StickNews Digest Issue #288 - 11/02/06

• Turn the heat back on please

• Marotta/Griesgraber back to Europe
• Stick and Tap guitar festival
• CD update
• Stick for Sale
• November '06 Calendar + other exciting news
• Greg Howard news - November 2006
• Larry Tuttle with STRING PLANET at the Coffee Gallery Backstage

• Spinal Column #19
• Transition Fingering
• Donkey's Years

• Waterfallin' - Debut of the Alto

. For such an unusual recording, it continues to generate much more interest than I expected. The bonus video is now featured in a smaller res version on Stick Enterprises new online videos section of their website, along with lots of other videos by Stick players from around the world.

Here's the news:

STICK CONCERT IN CHARLOTTESVILLE THIS SUNDAY, NOV 5

In conjunction with the seminar I'm teaching this weekend, there will be a Stick Night concert at Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville on Sunday from 7-9 pm. Joining me will be Jim Meyer from Vancouver, Dave Brosky form Pittsburgh, Paul Walters from Richmond, Rob Martino from Fredericksburg and Vijith Assar from Charlottesville. It's only $5, which works out to less than ten cents a string....more at: Gravity Lounge Website

OFF TO JAPAN

I'll also be heading to Tokyo for a few days, to give an in-store clinic for Ishibashi Music and a concert on the weekend of Nov 18-19. Read all about it, in Japanese, here: Greg does Tokyo

HOLIDAY CD DEALS

It's that time again, and I would love nothing more than for you to give my music as a holiday gift.

Please write and tell me what you'd like to get and I'll make you an outrageously good deal.

You can find all of the titles here: Greg's releases

Well, that's about it for now. I hope you're all doing well, and that peace finds you wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for supporting independent music and musicians.
Greg
www.greghoward.com

---

From: Larry Tuttle [stringplanet@stringplanet.com]
Subject: Larry Tuttle with STRING PLANET at the Coffee Gallery Backstage
Date: 04/11/2006

Hi everyone,

An upcoming gig for STRING PLANET (myself on Stick, Novi on viola and Jo Pusateri on percussion)

Thursday evening, November 16th - 8:00 PM
COFFEE GALLERY BACKSTAGE
$15 cover

2029 N. Lake
Altadena CA 91001

(626) 398-7917

www.coffeegallery.com

Hope to see you out there.

Best,

Larry Tuttle

www.stringplanet.com

---

LESSONS FROM THE BIG THREE

---

From: SteveAFran@aol.com
Subject: Spinal Column #19
Date: Mon 02/10/2006

Knowledge of theory is very important in the music learning process. For this month's column I submit another excerpt from my forthcoming book. It will be published by Mel Baywatch and will deal with being saved from drowning in a sea of deep solos.

INTERVALS

An interval is simply the distance between any two notes. Like an inch or a meter in physical distance, these intervals are used to depict how far a tone is from another, sonically, which in turn will lead to building other useful musical tools.
The smallest interval (aside from micro-tones) in the natural musical language is called a minor second or a half step. An example would be, C to Db. The phrase minor second also implies the use of the second letter hence Db not C#. With any interval, the number stated refers to the amount of letters used. As we increase the distance between the notes by half steps, we have a notation system that is quite logical.
As we said, the number refers to the amount of letters covered and a prefix will allow for variables.
Seconds: C-Db =minor second ( ½ step)

C-D = Major second ( 1 step)

C- D# = Augmented second ( 1 ½ steps)

(Tap on:)

---

From: Chris Crain [stickmusic@earthlink.net]
Subject: Transition Fingering
Date: 30/10/2006

This month, I would like to discuss playing chord shapes differently than what you might consider a conventional manner. Download the following file.

Chart

Assuming you have a few chord shapes instilled into your vocabulary, you've come to depend on specific fingers playing a certain role. That's good, because knowing that, you can quickly change chord shapes to suit a song's chord progression. However, sometimes using a different fingering methodology can facilitate the transition from one chord to the next.

Looking at the first row of chords, for example, you will see the typical LH fingering for this chord shape and an alternate fingering. The alternate fingering is better suited when making the transition to (or from) the last chord in the row. This might occur more frequently when arpeggiating between the two shapes.

The chart has three examples of these types of transitions. The chord names are irrelevant for the sake of this lesson. What I want you to consider, in your own music, is to think about how a chord relates physically to the next or preceding chord - not just musically. By understanding the physical relationship between two chords, you can often find a more efficient way of playing them.

Chris
www.ChrisCrain.com

---

From: Ron Baggerman [rbaggerman@yahoo.com]
Subject: Donkey's Years
Date: 18/10/2006

Hello All,

This month Ron continues exploring the possibilities with left hand arpeggios and right hand melodies. In the past months, the two hands have been playing independently, the left hand providing the foundation, the right hand adding the spice.

In this issue's tune, Ron takes the chord and melody style one step further. Both hands are doing the same type of thing as in the past, the left hand has its arpeggiated lines, the right covers the melody, but they're interwoven. It's as if left hand starts the thought and the right hand finishes it off. The results are some pretty nice melodic passages that weave their way across both sides of the board.

Wrap your fingers around 'Donkey Years,' then try this technique on other tunes and chord progressions. I use this technique all the time; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Donkey's Years

---

A NEW VOICE AND NEW CD

---

From: Jim Reilly [sticknews@stick.com]
Subject: Waterfallin' - Debut of the Alto
Date: 31/10/06



It used to be, that if you wanted to show someone what a Stick sounded like, all you had to do was put on one of Michael Kollwitz's CDs. There is no finer example than Michael's of the left hand-chord, right hand-melody Stick technique. Now, you can play his latest release, Waterfallin', for anyone who asks what the new Alto Stick sounds like. Waterfallin' is the first full-length recording to feature the Alto Stick, and it's fitting that Michael is the first artist to bring the Alto to the fore. You see, he has been there, playing Stick, since just about the beginning. He started in 1976, and was one of Emmett's first students. His updated Website www.michaelkollwitz.com is like a trip the Stick history. Check out some of the photos in particular.

Those of you familiar with Michael's previous releases will recognize left hand arpeggios and the clear, clean Grand Stick with MIDI sweeteners on the melody side. That's present on Waterfallin' too, but on top of that, Michael has added the crisp, bright Alto. The Alto cuts through the mix and adds any upper register shimmer to eleven of the disc's fifteen tracks.

(READ ON )

---

---

---

---

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 #288.