Thanks so much to Glenn for all his work during the NAMM show last week, and to all the folks at SE for making it as easy as possible. Enthusiasm for the instrument on first encounters is always inspiring. It was a great experience to see all those faces light up at the sight of The Stick in action. It's amazing that something that is over 30 years old is still so new.

Happy Tapping,
Greg

http://www.greghoward.com

PS, thanks for all the responses about tunings as requested in the last issue.

The report and photos from the 2003 Montreal Stick Seminar are up
at www.stick.com/events/pastseminars/montreal2003

Glenn

on 7/11/03 3:25 PM, Sticknews@aol.com at Sticknews@aol.com wrote:

>Response from Greg:
>
>Hi Terry,
>I'm going to wait until some other folks send in their thoughts before I
>respond. Then I'll chime in on the next issue. How about it folks? Why do
>you
>use the tuning you use (especially you ten-string players....)
>
>Happy Tapping,
>Greg

I use Matched Reciprical on my 10-string at this point, but I'm not set on it as the best. Actually, what I think may be the best is Grand actually. I used standard tuning at first and I liked it. When I switched to Baritone Melody I found that there were a number of new possibilities opened up but that some of the higher things I'd played originally were impossible.
With MR I've found that I can play the majority of standard tuning and higher pitched tunes but have many of the advantages of Baritone. Unfortunately, there are still a few too many times when my hands bump. I think that the best compromise is probably 12-string MR. But it will be a while before I buy a new instrument, and I will grant that there are some advantages to 10-string. Accepting my desire for Grand, I am sticking with MR on my 10-string and it is usually just fine.

-Aaron
aaron@ozmusic.com

With regards to Terry's question concerning the why's of using this tuning,----it's simple. Matched Reciprocal puts more space between the hands when playing the same thing. Another benefit is an added low scale position for your right hand. The downside is that you lose the ability to play Emmett like chord voicings with your left hand across both sides of the fingerboard. The technique is still there, you can still use it,--but the chord voicings are different. Since each tuning has it's own pluses and minuses, it's a good idea to just try it----then weigh your priorities.
Chuck D.

it is great that someone has finally brought this subject up. No one has really been able to give me a good reason why I should be using Matched recipricol tuning, other than it was the tuning that "came" with my Stick when I purchased it.

As a beginner I would love to get a definate guide of pros and cons to help me make an informed decision on the tuning. I would also love to know if it is hard to migrate from one tuning to another, what is the learning curve involved? One important aspect for me as a novice, is how the tutorial documentation (videos and books) are geared to the various tunings. It becomes a whole extra step if I have to "convert" what I am learning (say Baritone) to the tuning I am using, in this case Matched recipricol.

One other question for everyone. Does changing my tuning mess with the action much? At this stage of the game, tweaking truss rods and adjusting bridges still scares me to death.

Love to you all... and if there are any Stick players in the southern New Hampshire or Vermont areas (highly unlikely I know)...please drop me a line.

cheers

Yak

b

On my 10-string, I use standard tuning. I like the highest note being equal to the D of a 22-fret guitar and the little extra bottom end below bass E. I use roundwound strings for extra punch.

On my 8-string I tune in 4ths being with D on the lowest string, giving me a clear bass E at the 2nd fret, up through C# on the highest string. I approach the 8-string much more as an extended bass than I do the 10-string and I'm very happy with flatwounds.

Take care,

Loren Claypool

After playing Matched Reciprocal 12 string for 2 1/2 years, I think it;s a great tuning for 12-string, but I still like Baritone Melody better on the 10. To me BM makes the instrument into two distinct parts because of the tuning overlap, and I think the BM 10-string is a very "meaty" rhythm tuning.

I like the extra hand position cited by others as a big benefit of Matched Reciprocal, but I think it's not quite low enough for my tastes. To each his own of course, and most of my favorite Stick CDs were recorded on standard 10-string tuning, so take this opinion for what it's worth.

In response to Yak's question from above, each time you change the gauge or tuning of your instruments strings you will have to make some adjustments to the intonation and action. Before you change the strings, take note of how they are setup, especially with regard to plain and wound strings.

The underside of the strings should slope up slightly toward the thicker string, and the first would string should be slightly shorter in length from nut to bridge than the adjacent plain string.

Happy Tapping,
Greg

Unraveling after the nine hour drive back from Nashville.

We had a blast at the summer NAMM show. This was the first time that SE had a booth at the summer session in quite some time and it turned out to be a big hit. We generated a lot of attention, pushed many passers into trying out instruments, and (I believe) converted many.

