What would the Gottan sound like if you were to restring it with Nagauta Shamisen strings and play it with a Bachi? I know most people don’t play Gottan with a bachi, but if you were to use one, with Nagauta strings, what would it sound like?
Ohhh Interesting question. So granted I don’t own a shamisen or a gottan, but I believe that 80% of the sound is from the dou itself. So I’m not sure if using different strings would really change how much the instrument sounds like, because of sound is still coming from a completely wooden dou.
Thinking about it might change ever so slightly, but probably still would not sound like shamisen with natural or synthetic skin, but still sound like a gottan. Someone described the gottan to me as a warm sound, but you can tell it was different instrument.
As for the bachi, once again I’m not sure about all this, but I feel that it would be more likely to chip and break because of the more solid and resistant wooden “skin.” So it would probably make it harder to play since you might have to be very careful on how much pressure you are putting on the bachi. You might not be able to play intense Tsugaru songs in fear of breaking the bachi.
I hope this helps and hopefully some of the more experienced people can confirm/change any of this info.
Gladly, I don’t plan on doing any heavy Tsugaru Playing, just slower, theatrical style playing but thanks for answering. I appreciate it
If you are planning for theater work, in an actual theater, you may want to reconsider. The gottan isn’t nearly as projecting as a naguata shamisen. That being said, with the magic of technology (mics and such) you could be heard quite well. If it is just for personal enjoyment, then the volume may not be an issue.
As for bachi/strings and the sound you’d get… The strings, if I’m not mistaken, are the same. The gauge may be different, but it still uses silk/tetron(sp?)/nylon strings. The bachi will allow for more control. However, depending on what it is made of, and how much flex it has will be the key factors in how it alters the sound.
In the end, I’d suggest doing a search online for a video of someone playing with a bachi if you reeeeally want to figure out the sound. Else, feel free to experiment and find a suitable sound for yourself. After all, the only rules are those that are self imposed when it comes to private experimentation.
I hope this was insightful. Best wishes~
When I first read this thread, my gut reaction was “Bachi on wood sounds dangerous,” but then I remembered “Oh hey, the biwa’s been played that way for hundreds of years.” So functionally, I guess it’s doable.
As for the sound, maybe it’d actually sound somewhat like a biwa. I forget if the gottan has sawari or not, though.
Aaaaand so ends my unhelpful post.
When I first read this thread, my gut reaction was “Bachi on wood sounds dangerous,” but then I remembered “Oh hey, the biwa’s been played that way for hundreds of years.” So functionally, I guess it’s doable.
As for the sound, maybe it’d actually sound somewhat like a biwa. I forget if the gottan has sawari or not, though.
Aaaaand so ends my unhelpful post.
Actually, a Biwa sounds more Sitar-Like (With the exception of Gaku-biwa) so I’m pretty sure a Gottan played with a Bachi would sound nothing like a Biwa.
Also, with the biwa, you’re not actually hitting the strings like a shamisen. As for theatrical style, David, you’ll be surprised but a lot of it is very fast because it’s theatrical. You have to simulate people running, fighting, etc. you’re probably thinking more sound wise. Nagauta style is not as hard sounding because there’s a lot if technical stuff going on so you have to learn how to hit one note soft, the next hard, etc. there are of course slower pieces. Anything depicting love or sadness usually is slow.