During a recent interview on Ultimate Guitar, John Myung expressed his admiration for Tony Levin (King Crimson, Liquid Tension Experiment). He then said he also used the Chapman Stick on some Dream Theater pieces, but preferred the bass. Regarding LTE, he said:
“I have listened to them and they are strong. There are a lot of great moments. I love Tony Levin, I love his playing. You feel it just his way of approaching and working with the group. It is interesting and fun to look at them from that perspective and notice the energy and ideas that Tony brings to them. All great contributions. After all, he is a great musician. The Chapman Stick is a really cool tool. I really enjoy listening to it. I also like to experiment with that instrument, I did, but it always remains a kind of special element and I don’t think it will ever become predominant in my life. Certainly I am open to it and like to be inspired by it. Use it as a creative tool. But currently I focus more on being a bass player. And I admit that when I happen to approach it, I end up using it more as if it were a bass. In practice, I believe that the positive aspect is to offer me a creative alternative to my main tool. It leads me to explore different lines and a different perspective.“
