Bruno Ricard

Chapman Stick Player

Originally from Toulon, and based in Marseille since 2014, I have dedicated myself since the early 2000s to studying a rare instrument, the Chapman Stick, which has only a few dozen professional players worldwide.

Invented in 1969 by Emmett Chapman, the Chapman Stick is a 10 or 12-string musical instrument played using the tapping technique, which involves tapping the strings with the fingertips. It allows for polyphonic, orchestral, and contrapuntal playing.

I participate in various projects that feed into each other, with the Chapman Stick serving as the common thread. I am also very active in promoting this instrument, primarily by fostering its network, both in France and abroad, and by occasionally organizing international gatherings for its practitioners.

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Projects

[KREPYSKYL]

Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement

Exhibition: “The Chapman Stick — An Instrument, an Inventor”

The call of Cthulhu

Teaching

Calendar

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Théâtre Golovine - Avignon

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Festival Plexus Rouge (Marseille – 13)

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Festival Plexus Rouge (Marseille – 13)

  • [krepyskyl]

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Festival les Plus Belles de Mai (Marseille – 13)

  • [krepyskyl]

    MuPop (Montluçon – 03)

  • Concert[férence] Chapman Stick

  • [krepyskyl]

    Café Grenouille (Langeac - 42)

  • [krepyskyl]

    Ache de Cuba (Marseille – 13)

  • [krepyskyl]

    Ache de Cuba (Marseille - 13)

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Klap Maison pour la Danse (Marseille - 13)

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Festival Cadences (Arcachon - 33)

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations

    Festival Cadences (Arcachon - 33)

  • Collectif Indian Cosmo Groove

    Festival Body & Soul (Saint Martin de Londres - 34)

  • Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement – Insolations (extraits)

    Festival international de Danse les Nuits du Château (la Tour d’Aigues - 13)

  • Sortie de résidence – Insolations

    Théâtre Olympia (Arcachon – 33)

  • [krepyskyl] solo

    Temple protestant (Toulon – 83)

  • [krepyskyl] solo

    L’intermédiaire (Marseille – 13)

Media

Contact

Bruno Ricard

[KREPYSKYL]

The essence of this project lies in its duo format, establishing a constant dialogue between the Chapman Stick and drums, subtly performed by Nils O’SWALD.
The music composed for this project evokes ethereal, shifting soundscapes that continuously oscillate between light and darkness, between meticulous composition and minimalist improvisation.
A first self-produced 4-track EP was released in 2024, followed by a first video in 2025. Un enregistrement de nouvelles compositions est programmé pour 2026.

Compagnie Meraki et les Mécaniques du Mouvement

Since 2024, I have been collaborating with this Marseille-based dance company led by Milane Cathala Di Fabrizio and Enzo Chalons. I composed the music for the creation Insolations, together with Anthony Bisch (percussion). The piece has since been presented on numerous stages across France, including Maison de la Danse KLAP, the Cadences Arcachon and Plexus Rouge festivals, Entre-Pont, and Théâtre Golovine.

Exhibition: “The Chapman Stick — An Instrument, an Inventor”

This travelling exhibition, which I created in 2023, is dedicated to the Chapman Stick and its inventor, Emmett Chapman. Made up of 17 panels and accompanied by a smartphone-activated soundtrack, it traces the life and work of its inventor, provides an in-depth presentation of the Stick and its unique features, and explores the microcosm of its international community. The exhibition is complemented by a concert-lecture lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, combining spoken presentations, live music, and listening sessions. It will premiere at the MuPop Museum in Montluçon in April 2025.

Cultural programmers and library directors: feel free to get in touch!

Credits: Nicolas Bocquel (graphic design) / French Stick and Tap Guitar Association (production)

The call of Cthulhu

The versatility of the Chapman Stick and my textural approach to the instrument make it the ideal tool for creating music for visuals.
My passion for horror master Howard P. Lovecraft led me to reimagine the soundtrack of the silent short film The Call of Cthulhu, a silent film by A. Leman and S. Branney shot in 2005, which uses the aesthetic codes of 1920s films.
This solo project involves improvising an unsettling and cosmic soundtrack intended to accompany anthropologist Francis W. Thurston in his discovery of the existence of the infamous Cthulhu, an unspeakable creature slumbering at the bottom of the ocean.

  • Stick Camp concert affiche

Teaching

After studying the instrument with Greg Howard (USA), Jim Lampi (UK), and Ron Baggerman (NL), I now share my instrument knowledge, my approach to songwriting, and sound production through online workshops.
With financial support from AFSTG, I occasionally organize educational seminars, connecting students with international Chapman Stick masters.

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