StickNews Digest Issue #286 - 09/07/06
An online digest about The Chapman Stick® published by Jim Reilly.Please send your posts and responses here: sticknews@stick.com
You don't have to be subscribed to post.
To receive new issues by email, send a message with "Subscribe" in the subject line to sticknews@stick.com.
To be notified when new issues are online, send a message with "Notify" in the subject line to sticknews@stick.com.
Check out the Stick Events Calendar to find out about upcoming events near you.
Archives of previous Sticknews Digests can be found at sticknews/archives.
CONTENTS:
THE DAYS ARE GETTING SHORTER
- Summer turns to fall and then too...
- Invite to the Northeast.
- New Bamboo.
- A TL deal.
- Stick for sale.
- A different sort of Birthday tune.
- The latetest from Michael K.
- Read.
- Stretch.
- Learn.
- Watch.
WHERE DID MY SUMMER GO?
Hello All,
Well itÂ’s safe to say that fall is in the air. The leaves are changing colour, kids are back in school, the Labour Day football and baseball games are all in the books, and IÂ’ve pulled my hockey gear out of the basement.
And we still play on...
It always seems, for me at least, that this time of year is every bit a ‘new year’ as January 1st. Maybe that goes back to the days when September meant you traded in your days of childhood freedom for institutionalized education. Maybe it’s because my birthday is on the September 9th (very big hint). Regardless, it seems like things start anew in fall and the crisp fall air brings with it a sense of newness and possibilities.
Much going on in the Stick World too, much of it is below. Much of it can be found on www.stick.com,
including a new online video section (www.stick.com/onlinevideos),
an event this weekend near Portland (www.stick.com/events/seminars/newdirections2006),
and reviews of both the Midwest Stick Seminar (www.detroitstick.com/words/events/seminar2006)
and Stick Camp on the Island of Majorca (www.stickcenter.com/StickCamp/2006/Review/index_e.html).
In this StickNews Dave Brosky adds his voice to the lesson section, and Ron Baggerman uses the latest Web craze to bring his lesson to 'life.Â’
That's it from me for now, read on, tap and Happy Early New Year.
Take care,
Jim
ALL THE NEWS THAT TAPS
From: simon jacobs [yaklulu@hotmail.com]
Subject: come and see us one day
Date: Thu 13/07/2006
O.K. we have had a very rainy summer and the black flies are abundant (am I making this part of the U.S. sound attractive yet?)...but please could we get some Stick players to come and play in New Hampshire or Vermont one day. Even better, come and do a North East workshop for a day if you are ever passing through.
All the gigs I ever see posted seem to be in California...and we would love you to make the long trek north one day.
Years ago I had the good fortune to see Greg Howard play at Borders bookstore in Richmond Va, when I lived there. Just watching him and spending ten minutes chatting with him afterwards gave me so much inspiration and information. Live performances are such a benefit to players like myself and sadly, not all of us have the time or money to go to the organized workshops.
So come on you brave Stick players from the South, please come and see us one day...the Maple syrup is great and it might be nice to escape from Californias regular Fires/Earthquakes/Floods.... what ever is the current "pestilence du jour"
Yak
From: Stickist@aol.com
Subject: New Laminated Bamboo now available
Date: Sun 23/07/2006
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to let you know there is a new structural material now available from SE: Laminated Bamboo
I've been wanting to get an extended scale Grand for a while, so I ordered one in the dark finish.
These replace the pressed bamboo as an ordering option. They are lighter in weight and even more rigid than the hardwoods, so they make an excellent material structure for The Stick.
Info and lots of pics here: www.stick.com/instruments/bamboo
Same price as the hardwoods. Blanks in stock for Grands, 10-strings, SB8s and Altos.
Happy Tapping,
Greg
From: Tom Griesgraber [tom@thossounds.com]
Subject: discount Tony Levin tickets
Date: Mon 14/08/2006
Hi all,
As most of you have probably heard, the Tony Levin Band is headed to the west coast. Jerry Marotta and I will be opening for a few of the shows, including those in San Diego at Brick by Brick and San Juan Capistrano at the Coach House. As always with shows at the Coach House, they've given me a stack of tickets I can pass along at a discount. Seating is all general admission regardless of where you buy tickets, but I can pass these along for $15 (vs. $19.50-22.75 depending on where you get them). Here come the details:
Tony Levin Band with special guests Marotta/Griesgraber Saturday October 14, 8PM The Coach House
33157 Camino Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, CA
Discount tickets available at: www.thossounds.com/store.html
This show is all ages, and seating is all general admission. Dinner reservations can be made after you have tickets by calling 949-496-8930 and include reserved seating. Sorry, but all ticket sales are final, no refunds or exchanges.
