It's not too difficult to change the tuning on a Stick - you can just put on a new set to get an idea of what it's like, then if you commit to it, you'll do some fine tuning (truss rod, bridge piece height and length for string height and intonation, nut height etc.) but there are some pretty good resources on how to do this step by step.

The thing that people might find awkward about chords in mirrored fourths (where the root is a low note and the rest of the chord is on the top strings) is that the root note finger is often curled up in comparison to the other fingers - the more outstretched all the fingers are the more comfortable it is to play and easier to articulate notes (and 5ths works well in this regard).

Still, I've found there is a big difference (and there are a lot more accompaniment possibilities) by having mirrored 4ths instead of parallel 4ths, where there is more awkward finger scrunching, even though this is more familiar to guitar and bass players. So I'm not sure to what extent having the top two strings a fifth apart might help in this regard (in fact having the top strings a 4th apart allows one to play sus2 chords which are common on guitar but not possible to play in 5ths with one hand, unless you use the 5ths tuning with high bass 4th that some players use).

I think that if you could learn 100 tunes that would be a great start - I know Steve Adelson has a repertoire of at least that, David Tipton too and both of those guys have likely arranged thousands of tunes over the span of their career while showing no signs of slowing/stopping.

I failed a lot at playing the Stick the way I 'wanted to". Despite a gross amount of practice, lessons, and every learning resource known to man I pretty much crashed and burned at using the Stick as a "replacement" instrument.
The best successes, and the most rewarding moments were when I treated it as a "totally new thing" - which it is. Gotta let the Stick be a Stick, it has characteristics that no other instrument has. I wish I had realized that much earlier. Anyways, that's just me and my opinion.

As far as the "difference" in instruments, I think that's a tactile thing...

The only other thing that I'd say is this; Get to know where the notes are in one "section" of the instrument. I guess you'd have to decide on a tuning first. Also one last thing, I think it would be wise to spend some time on a piano/keyboard while you wait - just chording your way through tunes and stuff - I found that really helpful...

Good luck man, I am looking forward to hearing what you do!

Yeah, let the Stick be a Stick, that's great way of putting it.

Alright, I give. After some thought and fiddling with fretboard apps, I can see why 5ths tuning is so powerful. Thank you all for helping me see the light. Lol I may still change tunings down the road but for now I'm thinking... Classic Tuning?

Scott pretty much said it all: if you’re trying to force bass and/or guitar with it you’re gonna have a hard time. It is what it is, let the instrument lead the way. The 5ths it’s just that, another way down that rabbit hole of unmapped creative freedom. The tuning is the easy part, letting go of preconceived ideas might be harder.


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