Good enough for me! Everyone has to start somewhere right? 
Sara: Is there no hope we could get you out for at least part of the Japan Tour this year…? It would be simply wonderful to have more representatives from the nagauta community out there with us~
Hi Sara, I’m one of Mary Ohno’s students here in Seattle. A pleasure to meet you!
Can you guys clue me in on how she teaches? Like is she strict? Does she make you feel comfortable? Stuff like that…
Hi Adrian, sadly I cannot as it looks like I will be in a production of South Pacific at that time.
Hi Jon! So glad to see another of Mary sensei’s students =D
And to answer you Chi, I find Mary sensei to be very patient. She understands that some students may have busier lives than others. She’s very forgiving, but because of this, it makes me try even harder to practice on my own and to make the best of what little time I have with her.
I don’t know what type of learner you are, so I can’t really say whether or not she’d be a good teacher for you, but if you’re self motivated, and disciplined (even a little - sometimes I only can put in 20 min a day) then she might be a good teacher for you. Jon might want to add more or negate what I said lol. Learning over Skype is very different than learning in person. It really depends on how hard you want to work on your own.
Thank you for your advice. I learn the best in person, hopefully I will be okay with skype.
How does she deal with embarrassment/nervousness because I’m a little self conscious about my singing. I’m afraid I will butcher the beautiful songs, especially since my voice is very low pitched.
She’s very kind. You really have no worries and a low pitch is probably better. I’m a high soprano and have a very hard time singing the low notes. Sensei is also lower pitched so I’m sure she can give you tips on how to hit the high notes. Most shamisen players are men and the music were composed by men and also - the shamisen can be tuned to fit your pitch range :). I think that’s why it’s fret less. And the songs are hard for anyone. I have been in many audition choirs in college and played different musical instruments and I can tell you that the shamisen is the hardest instrument I ever played and the songs are equally because they are harmonizing. So you’re singing a different melody than what you’re playing. It’s like running your stomach while patting your head. The great thing is, you’ll learn how to so each separately first
I hope this answers your question
It does, thank you! I feel much more confident
Hi Chi, Ohno-Sensei is a great teacher and is both patient when she needs to be, and strict at other times.
I took a Skype lesson a few weeks ago because I couldn’t make it to a rehearsal and she was very accommodating, especially given all the syncopated parts we had to play.
For songs you’ll start doing them separately. But if you can, I really encourage you to try singing while playing from the start. It’ll help later.
I’ll try but I don’t know if I can since I’ll be focusing so much on playing. Did not singing from the start make it harder for you?
Certainly didn’t hurt my playing, but now I need to go back and work on signing along with the songs I’ve learned up until this year.
Oh, I didn’t know it would be a whole year before I started singing. Will there be sheet music? Unfortunately, I have a horrible memory.
I really dont like the Idea to “upgrade” a shamisen to a tsugaru. It is different instrument tipes, coming from different social class and times. nagauta and gidayu (the thickest and most rare/expensive) are strongly linked to burgeouis theater traditions, whereas Tsugaru Jamisen is a relatively young regional Minyou style. There is no hirarchy between the styles and instruments, it is a matter what you want to play. If you want to play Tsugaru, than you should play it on a proper instrument. If you want to play chamber music, than you should use a chuzao. Indicating the other shamisen types are some sort of starter models for a tsugaru is a misunderstanding of organology and japanese music history. Sure, you can play whatever I want, i do that too, but i think one should be aware of instruments both organologically and historically.
Chi…
I also take lessons via Skype from Mary Ohno. I live in Alabama and there is absolutely no one here who teaches shamisen. I found Mary sensei online and happy that I did.
Just like Sara, I recommend Mary Ohno.
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In my opinion, here is what each Shamisen is best for:
Jiuta: Sankyouku style works best.
Nagauta: The more theatrical styles of Kabuki and Noh are best used with Nagauta-Jamisen. You can also play with speed and for fun.
Tsugaru: Best if you want to play with Speed, or if you want to play for fun, or theatrical style. Basically a Nagauta-Jamisen with a lower sound.
Actually, the shamisen is never played in Noh theatre. You might be thinking of Buyo Dance or Bunraku. And I think its better to call the different sizes as hosozao/chuzao/tsugaru because it gets very confusing in my oppinion since jiuta and nagauta are musical styles and both are played on the chuzao. Personally I think its just whatever size fits you. I have a hosozao and play nagauta and i could never play on a chuzao or tsugaru because they are too big for my hands and I cant reach certain notes. A chuzao is probably the most flexible when it comes to what style of music you want to play. Nagauta is very fast and technical so you can easily play tsugaru music on a chuzao as well although it might be like playing viola music on a violin.
Thanks so much for the info! Its nice being able to get advice from more experienced players.