The latest episode of the Bachido Blogcast! (it just got uploaded, so if it says “video is unavailable” it may need another 10 minutes to process)
Note: Shamisen content is at the end. 
_ suggestion: you should do a video: on stringing: remember that youtube video I should you were the lady places the Ni and San strings into different spots - Can you still play like that way of strings. Like which method is better strings for which Shamisen
Kevin go to the learning center on this site under prepare your shamisen there is a section on stringing.
Hey Kevin,
What Jessica said, please check out the video on how to string in the learning center. 
As for the string order, it doesn’t matter either way. Nagauta players (and some tsugaru players) string it up the way you saw on the video, and most tsugaru players string it up the way I show. One way is not better than the other. It’s not worth thinking about.
okay I see.
Just had an espresso at work (sweet jesus those beans) while watching this. Perfect start for a week full of work. I sense an epic shamisen session coming up later today.
I got up early enough for it to be 9 o clock in the morning and I don’t even have to work (week always starts with a day off for me) so I am just having a coffee too and have just watched this splendid episode and am looking forward to working though also for the whole day on my own little website . . .
I would suggest Neo for dummies since I couldn’t follow one brief clip without explanations that I think is around already somewhere made by kyle . . .
after checking out the mentioned Alison Brown (great) I wanted to also recommend The Tuttles cause I think Molly Tuttle is hot but before I got to one of my favorites I stumbled upon the following clip of another at least well playing banjo artist and figured this clip is related even more to the “this is the shamisen blogcast right?”
Yay! Idea for Bachido Blogcast! How a video about different bachis? really show the difference between plastic/wood bachi and bekkou bachi? and if it’s too short add in the difference between Koma’s (bridges) !!
atleast i would be happy to see the difference in flexibility and hear the difference between this “crisp” and “mellow” koma and add in the normal plastic one.
Just a suggestion 
( and hey thanks for the vid!)
Why do I suddenly want to drink espresso after watching your vid, Kyle ?
Karl: Espresso fueled shamisen playing! How did it go?
Hey Bernhard, Neo tutorial sounds good. I’ll add that to the hopper. (Ooh, espresso reference!)
Ortjo: Do you mean in more detail between the bachi than the video in the Learning Center? Grant has a wooden bachi, so maybe I can get him in that.
Great idea about the sound differences for the koma! i have another guest who can participate in that.
Kevin: Why? Because watching espresso being made is like watching love-making… aaaaaaand… I won’t go any farther than that.
Great ideas guys! The wheels are in motion.
Well I doubt the espresso from the morning was still in effect when I got home, but the session went pretty well. Kevin has requested more funky improvs but I’m having a hard time doing it on the shamisen. I might need a bass track to improvise to. I’ve been improvising more on some medieval minor melodies. Having your hand on position 6 with your index finger is the key here as you can easily move to using the open strings as well (niagari).
I was also testing my shamisen MIDI utility and now I just need to get Libor to finish his stuff so we can present it better because this is radical stuff. I put Decisive Battle from Final Fantasy 6 into it and it came out really good. I’m not skilled enough to play it at the original speed and have a good sound come out of the bachi yet though.
I still can’t hold the shamisen without applying too much power with my right hand though 
Holding it like Luke said with not being able to see the strings was even harder. I’ll just try and find a position that works each time I play.
Karl, try closing your eyes when you play. its easier to develop the habbit of not looking at the strings etc. on the subject of basslines, hey check out the billions of instrumentals that people have posted on youtube and/or various other sites. I have literally spent entire afternoons improvising along to video(audio) clips posted online. Many people out there make their own funky beats plus many famous songs are arranged and uploaded as well. In a sense there really is a literal ocean of basslines out there just waiting for someone to funk out a Shamisen part to! But anyway medieval minor sounds cool too! Id like to hear some of that if you ever get around to it.
And also… that`s pretty cool that you are incorporating some final fantasy music.
you know my band use to do arrangements of some Final Fantasy back in the days when we were touring all the time…
p.s. sorry the sound quality isn`t great in that clip above. Someone in the audience took this. probably on a cellphone or something.
Kevin your idea for Karl
“Karl, try closing your eyes when you play. it`s easier to develop the habbit of not looking at the strings etc.”
This sounds like very good idea and i will definitely try it out too. It’s going to need a lot of practice but learning like that is propably very effective
oh and Kyle yes more detailed one with maybe like zoomed plastic and bekkou side-by-side slowmotion playing! 
(great sentence)
so you could maybe see Sukui with the plastic bachi gripping annoyingly to the string and the bekkou slidin off like a beauty and stuff like that :DD
and is there sound difference if you play with different bachi?
Haha nice work. Your hair in that video made for some epic headbanging. I recognized the songs I also saw myself in how you played that last part. It’s so hard to just let the tones remain for a longer time on the shamisen, well on any instrument. When you play someone else’s music you feel this urge of just adding more tones.
I think I’m gonna offer more help to Libor so that we can get this stuff working faster. I’m pretty thrilled about putting out experimental shamisen sheet music for different songs that I am not yet skilled enough to play and see what input we can get from more experienced players. Each input like “the sheet music says I should play it like this but doing X will make it better due to Y” can be added to the logic of the program and we get something even better in the end.
Karl: Is the edge of the dou hooking against your side? If I didn’t do that, it would slip. Perhaps you can film how you hold it if you want me/us to inspect.
Note: It doesn’t really matter if you can get it perfectly balanced or not. Working on the balance is useful if your left/right hand is getting tired.
Also, if you need to see the strings, then definitely hold it so where you can see them. That’s natural when learning a new instrument. So definitely look at the strings, but keep the intention to hold it more vertically, when you are able to.
Notation program: Again, I know almost nothing about programming, but I know what is awesome, and this program sounds like it will be filled with it!
Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will be monumental in the world of shamisen enthusiasts, both in Japan and around the world.
Kevin brah, we need both your shamisen and your headbang-able hair in our upcoming metal band!! Come back to Santa Cruz!! ;-(
Ortjo: Good idea! Will do!
Yeah, different bachi/flex does change the tone a bit.
Great! Looking forward to it
The edge against my ribs isn’t really doing anything for me. As for looking at the strings, it isn’t my precision we’re talking about. It’s not about closing my eyes either. Since I have played guitar I have enough precision that I don’t need to look. Of course it is a bit different with the shamisen but aside from an occasional hit on the wrong string it isn’t a problem. The vertical precision isn’t a problem because I have that already from guitar playing. Horizontal precision while closing my eyes is another matter as there are no frets
The only reason I angle the shamisen a bit is that it is easier to get it stationary then. I just have to work on it.
Hmm… I see.
Well, you’ve only had the shamisen for a few months. Some things just take time for the mind to finally realize something. As I said in the video, it’s all just where you put the dou (and angle it), so there isn’t many options. Thus, place it where it feels the best, and over time you’ll make adjustments as your mind/body becomes more aware of it. (or whatever)
Good stuff!