Awesome video, Kevin. Loved the coffee homage as well. 
As I said to you in a PM (guess now the M isnāt P anymore!), itās time to include your contributions in the Bachido Blogcast. What you made is perfect for it! And to be honest, Luke is moving into his girlfriendās house this week, so itāll be more difficult to make entertaining 10min long episodes. Gonna need some backup.
Keep the awesomeness rolling!
Oh, in response to bachi/hand size. Iād say itās a matter of preference. I have a smaller bachi which fits my hand perfectly, and that makes it easy for me to balance the weight well and execute bachi technique well. The bachi I currently use is larger (the handle is longer and the tip is a little wider), and itās still not as comfortable to use as the smaller one. Case being, I need my pinky/ring finger all the way to the butt end of handle to balance the weight (itās very heavy), and so the thumb reaching the tip is a bit uncomfortable (I only use it ācause itās really flexible :P)
Part of me wants to cut the bachi handle down to the size of my favorite (size) bachi, but then I worry about screwing up. (guess that is what epoxy is for)
Hey Karl that sounded awesome! Great tone, I did the same thing with the 4-3-0-0 phrases (and the hajiki), I just had to play it slowly over and over again, I think I was trying to play the shamisen like it was a guitar, so it ended up being more like 4-3-0-0-3-0, almost using pull offs. Looking forward to the next vid!
Thanks Liam!
Yeah, hopefully I can post an improved version in the coming weeks. That got me thinkingā¦ We should have some way on the forum to tag threads with peopleās progress.
I mean, either you do as I have done now and post a new thread with the new video. This works, but the previous thread will be forgotten and noone is ever going to look at it again.
If you reuse your old progress thread with new videos, people will have a hard time following the discussion.
I donāt know about you guys, but I think it would be pretty sweet if people start uploading their videos, tag the threads and then you can click on a userās profile and see a list of threads tagged with progress videos (sorted by date) and you can see how they have gone from beginners to intermediate and so on. It could also assist people like Kevin to get a feeling of what advice needs to be given.
It is also a great way to look at your own progress. Maybe it should be a new category of threads? Progress Reports.
so it ended up being more like 4-3-0-0-3-0, almost using pull offs.
Liam,
Do mean like 4-3-0 and then 0-3-0 with Sukui?
Karl,
Thatās a good idea. This site could evolve more and more as a source of online study for Tsugaru Shamisen. itās already doing well in that regard but your ideas would bring it to another level.
Kyle,
Yeah we should coordinate. Would you just want me to send you files or something? We should do some together with Masahiro next month. Ohā¦hmmm. I guess that was a no brainer!
Everyone,
Please post more progress videos when you get a chance. It really helps to see where you guys are at in terms of formulating a response. Even if you are just starting out it is good to be willing to show the rest of us and in turn quite a number of us here on the forum can share their experiences and relate it to yours.
special thanks to Jamie Low, Liam, Karl, Stevj, Kevin H. Chet West And others who are already posting themselves from time to time. For me itās a lot more exciting than just reading/responding to words written on this forum.
Keep up the great work everyone!
Yeah we should coordinate. Would you just want me to send you files or something? We should do some together with Masahiro next month. Ohā¦hmmm. I guess that was a no brainer!
Yeah, we could let each other know what weāre going to film about. Truth be told though, I usually come up with the topic the day I film it. if possible, we can let each other know what weāre gonna do, but I think thereās little chance that our topics will overlap.
Yeah! Iāll find a program to share files now. Private youtube vids my be another way (I actually included a sample of your recent contribution in the latest blogcast. 
). Do you have HD capabilities!
This goes out to anyone else who wants to contribute! Karl, Ortjo, Marvin, Norm (whoās already preparing to make the most epic episode yet) Kyoko, Nicholas, Grant, Linda, Gerry, Jude, Liam, Myjob007, Sid B.H, and everyone else, anything, even just a shoutout, Iād be happy to include in the blogcast. In HD, if possible. 
We should do some together with Masahiro next month. Ohā¦hmmm. I guess that was a no brainer!
Uh, duh?? Iām gonna bring the fancy shmancy HD camcorder so we can film official videos and good looking blogcasts. Iām sure we can find people who can film all three of us.
Hey Kevin,
Yeah yeah just like that. I was basically making 6 messy notes instead of 4 solid ones.
I hope this vid will help you. It should be right under the Bowed Shamisen video for Evyn K. www.youtube.com/shamisendemon
Kevin, just wanted to say that I learned more about bachizuke in your 7:55 minute video than I learned in over three years of formal Tsugaru shamisen lessons, back when I was taking them(!). I havenāt played, or even touched, my Tsugaru shamisen in over three years now (partly because my current schedule made fitting in lessons difficult, but also because I just felt I didnāt seem to be getting anywhere with themā¦). After watching your video on the weekend, thoā, I went down and pulled the blessed thing out last night (and apologized to it for not having visited in so long {grin}) and tried to put your instructions into practice.
And Kyle, I also took out your [v.1] book and, for the first time, actually read through most of the pieces - all thanks to Kevinās vid. (I decided against Akita Niikata Bushi and Kita no Hibiki, 'cause I would only have discouraged myself again by going anywhere near those two!! {lol}).
Anyway, along with the rest of the Bachido members, Iām looking forward to more of these excellent instructional tidbits. Thanks again for posting, and please keep 'em coming!
Linda,
Wow. I am very glad to hear that the video could be helpful.
Yes Kyle and I will need to coordinate and get these things organized I think that we can create more of these in the future.
Thanks for sharing Karl! I think it will be awesome meet up with you next month and practice together! Really looking forward to that! I think I can learn a lot from how you have done to get better.
Iām glad that I could inspire you! Of course you should go to the taikai! Fake it til you make it! We just have to think we are the best until we actually are! 
Anyone else up for the challenge?
And Kevin, thank you for the great video you put up to explain some parts of Rokudan, it really helped me to get a better understanding of the sound and rythm. Iāll keep practicing getting better at my bachizuke and my left hands agility separately and slowly.
My biggest problem now is that Iām holding the bachi a bit to hard, so after some playing I get cramps in my hand.
Lolā¦ the harshness of being a tsugaru shamisen playerā¦
Itās a rough life Anne. But we must persevere and triumph over adversity!
Hey Grant
Hey Rocker! Donāt forget to write that review before the thread gets swallowed up forever .
Kevin, bring it to Sapporo so Masahiro and I can listen to it!
great!
wooow it sounds very well! And I like a lot the final thing, you made some personal finish to the song, I suppouse, and I like it a lot!