NLB Call No.: 782.42166 KIN [ART]
Format: DVD
Location: Music Village at the Library@Esplanade
Click here for item availability
What really got me interested in the DVD was this initial comment in the blog post, about "Chapman Sticks".
A what?!
It's a musical instrument. This is what a Chapman Stick looks like:
Some screenshots from the "deja VROOOM" DVD:
From the Wikipedia entry and other websites, I learnt that:
- Emmett Chapman invented it in 1969. He wrote this 1987 article, "The evolution of a musical art" (posted at Stick.Com).
- The instrument is sometimes referred to as "The Stick". Players could be called "Stickists".
- They use the tapping technique for the Chapman Stick ("sticking" would sound rather odd).
- There's a similar instrument called the Warr Guitar, named after its inventor, Mark Warr (do we call people who play the Warr Guitar "Warrists"? Sounds fierce, heh).
The High Browse Online review wrote highly of one of the featured musician called Bill Bruford. I learnt that he's a drummer. Here's a screenshot of his drum improvisation in the DVD:
It's not a very long segment (unfortunately).
King Crimsom's "deja VROOOM" (that's three "O"s) isn't all about the Chapman Stick. It's Fusion Jazz I think, a musical genre that I not really familiar with. I always tell myself it's important to force myself to explore things that don't normally fall within my immediate preference. I won't like everything I try of course, but in this case, the DVD is quite a gem.
Oh, and here's an observation about the review of library materials on the Web: Simply publishing information about the library item don't necessarily result in the use/ loan of the item. What might make a difference is the discussion (comments, feedback, complaints, compliments etc.) about it.
Technorati Tags: jazz, fusion jazz, chapman stick, warr guitar
And you mustn't forget the Mobius Megatar two-handed tapping bass/guitar.
ReplyDeleteHere is a two-handed tapping tutorial video, that shows step-by-step how you can play music like this.
Hope you find this interesting!
Came across this post Google Image searching for StickPics, thought I could add a touch of info...
ReplyDeletedo we call people who play the Warr Guitar "Warrists"? Sounds fierce, heh.
That, or "WARRiors" I suppose. ;-) Generally, the over-arching term for players of the Chapman Stick, Warr Guitar, or who do a large amount of tapping on *any* instrument (guitar & bass as well) is "Touchstyle Players", although "Stickist" is the most known due to the history of the instrument and that the vast majority of players of other brands at least start on the Chapman Stick before moving onto the Warr Guitar or other Stick-esque instruments (mostly due to pricing - while hardly inexpensive, one can find Sticks on the used instrument market and new models are cheaper than Warrs due to differing design characteristics).
"WAARiors" sounds cool. :)
ReplyDelete