuele Gianieri is very good. I don't know if he composes but he plays a lot of covers. It's nice for people to know that you can play 'normal' songs on Stick. Emanuele D'Angelo is another. He's written some songs that I really like.

There are a lot of very good Stick players but unfortunately few of them play live. It drives me crazy. Even if I organize a concert they don't want to play. So I ask, "Who is going to know that you're a good musician if you don't play live?" It's very frustrating for me. I want them to share their music but for some reason it doesn't happen as much as I'd like it too.

I have a student named Andrea Tolin. He hadn't played any instrument before The Stick. He's and adult, 42 years old. He wrote a song that was very, very nice. I played a melody on it.

I can't think of anyone else right now. I'm sure I'm forgetting lots. Ah yes, Andrea Marcucci. He plays out a lot. He can read music very well. He can take a piano score and play it instantly on The Stick. He's very good.

JR: You have the two new albums Different Things and Habla Conmigo. What else is coming up?

VS: I'm planning to play more live. I have to admit I'm a little bit lazy when it comes to getting gigs and it's hard because the club owners have a tough time fitting my music into a category. But playing live with the SR amps at all these music shows and getting such good response from the people who hear me play makes be believe that people like what I'm doing and that my music will find a home.

I'm going to the Allaire Tapping Guitar Festival the weekend of November 6th and I'll probably do some more gigs in France. I'm really going to play live as much as I can.

JR: You've been playing Stick for 19 years now. What will the Stick scene be like in Italy 19 years from now?

VS: I think The Stick will be used much more and will be better known. These days there are many legends and misinformation about The Stick. Someone once told me that The Stick was an instrument that Tony Levin thought up as a different kind of bass and that he had it custom built for himself. Now people know much more about the instrument, real things about the instrument, and they know what it can do. They know that Tony Levin plays it as a bass but they know that there is much more that you can do on Stick. It's not some strange kind of bass.

I think in the next years, all of us, me, Greg, Bob, Jim Lampi, Andre Pelat, Ron Baggerman, you, we're going to make it grow all around the world, not just in Italy. It's going to grow much bigger than it is now. I read a book written by Liszt, the piano player, friend of Chopin. It was a biography of Chopin. The introduction of this book was about the piano as an instrument during the first years it existed. It took 100 years for the piano to be thought of as its own instrument and not just something riding on the tail of the clavichord. The Stick has found its way but it still has a long way to go and we will be the history.

Check our Virginia's Web site: www.stickist.com/virna

Jim Reilly can be reached at play_stick@canada.com.