Emmett Chapman on What's My Line - two-handed tapping

Emmett went on this live nationally broadcast television show shortly after starting his company, Stick Enterprises, in October, 1974. It was the first national TV broadcast of his two-handed tapping method. At the time, there were only a few broadcast networks, and the audience for this program would have been in the millions. What's My Line is a Q and A format with celebrities trying to guess what the guest does. Interview and performance.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bass
• guitar
• Chapman
• Stick
• Free
• Hands

[abrahm714]

it is a shame that Emmet's bass string was slightly out of tune and his popular debut performance was slightly flawed, but this is an amazing instrument... I daresay Frank Herbert's instrument the baliset in his Dune novels was a descendent of this instrument.

[stickplayers]

@abrahm714 The "Baliset" was actually a dressed-up Stick, and the music they used when the instrument was played in the director's cut version was Emmett playing his solo song "Backyard". And as was mentioned, on a live TV show, the instrument was just sitting there under lightswhile Emmett was being interviewed and then he had to go play it.

[karmaburna]

nice arrangements, didn't help that the stick was quite out of tune :S

[stickplayers]

one of the hazards of live TV, I suppose. 10 minutes under stage lights with no opportunity to check the tuning.  May I have a roadie please...?

[FatTomy]

550...nowadays 2000....

[soulierinvestments]

Gene could be an irritating wiseguy. Let's see him invent any type of musical instrument!

[KrOwAnsKi]

@abrahm714 Erm, this is just the beginning era of Chapman Stick.. I think that Emmet is not quite familiar with playing and tuning these instrument that he created. And yeah, he's the God Father who's a creator and pioneer that could create this thing like a person playing a guitar, bass and piano and it got all this elements (the concept of playing this instrument) mixed up. I don't think it was a shamefulness to him though it was out of tune.

[Markusewitz]

Luv it! Gene and Soupy are so cool. Can't wait to get my new Stick in October :-) !!

[lamecasuelas2]

@sclogse1 well,isn't in fact a lot like a piano?

[wbgo]

Very interesting! And notice 10 minutes of network TV, music TV even, without spam; those were the good old days. BTW, I've seen two instances of Emmett's of amazing memory. Seems that he remembers the name of just about anyone he's ever met. Well, at least in two instances. 

[don56texas]

@sclogse1 I was living in las Vegas in the 1990s and met Soupy Sales there. Like you, I was raised with him. I was really in awe of him and called him Mr Sales. He said " my dad was Mr Sales...just call me Soupy'. What a beautiful man. He is just as nice as you imagine he would be.

[maxauto44e]

OMG SO GOOD super talent

[jamesha175]

wow the first stick! check out the newest ones.

[DaronStorey]

amazing