Video: Tony Levin on the Chapman Stick and When He Bought His First Electric Bass

The Chapman Stick is a curious instrument that few play and even fewer have mastered. Tony Levin demonstrates the possibilities of this oddball gear and his experience playing it on tracks with King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, and many illustrious others.

Tony Levin discusses his youth as a bassist, desperately seeking the perfect instrument. Having looked far and wide, he met his match with Music Man basses, which he’s been devotedly using for the past few decades in legendary sessions such as John Lennon’s Double Fantasy.