Anyone out there using a zendrum or chapman stick?

[lytesource]

It's always been my belief that as children of the living God our expression in the arts, in this case music, should be outstanding in creativity and be ahead of the pack musically.

CREATIVE is an attribute of God. He is the creator of the universe and we are created in His likeness. Ge 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

I'm always encouraged when a worshipleader steps out and is led in a music style outside of the norm. I'm not talking about trying different trends in music. I'm talking about new and different. Honestly, I struggle in being creative when it comes to worship music. Maybe you do too. It seems like the christian music 'scene' so often follows behind the secular in style and creativity. If God is the creator and we are His then what is keeping us from being the first to express the gift of music in new and creative ways?

Ok, so you might retort with, "There are a lot more creative people in the secular world 'cuz there are a lot more secular people." There is probably a lot of truth to that, I grant you, but are we gonna let that stop us? I think not!

These questions have sparked an ongoing interest in learning as much as I can about new and creative ways to express worship through music.

In my quest I've come across two great instruments. The first is a kind of vdrum that will change the drummers expression more than just a little!

Behold the Zendrum (http://www.zendrum.com/) (don't let the name stop you.) What an awesome opportunity for drummers and percussionists to take their gifts to new levels. Not to mention to new places. Think of the travel trouble this instrument will save! Going on the road for some means "forget the drummer" because "the drum kit is out of the question on this mission trip." Not any more! The variations and endless options you have with this new 'toy' are up to you!

The second is the chapman stick (http://www.stick.com/). Something like a bass and guitar at the same time. Played by tapping the strings with both right and left hands. How cool is that?

Now if any of you worshippers out there are using the zendrum or the chapman stick on your teams, spill it! How's it going? What are some of the advantages or dissadvantages?

Watch Chapman Stick Video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvwkZWJL89Q)
http://www.cliffsjam.com/ChapmanStickTN.jpg

Watch Zendrum Video. (http://www.zendrum.com/movie/zendrum_demo_medium.mov)
http://www.zendrum.com/banner/zenban1.gif

[Klampert]

The zendrum is an amazing piece of technology and sounds great...I have seen it used a bunch and I wish I had one..

the stick is an old instrument that isnt used very much. It has a great sound though and I am surprised it never really took off. Last time I saw it used was at a vigilantes of Love concert about 12 years ago.

[tony c]

Nah, I don't play it ... but I met a guy last week who not only plays them, but he builds them. Kevin Siebold lives in my town, and he's a luthier who builds not only touch style instruments (think of a Stick but with body wings, like a guitar or bass). but basses, guitars, "punk rods', which are 1 or 2 string basses, and all sorts of exotic custom stuff. He also plays this instrument for his Sunday night service along with a flute player.

I went to his shop and saw a touch style instrument that he was building. The fretboard was about 4 or 5 inches wide! He gave me a demo ... what a cool, beautiful sounding instrument. An interesting thing about this instrument is that it can be an 8, 10, or 12 (more, if you're an octopus) stringed instrument, and can be configured 5X7, 6X6, 6X8, pick your combo. Half of it is a bass, sort of, but with much lighter gauge strings, and the other half is, sort of a guitar. You don't strum; since the action is unbelievably low, and the pickups are so high, you merely tap the strings. You tap chords, notes, runs, etc., etc.

If anyone lives in northwest NJ and is considering buying one, drop me a line, and I'll get you his contact info.

Lytesource, you asked what the advantages/disadvantages are. Well, since it's a bass and a guitar, the bass player can't complain about the guitar player being too loud. My attempt at humor. But when you think about it, it would be perfect for those times in worship where you really don't want a lot going on ... no singing, no percussion, similar to times when all you have going on is a piano. A disadvantage is that it takes years to master the instrument, hence, the lack of touch style players in the world.

[bbrothers224]

I don't know that much about the chapman stick except that it was featured quite a lot on Bruce Cockburn records as well as on the Mark Heard CD, Dry Bones Dance...in fact it was the same player..Fergus Marsh. I guess the stick would be the ultimate fingerstyle guitar / bass?:confused:

[garyhodges]

I use chapstick. Does that count?

[lytesource]

I use chapstick. Does that count?

O my Lord you had me rolling I was laughing so hard. Bless you for the comic relief... Lord knows I needed it.

[C Hutcheson]

I have a friend from my hometown who endorses Zendrums. Though he's not a Christian artist, you can check out his web-site here:

vinx (http://vinx.com)


He's a touring pro & teacher, a smooth jazz artist & vocalist. He's on the Zendrum website. Ironically, the forum admin. & myself are from the same hometown, a small hole-in-the-wall town in south Georgia. Check out Vinx's website, as he is an interesting fellow. I'll be a part of the songwriter's workshop he's putting on there this weekend at his home in McRae. It's a good opportunity for folks who are simply looking to write good songs & be around other good musicians & songwriters.

