Bear Guitars

[thomact]

Just wondering if anyone out there actually owns one of Siggi's touch guitars? I'll be getting mine soon and I'm curious to hear how they play.

Thom...

[rockola]

Originally posted by thomact
Just wondering if anyone out there actually owns one of Siggi's touch guitars? I'll be getting mine soon and I'm curious to hear how they play.

Thom...

I don't own one, but I've tried several of his guitars. They're all different, so it's hard to generalize. I'm not a big fan of the acoustic or the semiacoustic - which may have more to do with the concept than the execution - but the short-scaled 8- and 12-stringers I tried played quite well, and I wouldn't mind owning one either. I liked especially the short red 12-string guitar, but alas, that is Siggi's personal axe.

I must say that the 17-string surfboard was quite overwhelming, but Wolfgang Daiss, who commissioned it, seemed to like it a lot. Wolfgang, if anyone, should know about tap guitars, as not only does he have a Stick, a Warr, a Megatar, and now the Siggi 17-string, but he also can play them all like very few can.

Which one are you getting?

[thomact]

I've reserved the blueberry, which is on the for sale page on his website. It's 32" scale, 8 strings in 4ths. I've ordered a new stick too.

I just hope that tapping works out - I've sold all my guitars and basses to buy this baby - and all my spare cash is going into my 'stick account'. Still, I've written plenty of tapped lines on bass - and how much easier will it be with an action so much lower!

[rjgoos]

I thought the "blueberry" one looked interesting, too. I think that between this one, and the Stick, that you've got many years of happy tapping ahead of you.

R. Jay Goos

[thomact]

Yeah, but I ordered an SB8 and now I'm buying this. I think that I might change my order to a standard 10 string stick, that way I've got more tapping options.

What do you think? What do you play?

Thom...

[rockola]

Originally posted by thomact
I've reserved the blueberry, which is on the for sale page on his website. It's 32" scale, 8 strings in 4ths.

Yep, I've played that one. It's a nice instrument, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I just hope that tapping works out - I've sold all my guitars and basses to buy this baby

It seems that you are committed, so I think it'll work out just fine for you. My advice: find a teacher to get you started. Even if you only get a few lessons, you'll save weeks or months of frustration. Of course, you may be a natural talent, but I definitely needed that one week at Neufchateau to even begin to play the tap guitar.

[rjgoos]

>Yeah, but I ordered an SB8 and now I'm buying this. I think that I might change my order to a standard 10 string stick, that way I've got more tapping options.

What do you think? What do you play?<


I guess the short answer is..it's all good. I think a person could make great music with an 8-string in straight 4ths or on a 10-string 4ths/5ths instrument.


I play a 10-string Stick, and I also tap a regular 6-string guitar.

I play simple melodies with the right hand, and simple bass accompanyment with the left...nothing very complicated. An example of the kind of music I am doing:

http://members.ifmcs.net/rjgoos/Public/Music/Stick-Music/six-month-stick.mp3

I think Jersey Ray is probably the one person around here who is most experienced with playing both a 4ths/5ths instrument, and also an 8-string in straight 4ths. He could probably advise you better than me on the relative virtues of these kinds of tapping instruments.


Jay

[Jersey Ray]

It's imposible to make a recommendation on tuning if you haven't played any tap instruments yet.

Here's my advice:

Buy one tap instrument. Any make, any tuning. Play the **** out of it for 6 months, and learn some songs. If, at that time, you think there is some kind of limitation in your playing, something you reach for, but your tuning gets in the way, then it will be self-evident, and adjust accordingly.

RJ is a living testamony to the effectiveness of above technique. RJ, your beginners' monthly progress MP3's were great, and I know its because you spent more time in the woodshed practicing, and less time changing strings.

Keep in mind that on each tuning, each make of istrument, there are very talented musicians making worthwhile music. I have a rule with my studnets: no new instruments, no tuning changes are allowed, until they have learned to play a song on what they have. I am way to lenient here, I should make that requirement five songs. I guess that makes me a pretty unpopular teacher:)

now, Merry Christmas, darn it!

Ray

[rjgoos]

Jersey Ray wrote:


>Buy one tap instrument. Any make, any tuning. Play the **** out of it for 6 months, and learn some songs. If, at that time, you think there is some kind of limitation in your playing, something you reach for, but your tuning gets in the way, then it will be self-evident, and adjust accordingly.<


I would only add...and enjoy yourself on the way!! None of us are getting rich in this endeavor (well, I'm not anyway), it is all for fun and personal satisfaction.


