Tap In Time

Multi-FX Shootout- Chapman Stick Edition! OK, maybe not quite all that, but we're talking multi-effects pedals in this one, and what our instruments require of such a beast. We talk motivation and our personal experiences with several specific units such as the Fractal Audio Axe-FX, the MOD Duo, the Line 6 HX-Stomp, and a few others. Also: Zooming with Emmett, external influences, how far would yo...

Chapman Stick artist Tomas Merlo joins Rodrigo and Victor from his home in Madrid, Spain. Tomas relates the multiple phases of his Stick journey, and shares about some of his approaches to music in general, playing in the Tomas Merlo Group, recording in hotel rooms, and more. Stops along the way include a unique currency for purchasing a Stick, reuniting with a lost (effects unit) love, and other...

You bought your first Chapman Stick.  Did it stop there?  Maybe.  Or, maybe you replaced it with a different one.  Or maybe you've come to own more than one.  So many roads!  Claire, Gene, Rodrigo, and Victor engage in a rambling, meandering, off the rails conversation about the instruments that have come into their lives and why.  The Recycler, regrets, when Claire knew she was a Stick player, po...

Gene and Claire chat with Chapman Stick artist Kevin Keith.  We learn what Kevin's been up to, get the lowdown on some of his playing and recording secrets, and talk midi, third voice, and technique. Along the way: the L.A. music scene, nerf guns, "they said no...", and more.

This time, we're joined by Vancouver, BC based Chapman Stick player/recording artist/educator Jim Meyer, who puts on the Vancouver Stick Camp. Jim weaves an informing and entertaining tapestry that captures his musical history and approach to playing and composing, and sprinkles advice, tidbits, and encouragement throughout. Plus, fun busking stories, a Surf Lodge fail, "How do you tune that thing...

In previous episodes, we've touched on our admiration for Johann Sebastian Bach. In this episode, we do a little more justice to this great composer: we dive into what it means to learn, play, and perform his music on our instruments, and the joy it brings. Along the way, the fourth member of the Tap In Time crew comes along, we hear about "That Guy" Rob Gellner's Bach Odyssey, we learn that Gene...

It's common to find 10 or 12 strings on Sticks and other tappers, and Gene, Rodrigo, and Victor talk about it.  There's also mention of steroids, intimidation, being Emmett's second biggest fan, vintage (?) Sticks, and other bits sprinkled throughout.  Plus, a listener submission "Stick Minute" breaks in.

Ahhh! The feeling of bliss you experience when you're hangin' with people who know that it's not a sitar!  We swap stories about Stick gatherings we've been to, the people we've met, and the friends we've made.  Podcast learnings, dog parks, Stick bling, dealing with the bar crowd volume,and Gollum all find their way into the conversation.

What do you plug the other end of that Stick cable into?  We tackle some of the factors that can come into play.  This episode is a bit longer- we hope you enjoy it!  A bit of talk about pickups, mixers, and how folks approach the instrument.  New arrivals, Vanagons (Transporter), managing multiple instruments at a gig, cheap craigslist combo amps, and other meanderings get chat time.

Gene, Rodrigo, and Victor introduce Tap In Time, a podcast for players of the Chapman Stick and other tapping instruments.  Who are we, what do we think we're doing, and why are we doing it?  Along the way: a mid-life crisis, seminar snippets, quitting smoking, it turns out we all like playing Bach, and more.