Stick

carbon · 09-11-2012, 10:01 AM

Finally...

...my first Stick piece is ready!

It took some time to get myself up to speed with the new instrument.
I have now played it for about 4 months, constantly recording as I stumbled onto interesting bits and pieces (have over 4 hours of them now).

About a month and a half ago as the summer ended I made a choice to start developing a small section into a full composition.

As this is my first piece with the Chapman Stick, I wanted to be with just the one instrument to explore and familiarize myself with its possibilities - thus a solo piece.

Now, here it is 1,5 months of practicing and recording later, hope you like it:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/24456137/Ka...2012-09-11.mp3

kindafishy · 09-11-2012, 10:45 AM

Kaspar, this is really cool. The start of the song has a tremendous initial charm because is very reminiscent of 8 bit, which in turn, reminds me of other pieces you've done. It sounds great. The instrument itself sounds very rich and the composition is interesting and well thought out with nice meandering lead lines and tasteful little embellishments.

How does the panning on this work? Is that handled by different outputs on the instrument, or is there mix work involved there?

Really enjoyed this. I hope you're planning on doing more songs with the stick.

carbon · 09-11-2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindafishy

Kaspar, this is really cool. The start of the song has a tremendous initial charm because is very reminiscent of 8 bit, which in turn, reminds me of other pieces you've done. It sounds great. The instrument itself sounds very rich and the composition is interesting and well thought out with nice meandering lead lines and tasteful little embellishments.

Thanks!
I have still a long way to go. As if guitar wasn't a challenge enough!

The hardest part for me as a guitar player is two hand independence.
So, most of the piece is relying on interdependence instead, but I'm practicing.
Perhaps people that have a piano background have an edge with this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindafishy

How does the panning on this work? Is that handled by different outputs on the instrument, or is there mix work involved there?

There are two pickups one for each string group - melody and bass.
You can switch them between mono or stereo output.
Here I have mixed the stereo output without an ampsim - bass left, melody right with mono to Amplitube.
http://www.stick.com/instruments/pickups/actv2/

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindafishy

Really enjoyed this. I hope you're planning on doing more songs with the stick.

I will, I have to as it was a big investment

Now I'm going to explore something more electronic with it - looping, FX, electronic drums etc.

The "handcraft" piece just had to be done first.

stratman · 09-11-2012, 02:26 PM

I really enjoyed listening to this piece.

A great sound and melodies.

Pete

shemp · 09-11-2012, 02:50 PM

ahh. The day has finally arrived!

I love it. I love the sounds of the stick. Great composition. You did a nice job.

My only "complaint" is I'd like to hear more low bass notes (not that the composition needs them but the low end on the stick is just amazing).

Keep em coming Kaspar!!!

carbon · 09-11-2012, 11:52 PM

Thanks Pete and Shemp!

It did take a while, I'm a slow composer as it is, plus this time was the training aspect.

Will deliver more bass with the next one, I promise

MGB · 09-13-2012, 12:04 AM

Hi Carbon,

Beautifull, very soothing piece of music.

May I share with you my first encounter with a Stick?
I think it was 1981, Robert Fripp had just reformed King Crimson, in fact they weren't called King Crimson yet,didn't have an album out either.
They came to play at the Paradiso in Amsterdam and where called Discipline then. Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew and.... Tony Levin.

I was 16 years old,standing in front of the stage,as close as I could get. And now ladies and gentlemen,please imagine Tony Levin strapping on his Stick and playing the intro of Elephant Talk.

Wow.

MGB

carbon · 09-13-2012, 03:40 AM

Cool story MGM.
When I was 16 I was just beginning to play guitar in a band.
No idea sticks even existed back then. Just drumsticks

sharky50 · 09-13-2012, 02:50 PM

Loved this absolutely loooooveeeeedddd it,very very very different,,yea would also like to hear more Low end but apart from that cant wait to hear more...Please dont take another 1.5 months until you decide to compose another piece,my ears cant wait that long

sharky50

carbon · 09-14-2012, 03:50 AM

Glad you liked

I can't promise anything in 1,5 months but I promise at least one more track this year

Well, lets see what happens. I always strive to be faster, but the reality this far has been about 4 songs in a year + 10 incomplete songs + hours of single riffs and what not.

