Yesterday I posted an interview with Emmett Chapman, the inventor behind the cleverly named Chapman Stick. Branding mistakes aside, the man is a genius luthier and a remarkable musician in his own right, too. Still, I was unimpressed by the Stick for years simply because I never liked what people played on it.
It was Eric Hoffer who said "I hang onto my prejudices, they are the testicles of my mind" -- an insight he apparently arrived at without the benefit of growing up in Vermont. Classical music sounds far better on a damn acoustic guitar, and the lightspeed legato progressive-rock stuff bores me to tears...tears of blood. Charles Mingus, on the other hand? Yes, sing to me.
Greg Howard also excels as a teacher: start here. He's developed a whole personal Academy, from rigorous practice routines to a hybrid notational system to communicate the intricacies of Stick playing on paper. More importantly, though, he brings a fascinating new angle to Goodbye Porkpie Hat in this grainy video right here. Dig it.
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