Chapman Stick

/ ˈtʃæpmən /

noun

1. an electronically amplified musical instrument with ten or twelve strings and a fretted neck, which is played by striking the strings against the frets with the fingers Often shortened toStick

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chapman Stick¹

C20: named after its inventor, Emmett H. Chapman (born 1936), US guitarist

Example Sentences

In the late 1990s and early 2000s he came across the work of inventors exploring stringed tapping instruments, such as Emmett Chapman’s Chapman Stick and John Starrett’s StarrBoard.

From Washington Post

From a Vincent Price-like introduction by Iggy Pop - tracing Collins‘ origins to a cavern full of dinosaurs - to Musiq Soulchild, Doug E. Fresh, Chuck D and Big Daddy Kane, more bass players on a single track than you can shake a Chapman Stick at, guitarists like Eric Gales and Buckethead, and a host of singers like Tyshawn Colquitt. They are all part of a seamless whole. “

From Washington Times

When Hornsby's distinctive piano ripples through "Between Me and You," which also features Tony Levin on the bass-like Chapman stick, it's not taking you out of the moment; it's boosting the emotion of a song about a family man's struggle to stay connected.

From Los Angeles Times

Behind them, on a riser, are Mr. Fripp, the guitarist and singer Jakko Jakszyk, Tony Levin on bass and Chapman stick and the saxophonist and flutist Mel Collins.

From New York Times