Dimaension X · 09-14-2012, 04:56 AM

Time to add some percussion to the mix. I love how Stick players and drummers tend to work together, since the Stick is very "percussive" on its own. It needs interesting rhythm.

I'd also love to hear the Stick in more conventional rock settings, instead of contrapuntal odd time sigs. Stick players tend to want to immediately play in odd timing, but I think that's what the instrument wants you to do. Just that style and sound is what you automatically start to do when you tap out bass and melody lines with both hands. It just feels like that's what you're supposed to do. The challenge in playing Stick is to try "not" to sound like Tony Levin and Trey Gunn.

Not easy to do.

G-Sun · 09-14-2012, 05:00 AM

Nice

Thanks for sharing!

carbon · 09-14-2012, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimaension X

Just that style and sound is what you automatically start to do when you tap out bass and melody lines with both hands. It just feels like that's what you're supposed to do.

That's true. Since it was my first song, it made sense to me to explore the things that come naturally at least once.
Now onto more off road explorations!

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Sun

Nice

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for listening!

FnA · 09-16-2012, 09:05 AM

Don't know anything about that instrument. Don't particularly care to.

The composition is excellent. That's all that matters to me. Personally speaking.

carbon · 09-16-2012, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FnA

Don't know anything about that instrument. Don't particularly care to.

The composition is excellent. That's all that matters to me. Personally speaking.

Thanks!
Yeah, the background story shouldn't distract from the main event.

FnA · 09-16-2012, 04:51 PM

We're all here in the interest of better sound, so I sure didn't mean to poop on the discussion of the instrument in question. I also have respect for the professionals here doing production stuff. I wish I knew all that. But I think your piece would sound good on any suitable instrument.

Dimaension X · 09-17-2012, 06:33 AM

I'm in agreement - we all tend to get lost in the technical details. Tunings, pedals, pickups, string gauges, mic techniques, amps, routing, busses, etc..

In the end, do we like the music? That's what counts.

moio · 09-17-2012, 10:28 PM

Hi Kaspar,

chapeau! Very nice piece. Funny, you even played some Hendrix-like licks with two hands.
m

spikemullings · 09-23-2012, 11:23 AM

Really nice piece.

Elephant Talk is the only other Stick piece I am aware of knowing. (I'm sure I have heard other pieces, just not known it was a stick)

Impressive to get fluid with it in that time, not just in the performance but in composing for it as well.

carbon · 09-23-2012, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spikemullings

Really nice piece.

Elephant Talk is the only other Stick piece I am aware of knowing. (I'm sure I have heard other pieces, just not known it was a stick)

Impressive to get fluid with it in that time, not just in the performance but in composing for it as well.

Thanks!
Well, I'll say it wasn't a first take all the way through

Flawless live performance will take a bit longer.

GregHolmes · 09-23-2012, 07:52 PM

I don't mean to de-rail, but if you're interested in Jazz music - which happens to be done on the Stick - then check out my site in my sig. As some here have commented, it doesn't really matter what the instrument is, and I personally prefer to de-emphasize the technology. I'm sure the folks who chose me as Jazz Artist Of The Year did not know anything about it - they just went by what they heard.

carbon · 09-24-2012, 04:57 AM

Lots of nice bluesy stuff there!
Most of it is played on the NS Stick, right?

GregHolmes · 09-24-2012, 12:17 PM

Yes, it's an NS/Stick. I had a 12-string graphite Grand Stick a few years ago, but it didn't fit my style. The NS is tuned guitar-style on the high strings, so I can use all those odd Jazz chords that I learned years ago - like 7b9#13. They make musical sense once you put a bass note under them!