After wanting a stick for more than 10 years, I finally ordered a Grand Stick from Emmett. It'll be made around 6-8 months. So for now I'm just playing the guitar and sort of playing the keyboard (super beginner at the keys). But what do you think I could do in the meantime to prepare for the Stick? Anyways, I'm so excited to join the stick family!

Hi aphternune!

I'm only a couple of months ahead of you, so I'm sure that the more experienced Stick players will have detailed suggestions.

In my case, I've been focusing on getting my theory and ear training up to speed, trying to visualize the Stick fretboard, and planning a bit of equipment to start with.

Stickist has lots of posts on the latter, so this is a good place to scan.

Stick fretboard visualization I'm starting with by a combination of http://loophole.co/STICK/ and the diagrams at the end of Chris Crain's "Stick e-Lessons" eBook http://www.thecrains.net/stick/ - he's made all of his material available for free until the end of the year.

Straight theory can be dry at times (especially the way that a lot of academic books present it), but I've found the following book to be a solid, less-heavy read: https://www.amazon.com/Edlys-Music-Theory-Practical-People/dp/0966161661

Ear training and drilling scales and modes I've found the Tenuto app to be very helpful: https://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto.

One can also get a jump on the Stick educational materials by Steve Adelson, Bob Culbertson, and Greg Howard, which you've probably run across on http://stick.com.

Not sure that all of this is completely necessary to prepare, but it's been how I've been ramping up during "Stickwait".

Welcome aboard
Update us on the learning process

To start, you could tell us what you ordered, why you ordered it, what kind of music you like to listen to and play and what you hope to do with the Chapman Stick.

Awesome and welcome.

Hi all who are waiting! I ordered my newest Stick back in December and just heard good word that all the folks at SE are healthy and now back to work on production. Of course they were on lockdown and had trouble sourcing materials for the pickups but they are now back at it.

For those of us who worked with Cambria for the past decade or so, our new contact is Jeff Mack:

Jeff Mack
Stick Enterprises
6011 Woodlake Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
818-884-2001

Check out bob’s lessons

http://www.sticklessons.com/videos.html

Also check out Greg Howard YouTube channel

Pick up simple songs to start with.
Here’s a great lesson from Greg guiding you how to play “time after time”:

@ OnceAgain:
Wow, a lot of great resources. Thank you!

@ Jzz8ovn: Thank you

@ Eric W:
Great news.

@ Boaz:
Oh sweet! Thank you. And I shall update on progress.

@ earthgene:
I ordered a tarara Grand Stick with white pearl linear inlays. I'm thinking of having it in mirrored 4ths tuning but with a low B on the bass side instead of a low E (the whole bass side tuned a 4th lower). This is because I plan on doing a lot of bass lines that were written for a bass guitar and a lot of songs go lower than an E. Although I'm wondering if this will ruin the possibility of playing chords, because I still want to be able to do those. (Only one way to find out?)

The music I like most/want to play are: videogame music, rock, funk, jazz, classical, electronic, and movie/tv show songs

My favorite stick players are Greg Howard for his virtuosity and Rob Martino for his buttery smoothness.

What I hope to do with the Stick is:
- Enjoy it. Enjoy learning it and enjoy playing it.
- Learn a bunch of songs.
- Write my own songs.
- Perform either online and/or in person.
- Join/form a band?
- Find my own "voice" on the stick and hopefully bring something great to the table.

just my opinion - you're missing the big idea behind the stick tuning..

Fair enough. What's the "big idea"?