Hey guys,
Heres the link,
Please let me know what you think, even if it’s brutal…especially if it’s brutal!
Hey Liam it says the clip is private.
Whoops, sorry its public now.
I’ll await the response of the pros as well since I’m in the same process of learning as you 
I think the way you described how your technique has changed was pretty much the same as mine. What you said about the pinky and you getting tense is how I feel the moment I start thinking about how I SHOULD hold the bachi. I notice this fairly quick these days so then I just remind myself to skip that and just let the bachi end up in the way it wants to in my hand.
My main problem at the moment is getting a powerful strike on the ichi no ito at the center of the dou.
And btw, I’m very bad at recognizing some shamisen songs as I haven’t learned to play many. What tune was it that you played? I know I have heard it before but that song sounds nice for the selection of my next song.
Hey Karl,
No worries, its called Kase no Yakko Odori.
Go for it!!!
Well i think it looked relaxed and actually pretty good… You are ahead of me atleast but i was aware of that 
Just waiting what the pro’s have to say so i can learn from this too
Ooh! I should have seen this earlier. I just started hunkering down with learning CAD for shamisen making, so my brain has been fried. 
Well, the most important questions is, who is that lady in the background?
Finger separation: You said it exactly right!!! To get push the index finger towards the tip, your hand must be relaxed as possible, using only enough force to keep it from falling out of your hand. That’s exactly the feeling you should be going for.
Arm/wrist swing: Originally, I did the same thing. Hearing that the power comes from the arm and not the wrist, I figured that meant to only swing the arm and keep the wrist stiff. However, later on, I found that a combination of both the arm and the wrist yielded a clearer tone.
I believe “power from the arm” is not meant to be taken literally, but is to meant as the general feeling to not swing the bachi like a paddle.” (Power from the wrist only)
Bottom line: Think fluidity.
Great video!!
Oh, Kevin (and Grant) are currently at the Hirosaki taikai. Hopefully they’ll take lots of footage for a Bachido Blogcast episode. Anyway, he’ll probably respond in a few days, methinks.
Oooohh great!!
Thank ya Ortjo, Thank ya Kyle!
Its interested that we have all seem to have gone through the same thing, by trying to relax the wrist, not move it and just use your arm you just end up tensing your wrist. Man playing Shamisen is hard!
Thanks for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
As for the lady, that’s my girlfriend Quina, she got home just as I was making the video!
Wow, this has turned into such a long (and awesome!) thread.
Yeah, it’s funny that happened! I think it’s shows that “one line rules” (power from the arm, for example) can be taken too literally, making you focus on a specific element more than the broader picture. This may sound cheesy, but I think feeling the “flow of energy” is the most important, and you feel it more as you get comfortable playing.
Man playing Shamisen is hard!
Ah, but that is just testament to how hard you are pursuing it. (A good thing, imho) For example, if you learn and get comfortable with the most basic technique (holding/striking the bachi), shamisen will be a very easy instrument. Knowing only enough to make melodies, you can just have fun playing song after song.
In your case, you are working on advancing your level of shamisen (which includes the hand relaxing part). I find that the further one pursues something, it will get infinitely harder because they are constantly pushing into new frontiers. I’ve played Mandolin for 15 years, and it’s just as hard as when I started because I’m constantly pushing my boundaries. The same is undoubtedly true for you and everyone else on the forum. Even Masahiro.
Beginners and masters alike yearn to improve their skill. I think it’s human nature for people to push themselves farther. Rarely do people reach a certain point and then just say, “Okay, I’ve improved enough. I’ll stay at this level.” As Papa always says, "We either go forward or we go backward. "
Anywho, the fact that you are struggling shows that you are taking it seriously! Keeping expectations low will help you enjoy your current level.
This might actually be a good Bachido blogcast episode.
Oh! I had watched an interview of a very famous opera singer a few years ago. I forgot his name, but apparently he was the best of the best, and almost everyone said his voice was perfect. However, when he was interviewed, he said that he thought himself a terrible singer.
Anyway, I was just reminded of that. Whether you are a complete beginner or the best in the world, if you push yourself, it’ll never get easier.
Not sure whether that’s comforting or not.