R. Jay Goos

[Jersey Ray]

ya know, let me lighten up a little from my **** post -

before buying, one does have to decide on a tuning, so let's make it easy:

if you like the sound of contemporary Stick(r) players (including Tony Levin) , then get a fifths fourths tuning.

if you plan on devoting your life to the counterpoint of JS Bach, then you would be wise to have fourths in your bass.

if, for some twisted reason, you are drawn into the world of Guitar Craft(tm) and all that, then Trey has a tuning for you!

ok, decision made. Buy instrument, start tapping.

Something that Markus pointed out to me years ago is that every beginning player needs to focus a lot on the physics of touchstyle - making all the notes sound even in volume and tone, having a clear attack and release. These indespensibles should be practiced by all of us and they have nothing to do with your tuning, so for those first few months tuning really doesn't matter at all. (but you should still have fun learning songs)

Ray

[thomact]

Thanks so much for your recommendations. I have, at least for now, decided to cancel my stick order and concentrate on parallel 4ths over 8 strings on my guitar from Siggi.

I'm not too concerned about note choice on that instrument - I've been tapping, slapping and otherwise abusing my 6 string bass for years (well, 8 years of bass, 3 on my 6 string - I'm only 21). Technique is what I'll be woodshedding. On my bass, tapping is definately a case of fortississimo (FFF) all the time to get the volume to match my fingerstyle playing so I think getting a sense of dynamics, particularly with evenness and reliability, is gonna take some time.

On the downside though, I'm not holding my breath about a teacher. I live in the UK. That gives me 2 choices of teacher as far as I'm aware:

1. Jim Lampi (70 miles away).
2. no one

But Jim is playing a stick in a 4ths/5ths tuning - so I don't know how helpful lessons with him would be.

As always - thoughts? You guys no better than me.

Thom...

[James]

Hi Thom

I'm from the UK and the same age as you. I am playing a 4ths/4ths tuning but have only been doing so since October. As nothing specific really exists for that tuning I have been trying to read conventional notation and become familiar where the notes are on the fretboard. This should (eventually) allow me to read simple two-part music. After that, playing more than one part shouldn't be too difficult to grasp as I'm coming from a piano playing background. Bill Burke (www.billburke.net) plays an 8-string Warr Artist in straight fourths (B natural - B flat). You might be able to pick up some tunes by watching his videos

There are quite a few Stick players here, but I think most of them play in the standard tuning. I regard Jim Lampi as one of the best, if not the best Stick player there is. I'm sure he could teach a lot regardless of what tuning you're using. Unfortunately I live well over 200 miles from London but still hope to get a lesson one day

The European Tap Guitar seminar at Neufchateau would be ideal for your custom instrument and there would be others with different tunings

Regards

[rockola]

Originally posted by thomact
But Jim is playing a stick in a 4ths/5ths tuning - so I don't know how helpful lessons with him would be.

If you have a lesson with him, I think you'll find that your money was not wasted. There are many tricks of the trade that have nothing to do with tuning. Plus, he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet, and of course one of the best Stick players in the world.

[Bearguitars]

Originally posted by thomact
Thanks so much for your recommendations. I have, at least for now, decided to cancel my stick order and concentrate on parallel 4ths over 8 strings on my guitar from Siggi.

I'm not too concerned about note choice on that instrument - I've been tapping, slapping and otherwise abusing my 6 string bass for years (well, 8 years of bass, 3 on my 6 string - I'm only 21). Technique is what I'll be woodshedding. On my bass, tapping is definately a case of fortississimo (FFF) all the time to get the volume to match my fingerstyle playing so I think getting a sense of dynamics, particularly with evenness and reliability, is gonna take some time.

On the downside though, I'm not holding my breath about a teacher. I live in the UK. That gives me 2 choices of teacher as far as I'm aware:

1. Jim Lampi (70 miles away).
2. no one

But Jim is playing a stick in a 4ths/5ths tuning - so I don't know how helpful lessons with him would be.

As always - thoughts? You guys no better than me.

Thom...

Hi Thom,

when I was the 1th time in Neufchateau, Jim was one of the teachers. I´ve learned a lot from him, more than you can learn from books.... He show me the whole universe of possibillities on my instrument, and for the music where I wish to play on it.
The Blueberry was my main tap guitar this time! There was no difficulties for Jim to switch to the 8str. /4ths. I would visit him
from time to time for lessons.