I wanted to work on independence between hands so I figured I'd try a mainstream song with a repeating left hand figure.
It's a liitle tricky at first but it's coming together. That being said here's a cover of Rihanna's "Disturbia".

-Kevin

Very Nice. I really like this tune. Thanks for sharing.

Great stuff as always, Kevin. You really capture the vibe i'm looking to achieve as i learn.

Super-newb question for you:

As I watch you in various clips, it appears that your left hand does a lot of root-octave-fifth power chord voicings... pinky on the low root, first finger on the octave and fifth. Almost seems like a go-to bass-side technique for you. It sounds awesome.

Is that right?

Thanks and keep up the good work!

PS: The clear video shots you provide are very useful as a learning tool... as a beginner, slowing down and zooming in really helps me understand what's going on.

Another great video Kevin. Thank you.


I guess we all aspire to get better - and that's a good thing.

Some of us have an awful long way to go to get even close to where you are already. As @adouglas says, your videos are a great inspiration, and the nice clear views are much appreciated. Thanks again.

Thanks, It is a really fun tune to play once the kinks are worked out!
Appreciate you watching!

Thank you! In my experience learning to play the Stick is definitely a Marathon and not a sprint. It's taken years to get my playing to this point and it's still not where i would like it to be.
I hope that I can one day play all the sounds that I hear in my head but until then I will keep pressing on.

The chord you're referring to is actually a 9 chord. The pinky plays the root while the index finger plays (one octave above the root) the 5th and the 9th. I like this chord for a couple of reasons:
1) The 5 plus the 9 are really harmonically rich sounding when the root note is an octave lower.
2) There are times when I want to play a major 7th or minor 7th in the left hand but i'm unable to play certain right hand voicings because my hands will collide.
This chord subs well in major or minor situations because the 3rd is absent. It's really versatile.
Thank you for kind words. It really means a lot to me that you find inspiration in my playing.
I spend so much time practicing alone I'm not always certain that my playing makes sense to anyone but myself! Lol

Wishing you all the best,
-Kevin

Kevin, you are such an inspiration: a truly-wonderful musician, an amazing engineer/producer, and such a unique voice on the Stick (yours is up there with Tony, Rob Martino, and only a few others that have that special, immediately-identifiable sound). You continue to blow my mind every time you post.

So if I'm not totally crazy, I described the basic shape correctly but the index finger is striking one string over from where I thought. Right?

e.g. for Gmaj9, it's

Pinky hits the G on the 7th fret of the C string
Index hits the D and A on the 5th fret of the A and E strings respectively.

SUPER nice, Kevin.

What are you using on the melody side to get that "wah" effect? Very nice.

Also - I was super pleased to see a clip of your performance at the Chapman Stick exhibit in the Musical Instrument Museum. They had you, Emmett, Adelson, Culbertson. Short clips, but they all showed off the Stick to good effect.