...and my shamisen journey continues, only without a shamisen?

General
#1

Bachido!

It has been many years since I’ve been here and I have had my hands full with some other musical projects. Lately I’ve been playing my old super cheap ebay shamisen and I came to a realisation today, just now actually.

I play the Persian Tar (amoung other things) as my main instrument. I have wanted to branch out my studies in music generally but also in the practical sense on the Tar… Now here I am, back on the bachido forums, Kyle’s book in hand, reviewing the knowledge I once learned on shamisen in order to perform them on Tar.

There are a remarkable amount of similarities between the two instruments.

There are are 3 courses of strings in pairs (6 strings total)
Commonly tuned to CC, GG, CC
Frets are allayed microtonally in a 17 tone scale with moveable gut frets and takes very little adjustment to play the notes on the shamisen.
Lamb skin covers the two soundholes and a bone bridge sits across the skin.
The pick is brass and used as a percussive element by varying contact with the skin.

Here is a short video to demonstrate the Tar

I will be posting regular videos of my progress and hope you all here will help me to adapt as much of the technical, theoretical and practical aspects across to Tar.

#2

That’s interesting, welcome back! What’s the purpose of doubling the strings on the tar?

#3

Wow! super cool. Thanks for passing it on.

#4

Awesome! It’s been some years since I’ve frequented Bachido too. Been trying to make ends meet and also focusing on my flamenco study. This instrument looks similar to the saz which my teacher plays.
Man, I’ve missed shamisen but things are looking up now that the beginner’s shamisen is available. :smiley:

#5

definitely sounds cool maybe being a taxi driver working on the streets I should switch to a tar :slight_smile: just kidding of course I will stick to trying to learn to play shamisen . . . :slight_smile:

#6

@matt yeah man, very similar indeed. I’ve learned saz and generally study Turkish makam as that’s part of the tar’s repetior. He fretting system in Turkish music is slightly different to the traditional persian fretting, but by simply adding 4 or 5 frets makes up the difference which having to shift frets and all that. I tried flamenco when I was in high school, could never get my right hand loose enough to have speed and dynamics

#7

@Travis I enjoy the sound of the saz although I know little about Persian and Middle Eastern music. The tar sounds brilliant!
One of the right hand techniques in flamenco is alzapua, which is a thumb technique based off the plectrum’s used in middle eastern/arabic playing. The right hand is a beast, on top of the specific techniques there is learning the right balance between relaxation and dynamism. Grace and passion, or fire. :slight_smile: It’s a challenge!
Are you thinking of returning to shamisen on top of your current studies?

#8

Matt that technique sounds awesome, I might just have to learn that on guitar!

I’d like to return to playing shamisen but it will be a long time before I can afford to buy a decent shamisen to play on. That and I’ve got eyes for Tar and Guitar only, my other instruments are gathering dust.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott