You’ll sound good right from the start and you can play songs the first day. The Strumstick feels good to play, you’ll pick it up again and again. We designed the Strumstick for people who don't play any music, and are sure they can't play any music. There are no wrong notes; there are just the notes of a simple scale. Since there are no wrong notes, there are no mistakes; you can have fun making sounds without worrying about "getting it right".
When you begin, you fret the 1st string with one finger, and strum all three strings with a pick. Anywhere you fret the 1st string sounds good, and the other two strings make a background chord automatically!
The Standard Strumstick is $140, is make of Padouk, Spruce, and Maple, is about 29" long, 4" wide, and weighs about 11 oz.
The Strumstick is perfect for children: It’s fun, easy, rugged, and kids can make music with it right from the start. The Strumstick opens the musical door. Ages 3-5, some adult supervision and guidance recommended. Ages 6-96 a child-like spirit is useful but not mandatory.
About half of our customers are new to music. We get lots of comments about how easy it is, and how much fun people are having. Full instructions and songs are included, and an instruction CD. We also provide instructions and songs online at this site, in the Instructions Area.
If you already play another instrument:
The Strumstick is a fast creative tool for composition, or just for relaxation... it will return you to the simple joy of playing that got you into music in the first place.
If you want to learn to play guitar: Starting with the strumstick can get you there faster than any other way. Its like training wheels for guitar! (We can show you how)
With the Strumstick you sound OK at the beginning, you have fun, and don't feel frustrated as a beginner. With the Strumstick, you find yourself saying, "hey, I can do this." Here is why that is true. Most musical instruments are not made to be learned by beginners, they are make to be performed on by experts. Most instruments have the notes needed for all 12 keys, but are therefore complicated. We decided to make the Strumstick play in just one key, to have no wrong notes, so that learning is easy.
The frets (the metal pieces that go across the fretboard and determine the notes you can play) are spaced to give you the notes of a major scale (plus an extra note that is really handy to have.) The other two strings make a background (a drone) which harmonizes with whatever you play on the fretted string. It makes chords automatically!
The Strumstick is tuned G D G'. You can fret any of the strings, and you can even fret several strings at once to make fuller chords. Usually people start with fretting the first string, and progress to the others after a while.
The Strumstick only plays in one key (or scale), instead of all 12 keys like guitar. That is why there are no "wrong" notes on the Strumstick. Wrong notes are notes outside the key you are playing in. All those wrong notes make guitar versatile, and hard. Having just "Right" notes makes Strumstick easy, (but more limited than guitar). Fortunately, you can play a whole lot of music with the notes the Strumstick has.
Many many songs can be played on the Strumstick, whether in a major or minor key. Blues and Jazz use notes from outside the major scale, and are trickier on the Strumstick for that reason, but not impossible. By retuning, or using a different Strumstick model, you can pitch a song in various keys if you need different keys to sing to.
The general idea with the Strumstick is "baby steps". One finger, one string, it doesn't matter where you put it, easy! Next step, you start to organize where you put your finger, but it's still one finger, one string. Later you get fancier with the rhythms that your strumming hand can do, you can finger more than one string, but only after you are comfortable with the earlier, easier things. Baby steps and soon you are running.
The included instruction book and CD really help you along; they tell you what to do to get started, discuss possible problems, and encourage you to relax and experiment and "Enjoy the Noise" (in fact, that is what we call the CD). Later the instructions explain (and demonstrate) the various things you can do to gradually increase the complexity of your playing, at your own pace. The CD gives you actual notes to tune to, and tells you how to tune the Strumstick just with itself. We have recieved many comments on how thorough and easy our instructions are.
Elsewhere on this Information page is an explanation of how the instructions and songs work (click for About Instructions and Songs)
The Strumstick comes with full instructions and songs. You get an instruction booklet, an instruction CD, and a pick. The booklet and CD work together to explain and illustrate basic and advanced playing of the Strumstick. Instructions and songs are also available online, see the Instructions Page
Emphasis is placed on getting Complete Beginners started. The beginner section is in "first do this, then do this, and next do this" tutorial form. Besides demonstrating what the beginning things sound like, the instruction CD provides lots of encouragement, and also more advanced playing. The CD also gives you notes to tune the Standard Strumstick (G, D, G') with, and examples and demonstrations of more advanced topics.
The more advanced techniques are not in tutorial form, but are explained as separate items that you then add to your playing as you like. Fancy strumming, making up interesting rhythms, adding extra notes (ornaments), and more are explained and demonstrated.
The instructions include playing songs, and adding chords to songs. I don't recommend that you start with songs, keep it simple to start. Of course, some people like to start at the harder end of the book first, what's a teacher to do? The songs are written out with words and fret numbers (this is all exlained in the instructions).
For online instructions see the Instructions Page.
Tricks and techniques which may be of limited interest to beginners but very useful to more advanced players may be found in "Tricks and Techniques" (Instructions page) . Alternative tunings, Modifications, Electrifying your Strumstick and other such topics can be found there
There is a reason people give up when they are learning an instrument. It does not have anything to do with "talent", it has to do with "fun". Talent applies more to the expert end of things than the beginning. Instruments that do not give enough fun for the work people put into them are the reason people quit.
People mostly learn for fun, they are not trying to be a professional; if it isn't fun, people stop. FUN means: a feeling of achievement, experiencing that you are progressing toward what you want to be able to play, joy over the music you are actually making, pride in having developed a skill you can share with others, and more.
Most instruments do not become "fun" (in those various senses) until many months after you start. Therefore PERSISTENCE comes into play. Persistence is the ability to keep doing something that is not fun now in hopes that it eventually will be. People have varying levels of persistence; the difference between those who succeed with guitar and those who don't has a lot more to do with persistence and determination than it does with TALENT.
The Strumstick avoids the whole problem, by being FUN right from the start. The sounds you are making are pleasant to the ear. That is all the difference in the world. Instead of feeling like " I am never going to get this," you feel like "hey, that's not bad, I think I can do this." In the first 5 minutes, you will see yourself make progress, you will hear some basic musical sounds happening, and you will see that the Strumstick is a gentle teacher. You see that you can work at your own pace. You will have fun right from the start; quitting does not even become an issue.
"Ever since Miss Myers, my kindergarten teacher, told me I couldn't sing or keep a beat, I have steered clear of things musical. The ad for the Strumstick caught my imagination ("For people who are sure they have no musical ability...") The Strumstick is so much fun, so forgiving, and so achievable. I plink, plunk, and strum and enjoy every minute. I have neither driven away the cat nor the kids. And, every-so-often, I succeed in actually putting together a complete rendition of 'When the Saints Go Marching In' or 'America the Beautiful.' Great instrument for folks like me. Miss Myers was wrong. I have a sliver of musical talent and the Strumstick is helping to discover it."
Puck in CT
"I bought my wife one of your Strumsticks. To put it mildly, she loved it and won't let me play it. She is very possessive. It's a show-stopper up here in New Brunswick and I need to order one for myself."
Abel in Canada
"I'm the girl that kept coming back playing the Strumstick and begging my mom to buy it at the Maryland Craft Fair. I have saved up and would like to order a Strumstick."
Jessica in MD
"I have frustrated various music teachers over my 41 years and still can't read a note of music or play one instrument - EXCEPT- you've got it, the Strumstick!" "The Strumstick is a simple instrument of genius for the musical idiot."
Martin in NC
"I regret to inform you that I may have to return the Strumstick. It's making me late for work. I'm shirking my responsibilities. I bought it for my 80 year old mother. I wrestled it away from her. It wasn't a pretty sight and I feel a little guilty. Is there a Strumstickers Anonymous? I need help."
Lucinda in NY
"I have a hard time getting the Strumstick off of my six year old son."
Ken in Germany
Quick Information
Detailed Information
FAQs
About Instructions and Songs
Why You Can Succeed
Testimonials
Guitar Magazine Review of Strumstick