Good news and Bad news

General
#1

Hello everyone!

Thought I would pop in and give you an update on what I’ve been up to.

The Good news: my teacher asked me to play in her student concert in February! I have less than 10 lessons under my belt but she believes I can do it, and even gave me a more challenging variation of the song I’m doing. I’m practicing hard for this one. Ill be in Kimono, playing seiza style (which needs work too) and it’ll be in a Japanese tea house to top it off!

The Bad news: I’ve been getting more and more interested in the Koto, ever since I got to listen to one of my teachers students play. It’s got me enchanted, and I’m thinking about making a switch next year. I still love Shamisen, but I think it might be best to learn the instrument that’s on my mind the most. But we’ll see! Sad part is if I switch I guess I can’t be part of Bachido anymore, and I don’t think there is an online community for Koto players yet either. :frowning: Unless you guys don’t mind me blabering about Koto stuff.

I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying this holiday season!

#2

Hi Evyn:
I, for one, certainly don’t mind you or anyone else blabbering about koto. ;-). If we blabber enough, maybe one day Kyle may make a koto sub-forum here … (That happened on a large, now-defunct, shakuhachi site I used to be part of.)

As a koto player myself (it’s my primary instrument, followed by jiuta shamisen, and then Tsugaru…) over the years, I have found two online koto sites similar to Bachido. Less active, perhaps, and the participants don’t quite “bond” as people seem to do here, but still, members are helpful, friendly, sharing, etc. One group is on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/groups/japanesemusic (I am the mod for it) and the other is a Yahoo group - http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/kotoworld. (You need to request admission because there was a bad spam problem a few year ago, but acceptance is pretty much guaranteed once you write as a “human” and say you’re into koto :-D). Feel free to join either or both and maybe read old posts/ask some questions before you finalize your decision to switch, if that would help.

I don’t see any reason why you would need to stop being part of Bachido if you switched to koto. There’s lots of interesting and fun knowledge, vids, cameraderie, performance announcements, etc. here. You still have an interest in shamisen (no one said members have to be players), and it’s still all under the heading of “Japanese music”. You could certainly decide to move to koto and still remain either an active or passive participant here. So go where your heart tells you, and still feel welcome.

Kyle and Bachido members, back me up on this, tell Evyn she’s still in!

#3

Sure your still welcome! Alot of shamisen players also play other insturments. I got interested in the Chinese Erhu a year ago. I’m still not great at playing it yet but, I still love the sound of it.

#4

WOW! Thank you so much Linda! I had no idea there were Koto players about on Bachido! We’ll have to keep in touch via Bachido, if you want to that is.

And thank you too, Jennifer. The Erhu IS beautiful! I might have taken it up too, but I feel the itch to learn a Japanese instrument since I live in Japan. So many beautiful instruments out there, I love Celtic harps too!

I know I’m not very active here (two jobs will do that to you >_

#5

Also to add - Kyle, maybe you could make an “other Asian instruments” general chat area? For Koto, Erhu, Shakuhachi, etc. Just a though since it looks like Asian instruments (and maybe most instruments in general!) are like potato chips and many people are finding they can’t play just one! ^^

#6

Hey, koto is Japanese and it has strings so that’s good enough for me. You can still be a member of Bachido. I am actually thinking if learning to play taiko or tsuzumi in addition to shamisen (just so I will be prepared when an epic kabuki jam session breaks out at random lol)

Didn’t Kyle say that shakuhachi tutorials were coming to the learning center? Maybe he will let you write a koto tutorial too, since shakuhachi and koto are good accompanying instruments for shamisen.

#7

Shakuhachi? Sweet! I love them! Wish I had the money to learn them all! My husband loves Shakihachi flutes as well, but ah we’ll it’ll have to be on the back burner for a long while.

I would be honored to help make any kind of Koto tutorial, but he might be better off finding a master if he decides to add Koto to the library. I’m not that great of a player really!

Jam sessions… you know I would love to experience one of those someday! I can imagine someday going to a Tokyo Bachido get together and bringing a portable mini koto - yes they do exist! - to try jamming. :slight_smile:

#8

Just a though since it looks like Asian instruments (and maybe most instruments in general!) are like potato chips and many people are finding they can’t play just one! ^^

Haha very true!

Jam sessions… you know I would love to experience one of those someday! I can imagine someday going to a Tokyo Bachido get together and bringing a portable mini koto - yes they do exist! - to try jamming. :slight_smile:

Hmm… perhaps this means we should have an annual Bachido meetup or something lol The problem with shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, etc is finding other people to play those instruments with during aforementioned jam session. I have to admit, even though shamisen is in my opinion one of the most amazing sounding instruments in the history of history its sadly not by any means the most common (at least outside of Japan of course).

#9

I don’t mind that we discuss other related instruments. I think it is safe to say that we can take care of the problem when it appears, meaning when there are lots of Koto related discussions taking our precious Shamisen forum space.

A sub forum for each of the other Japanese traditional instruments would probably solve most problems.

I for one love the sound of the Koto as well. It’s just that the Shamisen is better of course :stuck_out_tongue:

#10

Cody - yes I agree, finding each other is the challenge! I think a yearly or twice yearly get together should be possible!

I was torn between the Shamisen and the Koto for weeks, so the Shamisen will always have a place in my heart. I can see myself taking it back up in the future since my teacher teaches both. After all, Shamisen and Koto are often paired for many songs!

And it’s true, even in Japan you don’t find too many people playing traditional instruments. But that just makes us special I think!

#11

personally - sub forum
i love hearing about sakuhachi, taiko, koto, erhu, pipa etc as well.

