Emmett Chapman Jazz musician Date of Birth: 28.09.1936 Country: USA

Emmett Chapman: Biography

Emmett Chapman, a jazz musician, was such an exceptional guitarist that he felt confined within the narrow boundaries of guitar music. He decided to expand those boundaries by creating his own variation of the guitar. This led to the creation of the Chapman Stick, an unusual instrument suitable for a specific style of play and capable of producing wonders in skilled hands.

Initially, Chapman played the guitar and started recording and performing actively in the late 1960s. He had the opportunity to work with distinguished musicians of that time, such as jazz guitarist Barney Kessel and singer-songwriter Tim Buckley. Later, he formed his own band and embarked on touring. By then, Chapman had developed a distinctive style that was reminiscent of the works of John Coltrane.

In 1969, Chapman modified his homemade nine-string guitar to suit the technique called "Free Hands." Through his experiments, he attempted to expand the capabilities of the guitar, aiming to bring it closer in potential to keyboard instruments. Initially, he tried to achieve the desired effect by increasing the number of strings, but later, he decided to explore the already known but not widely popular technique called tapping. While some guitarists preferred to play tapping style with their right hand fingers parallel to the guitar, Chapman's style involved holding both hands' fingers perpendicular to the strings.

However, modifying the guitar was not enough for Chapman as he believed that regular guitars were not well-suited for tapping. He soon introduced his fellow musicians to the "electric stick," later renamed as the "Chapman Stick." Essentially, the Stick was a type of electric guitar primarily designed for effective tapping. Visually, it resembled a wide and long neck of an electric guitar, and with 8 (in some variations - 10 or 12) strings, it allowed for simultaneously playing melodies, chords, and bass lines.

In 1974, Chapman founded the company "Stick Enterprises," which has since released over 6000 instruments. It is known that Chapman holds at least 14 patents related to various aspects and details of the Chapman Stick device.

During the 1970s, Emmett Chapman actively toured, promoting his instrument and himself. In 1985, he released his solo album "Parallel Galaxy," which included recordings featuring Bruce Gary from "The Knack." Some tracks featured Chapman's vocal accompaniment. According to Chapman himself, he was greatly influenced by renowned jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. Particularly noteworthy on the album is the composition "Back Yard," which was even included in the soundtrack of the film "Dune." Interestingly, a golden-colored version of the Chapman Stick was mentioned in the original novel "Dune" and served as the basis for the fictional instrument called "baliset" in the Dune universe. In the director's cut of the film "Dune," a "real" baliset can be seen, played by the character portrayed by Patrick Stewart.

In 1987, Emmett Chapman released a music video titled "Hands Across the Board." Currently, Chapman continues to perform concerts periodically, although not as frequently as before. He mainly works in the Los Angeles area, close to his primary residence. Chapman still leads "Stick Enterprises," which continues to produce Chapman Sticks to this day.