Hi everyone,

My third method book should be available Oct 1st. Tapping Into Bach features nine pieces of varying difficulty, presented in StaffTab with supporting exercises. Also included are standard notation versions of the pieces.

Printed at 9x12 for easy reading, it will NOT be available as a pdf. My belief is that this book will serve you best on a music stand at full-res. Turn off your computer and devices and dig in to one of the greatest composers of all time, whose music will teach you how to be a better Stick player.

The first tunings it will be available for are Baritone Melody 10string/ Classic Grand (with or without high bass 4th), which also works with Greg's Extended Alto. You will be able to use it with 12-string MR by adding 2 to the fret numbers in the right hand.

I will probably NOT do a version for 10string MR or 10-string Classic, because the octave relationship of the two hands isn't the same, but I am seriously looking into a 10-string (and 12-string) Raised Matched Reciprocal version, because the extra whole step on the bass side makes it more practical to play everything at written pitch (as opposed to an octave below written, as with the lower tunings).

Here is the cover, designed by the amazing and talented Art Durkee



Tapping Into Bach will be availabe from Stick Enterpises and directly from my website. 75 pages, Price TBA depending on the final printing cost.

I could not have written this book without help from many Stick players and students, including Claire Steger, Glenn Poorman, Gene Perry, Lee Terracone, J.F. Brisette, and several others, who have been so kind in assessing charts over the years (I started this project in 2014 with the "Bourrée in E minor")

I'll let you know more about how to order as we get closer.

In the meantime here's one of the pieces you'll find in the book, the Prelude to the "Cello Suite in G Major", played entirely in the left hand.

Well done Greg. Thank you for your contributions to expanding the stick pedagogy

With the huge caveat that I have a long way to go before even thinking about learning any of these pieces, how difficult would it be to switch my 10-string MR Railboard (which on a bench somewhere at SE at the moment) to Baritone Melody? MR is already a full step below "classic" tuning on the melody side, so it seems that to do Baritone Melody, I'd need to tune the melody strings 1 1/2 additional steps lower (yielding a 4th lower than "classic" tuning), suggesting the medium-gauge strings I've ordered may need to be swapped out for thicker strings.

Correct? If so, in addition to a set of extra medium-gauge strings that I intended on ordering when it's ready to ship, I may order an extra set of strings compatible with Baritone Melody to allow me to do that if that's all I'll need to change from MR -> BM.

Hi Steve,

It's a pretty easy change to make. The biggest difference is that for medium gauge the Baritone melody 3rd string is wound, but it is a plain string in MR Medium. So there will be some intonation work to do, but it's not hard.

Light gauge Baritone Melody is very close to Medium MR, so you could just tune doen the strings you have to see how you like it, though they will be a little looser, especially on strings 4 and 5.

When is your Stick supposed to arrive?

Thanks, Markus!

Thanks, Greg. I am looking forward to checking it out.

I'm impressed! This is amazing music.
I want to learn how to play it.
Thanks for sharing...

I've been needing a new discipline, exercise workbook type method. This will be perfect timing for me.

And yes! Kudos to the physical book form. So, does this clash with your avoiding the release of music via physical media (CDs etc)? Because, I remember you saying that before. So I assumed you were going pure digital. Curious.

Looking forward to it

Thanks! I'll experiment with that. I may still order an extra set of strings suitable for Baritone Melody.


I'm literally expecting word that it's done Any Day Now.

I spoke to Jeff on the 24th, just over two weeks ago. At that time they were expecting the housings for the Railboard's EMG R-block within the next week or so, so it would then just be a matter of getting the Railboard backlog cleared via final assembly & setup. I have no idea how big that backlog is, nor how many they can assemble and set up per day. Both unknowns that push out the ship date for mine for weeks yet.

I'd sure like to have it before the end of the month, but I'm not holding my breath!

Thank you, Greg. Sounds great!
It was only with the Stick that I started playing classical music, and I love the range of the Alto for this kind of pieces (even if I would like to see a few more frets in the lower range sometimes )

Looking forward to it ...