Greg and I had the task of getting it all together and working the booth. I wanted to thank Steve Osburn, David Parr, and Aaron Wolf for helping out and also Gary Jibilian for coming by and performing.

I had a few moments playing I was pretty pleased with and got some good feedback but, I have to say, I heard some simply stellar stuff coming out of Greg this weekend. He really is a moving target.

More to come after I sort through photos and notes.

Glenn

Hi everyone,

So off to Utah I fly to rehearse with the "Stacia band" where Stacia and her husband Luc have bought a beautiful 10,000 square foot home a half hour stones throw from Sundance and Park City, Utah. Each large window in this home is like a beautiful 'landscape' painting as you look out onto the mountains, fields and animals grazing on the green grass.

The guest-room I stayed in was huge with it's own bathroom attached, high vaulted ceiling and outdoor balcony. Large like a hotel this house is made of "HUGE" logs and wooden beams and fits into the landscape perfectly. When the car pulled under their carport you expected bellmen with red caps to run out and grab your luggage, it's so 'grand' of a place. WOw, (as you can tell) I was impressed - and thrilled to be staying there.

Well, we were there a week but started out the first few days of rehearsal... are ya ready for this... with "hiking, jet skiing and sight seeing." Now how's that for a rehearsal schedule. It was like "Rock n' Roll band camp." I had never done those activities before so it was pretty much a 'great adventure' for me. I heard someone say, "I can't wait to see Don on the Jet Ski's"... I couldn't either. Never doing it before, I was a little nervous - but the instructions seemed simple enough- - "turn this, push that" well, - turn this and push that - lurched me back, my reaction was to HANG ON... unfortunately it was the throttle I was hanging onto sooooo with a "Roar and SWOOOOOSH!" I was off with a "Wow, look at Don Go!" fading off in the distance... as I went twice around the Lake, back in time for lunch and a little sun burnt... I say Okay, that was fun... What's next?

Well, the "Quads" where next. To me they look like 'chunky motorcycles' with four wheels. - But the instructions seemed simple enough -... "Turn this, push that" Deja Vu like actually... as I ran over everything! Cactus, shrubs, large rocks... and fortunately for me - no cliffs. I went half way around the lake the only thing I missed was the lake itself. Oh my, what a bumpy ride ... Everything got slammed around - Good thing I've had all the kids I think I'm gonna have - ...but it was fun.

Hiking was great, but I worried I'd be to wimpy for the walk or might have to go to the bathroom mid way!!! I'm not a 'outdoor bathroom kind of guy.' I'm barely a 'public restroom' kind of guy... I'm the "pee shy" type and to my surprise, I actually heard a radio show have a program on what they referred to as: "shy bladder syndrome." You know it's a problem when they start with giving it a scientific 'syndrome' type of moniker. Well, that's only half my problem as I'm not to "poop happy" either when it comes to the out-of-doors!

So to ease my mind I avoided breakfast that day and drinking anything prior to the hike. Now, when asked how was the hike? I say, "Well, it was really nice but I was pretty darn hungry and thirsty!"

We hiked up the mountain to this spectacular waterfalls cascading plumes of mist as it hit the mountain floor. Lance (who is EXTREMELY athletic and fit) Luc (who is a professional athlete and extremely athletically fit) and me (who worries he might have to go to the bathroom) decide we should climb up to the top of the falls. Well, climbing is okay with me... I was pretty much a 'jungle gym - tree climbin' champ' as a kid so that memory and ability kicked in even after all these years BUT we came to a pass where you had to traverse an 8 foot 'face' of a cliff sideways -that had a R-E-A-L long bone crushing drop below. I watched Lance and Luc zip across with the sure footedness of mountain goats... "real impressive I must say." BUT then me... I started out good and confident but when I launched myself out there I immediately felt REAL unsure of my footing. With my arms and legs sprawled out against the rocks desperately searching for the tiniest secure grip and step, I'd hear Lance yellin' "Try not to cross your arms and legs over each other so much." No hand grip I had felt secure enough to hold my weight should my foot slip. I felt like a 'tight rope walker' with the ends of the rope on fire closing in. No where to go but you better do somethin'!

