...thank you, Greg for this definition of interdependence and independence...

I came to this instrument first as a drummer, and less so as a guitarist. I've been playing, and learning, percussion since I was 8. I had this amazing instructor in college who talked a lot about independence and interdependence. He could sit at his kit and play in 6/8 on ride cymbal, while keeping 2/4 time on kick and snare, and then something completely different on hi-hat. It was mental torture learning this, and I came away from practices exhausted. But as that independence started to develop, there were moments of magic, where your mind almost split as you comfortably went into those two different zones. It's hard to describe in words.

Now, I'm far from proficient on Stick, but the more I learn, occasionally those moments of magic happen, where I'm in sort of zone with my left hand and I can really focus on melody with my right. The trick is that now you're bringing 8 or more fingers into the mix, and once again, for me anyway, it's quite a mental exercise. But what a beautiful, freeing exercise it is when it comes together... or perhaps apart! It's like those pixelated posters you have to stare at until your focus goes beyond the print, and all of a sudden, there it is! That play between independence and interdependence is the beauty of this instrument, and of Emmett's concept of Free Hands...

I think Jaanus' characterization of a technique as "young and undeveloped" refers to Reuter's method for his U8 instrument and not the Stick. The Touch Guitar Circle (TGC) has a bunch of exercises.

I sometimes wonder how much of it is innovation vs. a cult of personality. It gets a bit mystical at times. It seems to focus on mechanics at the expense of theory. But theory may be antithetical to the movement and intentionally left as "an exercise for the reader."

As for the independence/interdependence discussion. I see mostly interdependence in the TGC examples. There's some of what I'd call independence at the end when Reuter is playing Tubular Bells.

Because I did some of these exercices on guitar before, I do it on the stick also. Thanks to share this video.

Why would you call that independence?

Uh oh. Feels like lesson time. Looking closer and listening to it again. Seems like the bass line always moves in synch with the melody "loop". Just has some empty spaces and longer held notes.

I guess at the end of the day you could make the case that his rendition of Tubular Bells is just like the rest of the interdependence exercises leading up to it.

Aligning myself with Greg's skepticism...

k

Forgive me that I have been watching this thread with some interest and amusement,
and then I got into the "Touch Guitar" videos and was really trying to understand what the U8-10 thing was about.

I play guitar a lot, in fact after playing Stick almost exclusively for a number of years I have
had a re awakening to the guitar that I think could only have come through the Stick .

Anyway I watched the videos and those darn things are 'guitars' plain and simple. I have
no problem with tapping on guitar "I do it all the time" . But it seems that the 'U' people
have something that they are trying to sell "Touch Guitars" (do ya think?) but along with
that there is this whole odd style that is proposed in the videos as though it is some new fangled thing and if you get one then you can also become part of the club...
Sorry folks but IMO it appears to me to be somewhat lifeless, ergonomically flawed and frankly kind of boring not to mention that there seems to be precious little of the touted "two hand independence".

If you put one of those guitars in the hands of an experienced finger stylist I am sure some beautiful music could be made.

Being critical is a hard thing for me to do, who am I to say anything? But I felt I had to put a few cents in because there seems to be something 'boondoggley' about the presentations...

So just for fun I found this video by Mike Dawes to show off some not so boring guitar playing with lots of independence; the video is intended to be humorous I
like the part where the guy plays tap guitar while figuring out a Rubrik's Cube with the other hand but if you don't want to put up with the nuttiness of the vid just skip to the 2:00 mark
for some two handed wonderment .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bijQXgNM0g

*j*
.~
jRj

Very nice explanation...thanks...