Okay, so i need some suggestions
my hands have been getting worse with my health and i find plucking the strings is very quiet.
i WANT to use a bachi but holding it is getting hard.
I have a standard wood bachi (which i love for softness)
My question is: should i try a smaller bachi like the one kyle sometimes uses, to reduce weight, get the volume i want etc
OR
does anyone have any other suggestions?
I don’t know what is wrong with your hands, but if you’re holding the bachi improperly, that’s definitely going to cause pain and problems in your wrists. Also, if it’s too heavy, that can mess up the tendons in your wrist. I used to play percussion, and I had wrist troubles simply from holding the mallets improperly, not because they were too heavy, but with bachi, we have to be careful of both.
I would suggest trying a smaller bachi to see if it fits your hand better, or is easier by being more light-weight. I have small hands, so I found that switching to a smaller, lighter bachi helped my ability to play for longer periods of time without feeling pain. Also, try one of those grip things (I haven’t tried them yet) as it seems that may help your grip the bachi better, so your hand muscles aren’t working so hard to keep hold of the bachi. My palms get sweaty easily, and I find that my wrist gets fatigued more quickly when I’m nervous and playing a gig in public.
If you’re having health issues with those joints, I would also be very careful while working with your doctor. Your doctor will know what’s wrong with your hands, and what you should or shouldn’t do. Show them the bachi, ask them if they propose a time limit on how long you should play before taking a break, etc. The last thing you want to do is play with pain, and cause a serious injury.
Good luck!
All great suggestions, K2~! One addition would be to make sure you stretch and warm up before playing, as well as stretching again after you finish. Gotta keep them joints/tendons happy, loose, and warm.
Speaking from experience with it: Kyle’s bachi may be small, but that thing has some weight to it. Don’t be fooled by the size; there is a lead weight in some bachi, ideally to help ease the amount of force one needs to exert when playing. But oh man, does Kyle’s bachi have some nice flex action; makes that thing feel like butter~
That’s another thing to consider: the flex of a given bachi. Having played with a wood bachi, I can firmly say I hate them for tsugaru-style. They make playing fluidly much harder and there is almost zero flex/give. I started with a wooden handle that had bekko tips (had some flex), went to the wood (zero flex), then plastic (decent flex), and now I’m using a full bekkou-head bachi (good amount of flex). Each had their perks and draw-backs.
Ultimately, these concepts are all subject to your play style, how much force you use when striking, and taste in amount of flex and the tone it produces. Nitta-san generally goes as heavy as possible with the max flex he can get. Some people like light, yet stiff.
Here’s to your wrist’s/hand’s health, and a safer, healthier future of playing shamisen~!!
I understand wanting to use a bachi, but if it doesn’t work for you then use what does. Are you using finger picks? This would be louder than finger plucking.
not considered finger picks.
My wood bachi has a weight in it, and would probably be considered a light one. i AM wondering if i need that flex and if it would make a difference
If you have the means/opportunity to try out a more flexible bachi, definitely give it a go. The action of playing becomes that much easier. But as with anything, the drawback for that would be it is more susceptible to getting chipped.
Know anyone who has a bachi they’d be willing to lend you?
don’t know anyone with anything flexible i’m afraid.
I was going to knock together a bachi with some celluloid guitar stuff BUT
anyone else have any suggestions?