Re: Bowing Stick - practice session clip shared OT

[Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 1:16 PM, andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> Per's was that the Stick naturally helps the player
> to play 2 independent lines, and that this was for him
> a big advantage of moving from guitar to stick.
> I was commenting that the guitar has historically been a
> multi-part instrument, designed to play arrangements of music that would
> equally suit an ensemble.


Sorry, my bad. Please let me explain myself a little better. Of course
multi part and counterpoint enriched music can be played on any
instrument (even on monophonic flutes if relying on common musical
gestures) but regarding the Stick I'm finding this kind of music a bit
simpler to play in an improvisational(!) context. If composing music
before playing it you can always take your time to optimise a multi
part arrangement for the specific instrument. And regarding
performance technique it is mostly a matter of practicing time to
teach both hands to move as ONE synchronized movement in order to
materialize the written and well prepared multi part music. Both hands
working "as one ensamble" in sync under command of the brain.

What I find so inspiring with the Stick is that it also offers an
option to use both hands in a less dependent way. Less synchronized
and only loosely directed by the brain (like if Brain says "Ok Handy
Guys, now let's make some noise for eight bars that works ok in a D
minor 9 chord context"). I.e. both hands working together rather like
two jamming musicians that improvise together. This is what I have
been trying to achieve for years with live looping (typically playing
one part that at the same time works as source audio material for a
second part that is being created in the looper by complementary
"jamming" tap dancing on foot pedals etc etc). Three more inspiring
aspects of the Stick is the two individual outputs (one for each
fretboard, extending expression with two complementary effect chains),
a special 4ths/5ths tuning that favors broad chord voicing and the
option do double notes in the same octave by playing them on both
boards (something both the piano and the harp won't let you do).

The difficult part, in my opinion, is to revamp your brain to work in
multi mode as laid out above. Thus the idea that drummers and piano
players might get better off as STick starters.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se
www.perboysen.com
www.looproom.com internet music hub