My New Songbook/Method Book for Stick players is now available.

The Greg Howard Songbook features 14 of my original compositions arranged for solo Chapman Stick using the StaffTab fretboard notation system I co-developed with Emmett Chapman.

Each song is preceded by a few technique exercises that will prepare the player to tackle the trickier elements.

Some are easy, some pretty difficult, something for everyone.

There are also lead sheets in the back of the book so that other musicians can play along.

116 pages $37 plus shipping.  For ordering info see:
greghoward.com

This book is also available from Stick Enterprises.

Thanks and Happy Tapping, Greg

It's sad to report that the great drummer Johnny Gilmore he died tragically in a house fire a couple of nights ago.  Johnny was a real drumming genius, able to interpret a song with a lot of delicacy or funk harder than anyone you ever heard.  He influenced the local music scene in Charlottesville more than any drummer, without a doubt.

There's a memorial/fundraiser this weekend for Johnny's dad, Curtis Gilmore, who survived the fire but has lost both his son and his home.  Information about that is here: memorial benefit There is information there about donating via PayPal if interested.

Johnny played on my CD, Shapes, which is currently out of print.  I've put my favorite tune from that disc up on the playlist, "Where are you Tonight?"

Check out the amazing cymbal work.



Bye, Johnny

I've just posted a new HD video on YouTube from the August Stick concert at Interlochen:


Hope you like it.

The hour-long solo improv CD I released in 1998 is now available (finally) through CD Baby and iTunes. Just thought I'd let you know.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/greghoward3

Water on the Moon on iTunes

Mike Joyce of The Washington Post had this to say about the CD:

"At first blush, Chapman Stick player and composer Greg Howard's latest release, a nearly hour-long solo improvisation may seem an indulgent exercise.  Yet it soon becomes clear that Howard has both the technique and imagination to pull it off.

Indeed his nimble finger-tap mastery of The Stick, a 10-string instrument that allows bass, melody and chords to be played at the same time, combined with his flair for spontaneous composition helps sustain an illusory effect.  Instead of appearing as if he's standing out on a fragile limb alone, Howard often sounds as if he's collaborating with other quick-fingered musicians in a well-rehearsed setting.  There's nothing tentative about Howard's touch, after all, and as multi-faceted as Water on the Moon is, it's a remarkably coherent performance, with a strong suite-like framework.

Throughout the album, Howard deftly exploits the Stick's peculiar sonic virtues to create contrapuntal lines, shifting textures, synth-like washes and percussive effects.  Quite often he creates the impression that he's working in tandem with either a bassist or keyboardist, and though the music isn't as appealing or as accessible as some of the real collaborations Howard has recorded in the past, Water on the Moon has an atmospheric beauty all its own."

I was wondering if twitter would make sense for me as I hate texting on the phone.

Oh well, here we go: http://www.twitter.com/Stickist

Happy Tweeting,
Greg

Here's a casual two-handed bass lesson on the Stick:






Enjoy, post comments or question about the lesson here or on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZO_A6QJ1A


I also teach lessons via Skype video conference now.  Write to me at stickist@aol.com if you are interested.

An improv from the Stick Fest:

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I love this new band I'm in as well...Hope to see you there this Sunday at Gravity Lounge

Yesterday I was at the grocery store and saw an entertainment mag with an article about the recent sudden death of Bernie Mac. I'm a fan, and I hadn't been keeping up with the news, so it was a shock, he was only 50 years old.

The first person I thought of was my old friend LeRoi Moore (DMB, Code Magenta) I hadn't seen LeRoi in a while but had been following his recovery from a recent ATV accident. So I was doubly shocked to hear about his sudden death last night (only 46 years old).

LeRoi also had a wicked sense of humor, but it's something only his friends knew about. Unlike Bernie Mac, LeRoi was a pretty shy and reserved person when out in public, but I always knew whenever I saw him that he would have a killer joke for me. He also had a truly brilliant mind and was an amazing and energetic conversationalist.

Saxophonists in the rock music world are few these days, and Leroi has left behind a body of work that people will have in their heads for many years to come. And as much as I will love listening to his sounds I will definitely remember more his delivery of his favorite latest punch line.

My condolences to his family and band mates for this sudden, tragic loss.

RIP, Leroi,

Greg

An old friend died today. Someone I used to work for. Someone who taught me how to be graceful in the face of adversity, and how to make a commitment and honor it. She was a little old lady, who lived through the horrors of war, being bombed, nearly starving.

She sought a new life, cared for a mother with bad dimentia, and worked herself into a frazzle running a small music shop.

She was bouyant, kind, caring, decent, everything that the world needs more of, but that I see less and less of in the online world.

People are either supportive or they take. There is very little middle ground.

Pretending to be supportive to hide the fact that you really just want to take something from someone is the worst kind of disingenuousness.

This is what politicians do. this is what charlatains do. this is what con-men do.

If you see people engaging in this kind of behavior and you ignore it, are you an enabler?

It's a fair question.

I'm sorry to lose my friend and I feel like the world is a little less balanced than yesterday.

But that will change, too.

Peace