Re: New Guy Here. This time, it’s a go!
Welcome, Crunchy, and it's good to see you back at it again after your first Stick.
Crunchy Frog wrote:
I wasn't going to bring it up so soon, but I have a degree in music and have been a musician for over 30 years with about a decade of teaching experience, so with all respect to the masters, I'd like an opportunity to see how far I can get using the materials that are out there. I have a copy of Free hands and there's quite a bit of stuff online, so that should be enough for now.
I come from a similar background and musical experience, and said much of the same thing when I started, "I'll just figure this thing out." I went to school and knew theory and already played a bunch of instruments, although piano was my main.
This is not the part of the story where I say, "But if I knew then what I knew now..." and try to dissuade you from that path. Sure, it would have been cool to learn a lot of that stuff a lot earlier. I'm at day 1770 as of this morning. I have had a few lessons and sessions with the masters, who are actually really good teachers, as well as superior musicians outright on any instrument and especially on the Stick, one of the hardest to play to its full potential.
I've also had a week at Stickcamp in Interlochen Michigan a couple of years ago, with Bob Culbertson and Greg Howard, and then this last session was also with Steve Adelson and some video by the Master of Master, Emmett Chapman himself, which I unfortunately missed. It was more cool to see other Stick players and talk with them, but I learned a bunch of stuff as well.
So I encourage you to both try by yourself, use the Free Hands book, check out a video or 48 by Greg Howard, Steve Adelson, Bob Culbertson, DBro and Tipton and a bunch of others! And mine! (As bad examples anyway).) check out the videos on the Showcase AND COMMENT FREQUENTLY ON THEM!!! (sorry, just trying to get lively participation in the place where we show ourselves playing on the Stick), and ask lots and lots of questions. We love to answer questions (we may not agree but we love to answer).
And don't be afraid to take an online session with one of these guys (mainly guys, unfortunately, but we have female Stickists, too! Just not that many who teach Stick but many who teach other instruments and play Stick.) Greg Howard's video on setting up your truss rod is invaluable, by the way. You can just have a 30 minute session where you ask them things specifically and they show you.
Lots to say, but we'll see you around, and I can't wait to see how you progress! Best of luck!