Day 150 playing Stick: No fractals, no keyboards, no longwinded-dialogue, no big words, just me playing the hell out of the Stick and trying to be BASS GOD. (No disrespect intended to any actual Gods or Bass Gods ). Cheers!

Ha!--I wrote that intro paragraph a week ago and was ready to post my 150-day video over the weekend. While rehearsing what I was going to show you--my two-handed pedal-tone technique that lets me sound more bad-ass than I'm actually capable of--my left hand starting cramping up into what I call "The Claw," where I have to reach over with my right hand and unclench my left hand that has spasmed up. I had practiced over and over trying to get my new little "trick" to be both musical and interesting and to also sound cool. I'm not quite there yet. Frankly, I'm still not putting my fingers automatically on the "sweet" spots above the frets. Sometimes, I'm too high or low. I probably need to raise my left elbow more and get my hand flatter to the fretboard.

But "The Claw" of my left hand started getting worse and I had to set the Sticks down for a bit. Oddly, playing piano helped, because my hands are flat down instead of curled over. So, partly out of some small amount of pain, I put the Stick back on my lap and started jamming horizontally, with my palms down instead of up. I could still do the pedal-tone technique where my left hand rocks the root and the fifth around the melody notes, essentially making each melody note into 3 or more notes with the pedal tones. Watching myself on the video, my playing looks very similar to my piano technique--which is the point, duh, I'm playing Stick like I've (badly) played piano for 30 years now--but I'm self-taught there as well, so I'm no master of "proper" piano technique either. The big difference is that I'm not using my thumbs and pinky at all (yet), which are actually my two main fingers--especially left hand--for doing octave chord doubling on piano.

When I first started playing Stick, I posted about playing it horizontally rather than vertically, and although everyone was very supportive of the idea, the best advice (thanks Kev C!) was to play it the traditional upright way and give that a chance, before starting to try something unique that no one else is doing. There's probably a very good reason no one else is doing that! Also, I got progressive lenses for my glasses and could now see the Stick when it was near my face. I also made 3 DBro holders and started rocking with those, and my favorite Stick position is now the "cello" position with the DBro holder.

But yet. It's only been a couple days playing horizontally, so please don't take my lack of fluidity as a condemnation on the playing style (translates: don't be a hater just 'cause I ain't fly yet). Give me another week, and I'll really be rocking this horizontal stuff. I'm still better vertically, but the left-hand "claw" works much better: flat, palms down, rather than palm up and fingers curled over. I go both ways now, though, when "The Claw" comes on from overexerting vertically, I can switch. Or just go both ways because I'm cool with that.

Pedal tones: One Weird Trick, or, "Look, Ma! I can rock the bass!"
I was just going to show the "one weird trick" as they say for clickbait and then I started doing the lap tapping. I actually play lots and lots on the other 5 strings, too, and demonstrated a similar pedal tone technique on the melody side for my 100-day video (see PainStickingly at the bottom of this post that came out of that!). But this video will just stay on the bass side of the house, on my quest to become Bass God (we all need goals).

I'm using just the root and fifth in the left hand, and using them to add pedal tones around the melodic notes I'm tapping with the right--essentially tripling the notes that I'm playing with just my right hand alone. Occasionally there'll be a note that's easier or closer for the left hand to play (the high B for example is right next to the E for my left hand), but I keep using the right hand anyway--just to complete the pattern. I can now play a lot with just my left hand, so I'm a lot less self-conscious about being a disciple of the typewriter style. I'm officially over knocking myself for that--but you can, if you need to.

I still haven't taken lessons yet--apologies to the many fine teachers here--especially as I've learned a lot from you all by watching you, and probably owe everyone some lesson money already. Including and especially the newbies who demonstrate the proper techniques I should be using. I'm sure that I'm not doing this "right" or the most efficiently, but I'm rocking shit OUT and having the musical time of my life--and that's way more than I had hoped for on the Stick!

So feel free to comment however you'd like on what I could be doing better, or on what seems to be working well. My mouth is probably open too much and I have horrible posture when I'm playing any instrument (and I apologize for the work pants and the fractal kitty shirt!), so THAT aside...I welcome and enjoy your feedback and impressions! Again, the horizontal technique is really 2 days old, but the proof is in the rocking out: can I rock it out horizontally? You'll have to be the judge--but it and me ain't going away.

Long poll included for your pleasure! (Puns always intended). Watch and vote your 3 choices. (Why does the poll appear at the top of the post instead of the bottom?)

Cheers,
Steve Sink
Paigan Productions
(Bass God in Training--horizontally, vertically, or with twisted claw , but still tapping!)
We all have our rocks in the stream coming down from Stick Mountain.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfdWK8mtBWo[/youtube]

Here's my first Chapman Stick and keyboards creation, PainStickingly, where I use the studio to suck a lot less than I do in this video "live" as it were.

Awesome stuff, man! That was a great video.

Playing the stick Jeff Healy style will be pretty interesting to see developed fully!

Dang video was all black for me so I couldn't watch, but listened.....

Pretty cool dooder!

cheers,
kev

Kev, I'm trying to chop off some extra blank time at the end and maybe it's in limbo. Give it a bit for the squirrels to run the wheels. And you're not missing much on the visuals, other than my awesome wardrobe. But cheers! Thanks, Kev!

It worked on the third try.....I love that t-shirt dooder.

cheers,
k

Best $9.50 I ever spent at Wal-Mart! My family--to their great taste and credit--tried to stop me from buying the infinite rainbow kitties spiraling into infinity. But no! It had to be mine!

Wow really cool man! It looks like you found something there!! I can almost listen to the drums somewhere in there. Love the t-shirt also - that alone turns you into a rock star


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I've never had a hand cramping problem with stick playing. Just an observation but I wonder if you have a positioning or basic left hand/ arm movement issue. relaxed playing is important.Greg is one guy who might be able to help.

Brett, you're right about both things: my positioning is not optimal when I do the pedal tones, but it actually is much, much better when I'm playing "normally": I think I've got the elbow out in classic Greg Howard style--I swear I have his perfect posture in my head when I try to play, even if I can't get there yet. And yes, he is the master at that and could definitely help.

But additionally, I've had the left hand "Claw" my whole life. It really only triggers when I make a fist with my fingers out, and less so with them curled all the way in--if you've ever seen one hand clapping, that's the thing that triggers the Claw for me. It happens on piano when I overplay--which is often, I loves me some piano--and now Stick--but I've adapted my piano around it.

It's really just an over-exertion thing, I think. I exasperated it by repeatedly hammering down on the root and the fifth to practice this "trick." I don't really need to do the lap thing as a workaround for the Claw--at least not yet. It was more in fun and frustration because I was trying to shoot a video and that was the worst time for The Claw to pop up (I stole that from Jim Carrey's Liar Liar, by the way. Exact same gesture that he makes in jest is what happens to me.)

I appreciate your excellent suggestion!

This sounds like a practice session I can relate to. Listen to Brett about elbow placement when playing vertically. Maintaining strong wrist alignment prevents "The Claw". The wrist is "Inspector Gadget", the elbow is "Brain" and the shoulder is "Penny". Nice perseverance.