Hope you can join us!
Tom Griesgraber
www.thossounds.com
760-942-1031
From: Kathy Twohig [ktwohig@tconl.com]
Subject: Alto Stick
Date: Mon 14/08/2006
I would like to sell my Alto Stick.I don't have the to devote it as much as I need to.I can be contacted at dtwohig@hot mail.com
From: Sean Stirling [seanstirling@stickist.com]
Subject: A gift for this day for all tappers
Date: Sat 26/08/2006
Hi All,
Today's the day back in '69 when two handed tapping began.
Here's a tune I wrote envisioning Emmett's moment in 1969 when he created the two handed tapping technique. Manny has posted it on his homepage at Stickist.com. I think it turned out fairly nice.
Check out: www.stick.com/news/stirling.html
From: Michael Kollwitz [michael@michaelkollwitz.com]
Subject: Sept '06 Calendar + DVD Update
Date: Tue 05/09/2006
Hi All,
Gosh- September is already here and I can hardly believe it myself. Hope your summer has been great so far. I know mine has.
We're currently putting the finishing touches on the DVD we shot of my live concert on July 30th and it is really looking good. I think it was an exceptional performance and we had a superb film crew to capture every conceivable angle- I think you're gonna like it. The post-production editing process is almost done and it should be at least another month or so before they come sliding down the old conveyor belt, all new and shiny...
A few new goodies on my website:
I recently heard from an old friend, Joel Samuel. He produced a great many TV shows in Arizona (when I lived there back in the 90's.) He found an cool old clip of me playing my 10 string Chapman Stick in '93 and he posted it on YouTube.com. You'll find the link on my home page (below); along with a review of my recent performance at the Nevada County Fair, written by Mike Shea of Modern Guitars Magazine. Plus, if you missed the radio interview & performance I recently did on Jeffrey Callison's show "Insight" (KXJZ 90.9 FM), you can hear it now thanks to their digital archives. Yep- it's there, too.
Good news- all of my public performances this month are FREE. My September calendar is at the bottom of this email. Hope to see you again soon!
All the best,
~Michael Kollwitz
Chapman Stick performer
www.MichaelKollwitz.com
SEPTEMBER 2006 PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
Sep 8th: 8:00 - 11:00 PM
SACRAMENTO BREWING CO.
at 2713 El Paseo Lane, Sacramento, CA
www.sacbrew.com
Sep 10th: 5:00 - 6:00 PM
32nd ANNUAL SOLANO STROLL
at 1775 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA
www.solanoave.org/strol.htm
Sep 23rd & 24th: All Day, Both Days
23rd ANNUAL PLEASANTON HERITAGE FESTIVAL
on Main Street in Downtown Pleasanton, CA
www.pleasantondowntown.net/eventdetails.php?id=40
Sep 29th: 7:30 - 10:30 PM
NINA'S DESSERT CAFE
at 6815 Lonetree Blvd, Suite A101, Rocklin, CA
www.ninasdessertcafe.com
Sep 30th: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
SIERRA KNOLLS VINEYARDS & WINERY
at 19635 Kingswood Ct., Grass Valley, CA
www.SierraKnollsWinery.com
SUMMER IS DONE, THE TAPPING GOES ON
From: Chris Crain [stickmusic@earthlink.net]
Subject: Reading Music
Date: Wed 23/08/2006
Without explaining the nuances of music notation or answering the question - "Why does the musical alphabet start with C?" - I will try to build a foundation for you to explore. Download the following file.
At the top of the page is a C major scale, covering one octave and extending to a high E. The first symbol shown on the staff is called a 'treble clef' or 'G-clef'. The first 'C' shown is referred to as 'middle-C'. This note is easily identified, because of the little ledger line extending through it and its location underneath the staff. If the notes were not on a staff with a treble clef, they would have entirely different names.
more...