Feelin' real uncoordinated with my feet movin' forward then back, my hands twirlin' around with "real UN-manly" lookin' moves... people on the ground must have thought, "Look at the ballerina flittin' around the rocks up there!" Well, inch by inch I got closer and was happy to finally hear Lance yell, "Grab my hand" - one yank! - and now I'm on solid rock and face to face with the face of the falls. Luc took my picture sticking (See I knew I could make it Stick related) my head into the waterfalls. It was Sooooooooooo cold, it was like a 7-11 Slurpy 'brain freeze' but from the "outside in."

I'm home now for a week now to do some recordings then off to "Band Camp" again for another week of fun. This schedule of rehearsals will also include 'trout fishing' and 'ping pong' I'm told. I'm actually a pretty darn good ping pong player... "Maybe we'll have a tournament against the 'girls camp' across the lake! Just like in the movies."

Take care,
Don

P.S.
I recommend hearing the Erik Norlander/Lana Lane 2003 Europe Tour souvineer CD - available at: (http://www.empire-music.de/catalogue/katalog.php3 - type in 'Erik Norlander" in search (or surchen - German website) and it should be the second collection down. I didn't see it listed at www.thetank.com yet but I'm sure it will... Anyway, it has my solo piece for NS/Stick on it called "Eighth Wonder" that I performed live in this past European concert tour. It's a real workout and homage as to what this instrument can do. It's a looping type solo where I play two parts at once, that part repeats and then solo another part over top. It features my style of "two handed Funk parts" with "Tap n' slide NS/guitar lead line techniques over it... a classical style movement and something new... Seattle thrash metal! "Oh yeah, good and thick!"

There's also cuts from previously recorded live shows with Rocket Scientists where I played Grand Stick. This version of "Oblivian Days" I thought was exceptional. It's listed that I played NS/Stick but... alas, we know better, it could only be done on Stick. (That's where the fifths tuning kicks into high gear).

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it... now back to the "Three legged sack race" practice.

I am pleased to officially announce the first Southeast Stick Seminar to be held September 19-21 in Sarasota, FL. Sarasota is on the west coast of Florida between Tampa and Ft. Myers. The seminar will be held at the Florida West Coast Symphony Center.

Instruction will be provided by Greg Howard and Steve Adelson. All experience levels are invited. We will kick things off on Thursday Sept.18th with an instructor's concert/welcome get together at a local club in the evening.. Friday and Saturday will be full instruction days with a student participation concert on Saturday night. Sunday will be a day of instruction/woodshedding/sightseeing/beachgoing.

Topics covered will include:

Basic Stick technique
Warmups and stretches
Chords and scales
Stick setup
Amplification and effects use
Independence and dexterity training
Stick arrangement concepts The cost for the whole weekend, including lodging (Thurs, Fri and Sat night) will be $300 if you sign up before Aug 15, and $350 thereafter. Lodging will be provided in 3 person apartments to allow for some great late night lessons and jams. A housing free rate of $250 is available for those who wish to bring your family and stay in a hotel. A list of hotels with rates will be provided upon request.

A deposit of $100 is required to hold your spot. Please make payments by check or money order. Because there has never been a seminar in this area, the possibility arises that Stick players could come out of the woodwork for this event. Our housing cap is 18 people so get your reservation in early to give us an idea of how many to expect and to assure that you get in.

Travel by air is available to either Sarasota or Tampa. Tampa is 1 hour away and $100 cheaper. I think we will get a van to shuttle people to/from airports and around town. Get in touch with me and I'll send you a registration form and other info as necessary.

Steve Lemke
Rosewood Grand 1193

for info:

Steve Lemke
2342 Milford Circle
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-366-4486
steve.lemke@verizon.net

This event is presented with the cooperation of Stick Enterprises, Inc.
Woodland Hills, California.
Stick and Chapman Stick are registered trademarks of Stick Enterprises, Inc.
For more information about The Stick, see http://www.stick.com

I'm happy to be part of the Southeast Stick Seminar. I hope many of you plan on joining us. Should be a blast. Importantly, the seminar will possess the 3 E's --Educational, Enlightening and Entertaining. May I add to the curriculum list that was previously posted, that students can put forth any weaknesses they have to be worked on. They will all be addressed. The goal is to go away a stronger Stick player and better musician.

Steve Adelson

I'll be playing solo at this nice shop in Charleston, WV on Friday August 1 at 7:30. I hope you can make it out.

For more info, please see: http://www.greghoward.com/events/2308

thanks for supporting live music,
Greg

Copyright 2003 by Greg Howard, 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 Greg Howard.

Stick and Chapman Stick are registered trademarks of Stick Enterprises, Inc., and are used in the title of this digest with permission.

end of Sticknews #221