Actually i think it is comforting because somehow you realize that you have made a LOT of progress from where you started and know that you’ll make more progress the longer you play and challenging yourself is fun so if masters are still struggling with techniques then i’ll be too and the fun will never end lol
Your playing is amazing bro! I’m really proud of you; especially the fact that you are putting so much thought into your bachi. I’ve been here at Hirosaki tournament the past few days really studying the competitors. What I’ve noticed time and time again is that a good 70% of the people performing are not putting nearly as much emphasis on their bachi technique as they are about “trying to play perfectly”. What I mean by that is that they are not exemplifying the correct tonality and fluidity that makes Tsugaru Shamisen so unique (and sometimes particularly difficult).
Like Kyle said, it’s soooo good that you’re asking these questions.
As far as your personal technique goes, you’ve hit it on the head. It is all about being relaxed and finding the sweet spot. For me, I’ve noticed a combination of arm and wrist. One thing I will say, is that you shouldn’t ever have to bring the bachi up really high before you strike it down into the strings. Masahiro is able to produce an amazing tone whilst not really raising his bachi that far away from the skin/strings.
From my perspective it’s about keeping relaxed up until that last milisecond when you strike the string (like how you throw a punch).
Anyway, Kevin is here typing something too, which I’m sure will be a lot more useful. Lol
Keep it up mate, you’re an inspiration!
Oh yes… The struggle never ends. But the way I have always looked at it is that music is kind of like an ocean and even if one were to swim 24/7 every day of their life they would still only have covered a small portion. So it really is impossible to run out of things to conceive of and practice and with new things always comes new techniques.
Liam,
Grant Reimer and I just got back from the 2012 Tsugaru shamisen national tournament.
We both watched your vid and we both immediately had the same reaction. After sitting through days of listening to shamisen players of all different levels we got an instant feeling of how your bachi hand looks and sounds pretty damn good. You have one very strong thing going which is that you are observant. Additionally you are observing some of the best examples (Agatsuma etc.). Grant and I were discussing how even some of the top A class don’t seem to show signs of thinking about what they are doing as much as you. Keep it up man!
Oh how i wish i was Liam right now haha
Hi Everyone,
Ortjo - I have been in Preston all weekend and I have only just seen this. I went to celebrate the birth of my friends baby, we actually had some sunshine and then I came back to Manchester and checked the forum. I am really happy to be me right now! What an awesome day!
Kyle - :), thank you! I agree, I never understand when someone even suggests that they might be “good enough” at something. There is NO such thing.
Kevin - it’s good to know that you think it sounds good and that my technique is sound, that means alot! Especially for someone as epically talented as yourself.
Grant - Heylo! Thank you for the kind words! As for being an inspiration, if you watch the Aiya Bushi in the interview you may be able to tell that it is HIGHLEY influenced by your part in the video you and Kyle made (in that epic garden/farm).
It’s still one of my favourites to this day, I love the way you play it!
Thank you for the encouragement everyone and thank you for taking the time to watch… and prepare to be plagued with questions in the future :p.
P.S - How did it go at the tournament??? You guys have fun???
Liam,
Congrats to your friend and new baby.
Hirosaki tournament was fantastic . Masato shibata won again.
We called Masahiro right afterwards to tell him and he said “aww, god not again.”
Grant and I also promoted bachido pretty aggressively while we were there.
We both got a chance to hang and chat with Kenichi Yoshida (Yoshida bros) a bunch and told him about the site. We also told the legend of all Tsugaru shamisen, Kinoshita Shinichi about it . We saw a lot of our friends from past years and got to hang with Dmitri (left handed player) and Gareth. Those guys have improved light years since I heard them last. Gareth really strives to get the Tsugaru flavor and he is also a funny dude that makes us laugh every year with his personality and enthusiasm. Dmitri played an amazing jongara bushi but half way through his Ichi no Ito broke with an epic snap and hung off his fingerboard for the rest of his performance. Being the true musician that he is, he didn’t even miss a beat and kept playing on just ni and San no Ito all the way up to the end. Needless to say he got a standing ovation from Grant and I.
We did get a few videos of the behind the scenes action. I am actually at work at the moment so I will try to upload and post them here soon.
This sounds all too amazing… I HAVE TO GO NEXT YEAR NO MATTER WHAT.
Yeah sounds like great fun