From: SteveAFran@aol.com
Subject: To Extend Or Not To Extend, That Is The Question
Date: Thu 17/08/2006
A common change or substitution for a chord would be to add an extension. The basic triad is 1 - 3 - 5 of some sort. We can of course add the 7th. But for even more flavor a ninth, and even the eleventh or thirteenth can be thrown into the harmonic mix. Let's explore the ninth as an addition to a chord.
C minor = C Eb G ( a very basic triad)
1 b3 5
C minor 7 = C Eb G Bb ( a bit more sophisticated)
1 b3 5 b7
C minor 9 = C Eb G Bb D (now we're talkin')
We know that diatonically, a C minor chord exists as ii, iii, or vi, in a Major key.
Therefore C min7 can be ii in Bb Major
iii in Ab Major
vi in Eb Major
Read on...
From: nandav8@netscape.net
Subject: Stickfest/ notefinder + quick ideas
Date: Wed 02/08/2006
There are times when name dropping is appropriate. This is one of them. It was an honor and privilege to be on the same stage at Stickfest with Emmett, Greg, Steve, Bob, Tom [G], Gary & Glenn (they are so famous, it's like a firstname thing like "Cher"), in addition to Oz, Darrell, Vance, Japhlet, the Garner Family, Jason, Morgan, Aarron, and Vijith. It was the most amazing canvas of talents and styles assembled and expressed the beauty, power, and uniqueness of this wonderful instrument. The seminar was incredible- kudos to Glenn, Greg and Oz for its information, breadth and inspiration. I highly encourage everyone to attend the next one in your area, regardless of your skill level, perceived or otherwise. The Stick community is encouraging and supportive to all Stick players no matter what level you are, or what style you pursue. Glenn did an excellent job as multi-player, participant, and scribe, so check out his most tubular tome at detroitstick.com or link from Stick.com.
Find-A-Note tip: As you know, I love to find uses for those old stompboxes lying in the corner of your basement or studio. Here's one. Use a tuner pedal, like a Zoom 505II or 506II, or any tuner pedal that can give you a "note" reading, as opposed to just an A-440 OK. Looking at the fretboard can be daunting at first, but as Steve Adelson put it, pick a note - a through g. These are the same notes just in different pitches up and down the board. So, pick a note, then find the same note, any pitch will do, on all 10 or 12 strings. Your tuner can help quickly, and at the same time open up your understanding of different positions, different timbres, and areas you may neglect or just not play in due to habit. Make sure you get all the notes on that string. Greg Howard has a tip- up 5 and over one which is also very helpful. Do this for all 12 notes, sharps and flats included. You can also use your tuner to help spell out chords, reharmonize melodies, or as a real time transcriber for your playing. Quick Ideas: This tip is to help get ideas down quickly before you forget them. Buy a guitar rubber stamp and using a razor blade/X-Acto (kids, ask your parents for help!) slice off one of the "strings" so that it becomes a 5 string stamp. [Note: Grand Stick users can use the stamp right out of the box.] Keep an inkpad and some really cheap paper handy. Now when your hands play something amazing, quickly stamp the paper, notate the fret number for the lowest note, and whether it is on the bass or melody side. You can stamp right on sheet music to remember the voicing you used or even a great scale to solo over.
Remember, keep tappin' and make it happen!
Dave Brosky, Pittsburgh, PA
www.davebrosky.com
From: Ron Baggerman [rbaggerman@yahoo.com]
Subject: Bond's Jam
Date: Tue 29/08/2006
Hi All,
Ron's lesson in this StickNews is kind of special. The arpeggiated bassline and right hand melody is cool, but the best part is that you can check out Ron playing it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXlT6qwVH1E
Ron's instructions - The left hand just play's the "Bond's Theme" all the time. The right hand plays more or less the same notes, but the timing shifts.
Links to PDF and MP3s:
www.stick.com/sticknews/archives/286/baggerman.html
You can check out all of Ron's youtube videos here:
www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=RonBaggerman
Please send your posts and responses to: sticknews@stick.com.
Copyright 2007 by Jim Reilly, all rights reserved, except where noted. The opinions expressed by subscribers and contributors to this digest are not necessarily those of the publisher. Any business transactions arranged by readers of StickNews are solely their responsibility, and not those of Jim Reilly.
Stick and Chapman Stick are registered trademarks of Stick Enterprises, Inc., and are used in the title of this digest with permission.
Archives of previous Sticknews Digests can be found at sticknews/archives.
End of StickNews #286.