How The Stick Works

I am often asked, "How does that work ?" and "What is it !"

This area of the site will show you how the Chapman Stick makes it's sound and what the different parts of the instrument are. I have designed this area for people who do not play the Stick, even people who do not play an instrument.

The Stick, invented by Emmett Chapman in 1974 is a 10 or 12 string touchboard. The instrument is built around the idea of tapping with the fingertips of both hands parallel to the strings to produce a full range of sounds. The construction, from the strings & pickup to the vertical playing position are centered around this innovative style of playing.

The 3 main components are the strings, frets and the pickup. The sound is created by the pickup "hearing" the vibration of the strings and sending the sound to an amplifier, similar to what a microphone does to a persons voice. The instrument is similar to an electric guitar in its physical construction.

How do the strings vibrate? The strings are hammered with the players fingertips between the frets. When the string hits the fret the momentum of the string causes it to vibrate. Another way to look at it is; if I were to pick the string, I would pull it to the side and release it causing it to vibrate back & forth. When I hammer down onto the string it vibrates up & down instead of side to side. This is why the sound is similar to a guitar or harp. You are hearing string vibrations. Although the sound is somewhat unique because of the way the strings are sounded and the layout of the tuning. Here is an illustration of string vibration Fig 1

How is it tuned? The standard tuning for the Stick is in 2 parts. On the right half the range is that of a guitar. On the left side you have the bass and middle tones covered. The actual notes of the various tunings are shown in Fig 2

What is the actual construction of the Stick ? The body is made of various types of hardwood. The pickup is stereo, one side for the guitar range and the other pickup is for the strings on the left side. following diagram shows the parts of the instrument. Fig 3

To hear different styles of popular music performed on the stick go to Stick Songs

For more information about the Stick you can visit Emmett Chapman's  website at www.stick.com