Ok, I'm not trying to plug his workshop! Just letting everyone know what I'm up to this weekend. It's crazy that a workshop like that is happening in a small south Georgia town in the middle of nowhere. Even more crazy is that his cell phone number and mine are exactly the same except his last digit is 9 and mine is 8.

[drumsinhisheart]

This thread is four years old now, but I find it doing a google for "Christian Chapman Stick players."

I love the stick. There's nothing like it. Being a drummer/percussionist I would absolutely love to do a duo-gig with a stick player.

To the contrary of it not catching on, Stick.com shows a wide array of phenomenal players. I'm getting the Sticknight dvd asap.

I owned a Zendrum for a short time. The Laptop model. I was greatly disappointed and returned it. I had DIY trigger pads that had more sensitivity. But the concept of playing with the fingers is so in tune with all other instruments out there I would be willing to sell just about everything I have by way of acoustic and electronic instruments to be able to have a really well laid out unit with more than 24 triggers. I understand this year a new finger drum unit is going to be introduced by a new company which is partnering with AlternateMode and others, if I have that right. Can't wait to see what this thing is. I tried to make my own. Not a complete success. Triggers too big, and too much cross-talk and misfires. But the concept is a great one, to be sure. Especially the ntire aspect of edrums and using them for drum set AND all kinds of percussion sounds, which is how I use my TrapKat.

I agree with lytesource. Creativity in Christian music should be something from deep wells, and not so much borrowing of what is already out there. Hymnody is certainly a unique type of music, but yes, I wish far more creativity/originality existed amongst believers.

[C Hutcheson]

I totally agree on the "creativity" aspect. Although, it is getting more and more difficult to create anything "original", as so much has already been done in the world of music. I find that creative songwriting, vs. creative sounds, is as effective or more than simply coming up with a new sound or a new tone. Which, it's all in how it "sounds", so in that aspect everything is different, but the same.

Getting back to the subject of the "Chapman stick", I recently purchased the Trillian bass software library, and the library has a sampled Chapman. I've used it to create one funky / jazz tune that I plan on developing further. I love it on certain styles. I need to Google some vids of other guys playing the Chapman so that I can get an idea of how to integrate it in recordings, while still making it sound as if it's actually being played by a real player on an actual Chapman.

Regarding triggers, I've been using my Yamaha DXTreme II-S electric kit to trigger my drum libraries - primarily Superior Drummer 2 / EZ Drummer. I have several of the expansions, and I get some incredibly good tracks from "live" drummers off the Yamaha kit. Unfortunately, I have to change two or three MIDI channels for some samples to trigger properly. I see where Alesis has a USB drum-kit out now that would probably work nicely with SD2.

Speaking of something "new", a friend was telling me of a Morningstar worship service where the prophetic flow was done to a very bluesy beat & music. Old, yet new and different at the same time?

[drumsinhisheart]

Of all the things I have heard done on the Stick, it does seem to place itself in the hands of jazzier fusion type settings especially well. Must be something about the physiological aspects of "tapping" the strings. I've seen a heavy-metal player do something on youtube. Metal is not my thing, but the instrument seemed out of place is such a 'chaotic' environment.

I continue to watch the Steve Bell band dvd with Fergus Marsh on Stick. Perfect setting for it, and March plays it very well. I'd love to hear and see more of it in Christian music.

[sojourner]

The second is the chapman stick. Something like a bass and guitar at the same time. Played by tapping the strings with both right and left hands. How cool is that?

Now if any of you worshippers out there are using the zendrum or the chapman stick on your teams, spill it! How's it going? What are some of the advantages or dissadvantages?

I play the Chapman Stick and find it can fills several roles in a band. Actually all of them except drums and horns.
Multi-tasking over several sounds, parts and roles can be challenging so I typically focus on one thing at a time, bass or guitar or keys.
People will look at it strangely but later comment that it sounds good.

Electric Guitar - It can fill the lead guitar role but keep in mind it's a tapping instrument so you don't get the driving power chord sound but you do get other lead effects. I'll often work with the another electric player who will cover the lower register while I'll play "high". You'd be surprised what you can do here, even some nice arpeggios and voicings.

Bass - Again it's a tapping instrument and the strings are spaced close together so you don't have alot of room for driving bass picking. However, it's still possible to do some techniques with 2-handed bass tapping. I wish I could share some samples. It works great.

Keys - If you have a midi equipped Stick you can do some nice strings, pads and organ sounds. A roads (sp?) piano sounds good by I find the midi tracking on grand pianos to be very "glitchy". Maybe the technology will improve. The process adapting a stringed instrument is very rewarding and cool. It's wild using a sustain pedal on the Stick.

Here's a sample with guitar effects and midi:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwJAHttM_vI