What The F***?! A Guitar You Don't Need To Pluck Or Strum?

This odd looking guitar can give you the range and tonal diversity of any type of modern guitar you can think off. It may not look like it at first, but this thing is as cool as your everyday Ibanez or Fender guitars. It’s called a “Chapman Stick” named after the person who invented it in the 70’s, Emmet Chapman. This piece of instrument is specifically designed for “Free Hands” tapping method which is devised by Chapman himself. “Free Hands” is a two-handed tapping technique of parallel hands. Watch the video to have a better look on this technique.

The Chapman Stick looks like the fretboard of an electric guitar but has a wider playing area. It is considerably longer and has 8, 10 or 12 strings. And unlike the electric guitar, it is usually played by tapping or fretting the strings instead of plucking. Both hands sound notes by striking the strings against the fingerboard just behind the appropriate frets for the desired notes. Because of this, it can sound many more notes at once compared to most stringed instruments. This is more comparable to a keyboard instrument. Professional stick players can make it possible to perform bass, chords, and melody lines simultaneously just like a piano.

This is not limited to jazz music only. With the right guitar effects, the stick is capable for rock music. But before playing this next video, please try to close your eyes. I really have this belief that rockers shouldn't wear pajamas.

See what I mean? :-)