#12

I too love the Koto. I’m admittedly pretty unfamiliar with the “scene” since I mostly keep my attention focused on the Shamisen scene. But regardless of that I have certainly had the experience of having my mind blown clear out of my skull as a result of Amazing Koto performance ! Shamimaster Toshi (Shishido) introduced me to some of that stuff many years ago. He’s also an Awesome Koto player!

#13

I was actually interested in koto before hearing shamisen. In fact, when I first approached Kevin K in 2006, I asked him if he knew any koto teachers. :stuck_out_tongue:

And six years later, last week I had the pleasure of seeing koto played live! In front of me! For the first time!

The very talented Muramoto san transcribed Modan (Yoshida Brothers) to koto, so we pulled out a duet, as well as some improv.

We will potentially be playing a gig together next year, so if last week’s meeting was any indication, it should be pretty awesome!! :slight_smile:

#14

Well my mind is blown! It’s so cool you guys are into Kotos too! I want to do everything from traditional music to experimental stuff to song covers. You guys got some great covers out there for the Shamisen, but Koto covers appear to be non-existent!

I like to believe you can rock, pop or anything on a koto. The harp people on YouTube have me all pumped up to try, and the mini 4ft Koto means ill be able to get out there and do some pretty awesome stuff someday instead of being stuck at home with a regular (though amazing!) 6ft Koto.

It’ll be a while though, need to focus on playing (rocking!) the Shamisen for the concert, then work on some traditional music when I start Koto after the concert. I think that’s really important.

Kyle- so do you think you’ll make a sub-forum for people experimenting with other Japanese/Asian instruments and their general shinanigens? ^^

#15

I found the koto before the shamisen, and absolutely love it. That being said, I think sometimes we (including me) forget that Kyle is gasp a real person! One who has feelings, who has to eat and sleep and drink and take personal time. I could be wrong, but I don’t think he makes a whole lot of money from Bachido, it being his labor of love, so how much of his time can we realistically expect him to devote to it? My point being, I for one kinda think we should stick to the shamisen here. The aforementioned shakuhachi videos would be great to see if he and his family are so inclined to make them. Don’t let me speak for you though, Kyle. And I’m not trying to be a jerk to anyone else on this thread, but this small tight-knit Bachido community is what keeps me coming on day after day. Like Karl said, I don’t think a little deviant discussion here and there would hurt, but Kyle started this place as a refuge for shamisen players and enthusiasts who had nowhere else to look for info/support/community. So… DEATH TO THE OUTSIDERS!! -

(I’m just kidding). ;p

Btw I play the guqin/sitar/ pipa as well, (as far as “Asian” instruments go, [ok, I own a pipa, haven’t played it in ages] just so ya’ll don’t think I’m some militant shamisener).

#16

I love both shamisen and koto. I have made several nagauta shamisens and one (yamada) koto. I think I play the koto better than shamisen. But now I’m practicing the shamisen (Kuroda bushi).

In the future I would like to make Tsugaru shamisen. Then Kyle’s book will help a lot.

#17

I’m with Jonathan’s comment :slight_smile:

I love the koto music too I think though that if at all there should be a subforum separated from the main forum’s posts overview for other instruments that might not hurt :slight_smile:

#18

Good point, Jonathan. Though I love bolstering my God-like image, I am real (and single!) and Bachido is definitely a labor of love. Fortunately, donations and commissions from shamisen sales do help to pay for web design and other developments so I don’t lose money on it.

I guess, long story short, the Bachido Empire is still in development which is time I want to invest in anyway (making new Crash Courses + trying to get the below-$500 shamisen produced so that everyone can start playing shamisen). It gives me a lot of purpose in life, distracts me from my lack-of-social life, so as long as everyone behaves themselves (well, sometimes :wink: ), I’m a very happy camper. I’m always stoked on how strong and mutually supportive the community has become, and that strongly encourages me to strive on.

And as one who often gabs about metal and posts videos of a monkey washing a cat, I can’t complain about staying on topic. :wink: As long as there’s a free flow of ideas & sharing, I approve. :slight_smile:

Speaking of which, time for my bi-daily Bodom fix!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuR1Aous22o (Solo at 2:21 makes me want to get a whammy bar for my mandolin so bad)

Another good point! Nuts, I completely forgot about having subsections! Early on, we thought about having sections dedicated to other shamisen styles and for koto, shakuhachi, taiko and such, but that must’ve gotten forgotten in the giant hopper of projects. Well, that will change once Papa makes his shakuhachi crash course.

Ideally, I would like to have a Bachido “clone” for each instrument. I.e, the basic building blocks of Bachido is a crash course, community and store. Because we can totally make a community & store section the crash course would be tricky, as I know almost nothing about koto/jiuta/nagauta/taiko.

However, adding shakuhachi will be a good trial of this. Besides, I have a secret weapon. My FATHER! :wink:

In conclusion -

#19

And I need my daily fix of heavy metal and leather, and the best metal singer who has ever walked this earth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_gR7pkAcAc

#20

Your awesome Kyle. A money washing a cat… lol

Don’t worry I won’t spam Bachido with too many Koto shinanigins. ^^" Completely up to you if you want to get sub-forums going for Japanese and other Asian instruments. If I get good enough at the koto I’d be more than happy to help you make a koto crash course if you can’t find someone.

I think what brings us all together is playing instruments that aren’t so popular, and thus less catered to. Even in Japan I don’t see things for traditional instruments at the regular music shops, have to find special stores, but I know I’m lucky to have those!

And while we are sharing videos…

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