Progress report - My first videos

Share Your Music
#1

I’ve been waiting to become better at playing before I uploaded my videos but magic doesn’t happen overnight. I thought I’d just post two videos to say hi. I don’t play the songs flawlessly, I notice I don’t hit the center of the skin (one reason for this is that I have no strap for my home made doukake so if I keep my arm farther down it will come off). Definately need to improve my snapping. When I compare my bachi hand with other better players it feels like I’m barely applying any pressure at all. Unfortunately I can’t use my finger nail when playing because I’m a nail biter trying to stop. I tried playing with the crooked finger anyway but that started wearing the growing nail out. I will simply have to wait for it to get longer.

Feel free to bombard me with advice and opinions. I hope it takes a lot for me to cry :slight_smile:

Kuroishi Yosare practice

Some improvisation/practice

PS. I’ve uploaded them in 720p. I’ve got pretty bad lighting so not sure if matters much. Maybe the audio quality goes up.

#2

Karl,

Fantastic! Thumbs up for both performances! I know its natural and healthy to dwell on "Flaws" and seek advice on how to become better but I want to focus more on what was good here! Kuroishi Yosare- the great thing here is your style and ability to capture the mood. Tsugaru Shamisen comes from a folk tradition. The musicians who created the Tsugaru songs and style had plenty of heartfelt life experiences to draw from. So its more meaningful to play with spirit than to play “Flawlessly”.

Improvisation-That was Rockin` man! You can express yourself through this instrument! Keep enjoying it and your Shamisen(musical) vocabulary will grow naturally along with your dynamic range.

#3

Thanks for your encouraging words Kevin! I get your point, I will most likely progress faster by focusing on having fun and trying stuff out - especially now in the beginning.

Recording myself revealed a lot of stuff that I can improve on. It will also serve as a just timelog of my progress.

#4

HI Karl,
I am really impressed by your performance. When did you start learning/ playing shamisen ??? I am learning Nagauta shamisen and I am very very far from you. When I see you I think it’s so easy but when I have my shamisen in hands, it’s a pity… I am starting to play with my left fingers on notes 3 and 4 and it’s very hard. So, i can only say congratulations. I will of course improve my shamisen practise but really to do more than one hour per week for sure…
Cheers from Paris
Frédéric

#5

Hi Frédéric,

First, thank you for your words!

I received my shamisen in mid November last year me thinks. I wasn’t playing much in the first weeks but I try to get at least 5-6 hours a week. I want to practice more but I have to think about the neighbours and sometimes I get home late. There is the stealth bridge which I bought but right now I try to get rid of bad sounds so I want to hear the real deal.

I’ve been watching some other videos on youtube of people starting playing the shamisen I can directly recognize how it was when I first started playing the guitar. There are so many minor parts of the fingers that have to be strengthened and stretched and it doesn’t happen over night. Even using a plectrum properly takes time to learn, so I can only imagine how it is to start with having to learn playing with both hands again from scratch.

I really hope people who are playing their first stringed instrument aren’t feeling that their learning rate is bad compared to mine because you need to take my previous experience into consideration. I try to keep a humble approach to my current status, which is why I keep saying that I am aware of many flaws etc. In my opinion this helps in learning.

Playing guitar has definately given me a head start, but as Kevin said in another thread guitar players have to watch out so that they do not get into a bad habit with some techniques that are done differently on the shamisen. The finger nail is one of those things but if I keep it in my mind I will hopefully be able to transition into that more easily later.

When I was learning to play the guitar I used to play approx. 1 hour a day and doing concentrated training on a specific part. If you do this for a week or two you will most likely improve dramatically at that specific part of the playing. But it’s a lot about how you feel when you play, if you are open for learning or if you are irritated which will block the learning. I remember feeling “THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE” and when you realize you are at that state, its all about relaxing and thinking “What can I do differently?” and try the next day again.

Increasing the amount of time you play each week should make you learn much faster!

Just my experience on learning stringed instruments!

And the most important part, which I myself try to repeat to myself as often as I can is what Kyle says, that you need to focus on having a good time. If you feel nothing is going your way, skip all the technical playings and just play whatever you want.

#6

Hey Karl,

That’s Great! Your improv was very funky!

L

#7

Sexy beast!! :stuck_out_tongue:
Sorry, just had to say that. :wink:

Dude, your Kuroishi Yosare piece sounds really good and natural!!! Considering how short a time you’ve been playing, I’m very impressed! Yeah, keep having fun and you are going to naturally build up skill.

That’s a great point. It’s nice to have a visual/audio record of how you are progressing. I still have a recording of my first lesson with Kevin (had prior shamisen-self teaching/noodling experience, but no formal lessons) which I’m glad I have, and sometimes listen to for lulz.

Always remember: Consistency over quantity! Playing 10 minutes every day will get you more progression than several hours once a week. 10 minutes a day was my strenuous regiment for years. :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

Thanks guys!

@Liam:
Yeah I mostly improvise to basic blues and funk beats. It is a pretty natural form of music imo, and is where improvising is what its all about. I hope I can compose some funky music later on, with both guitar and shamisen together.

@Kyle:
Beach 2012, me and that sexy jumper, we’ll be there.

I agree on doing it often, and of course it differs from person to person how much time you need. But I still recommend some long sessions now and then, especially if it’s one of those days where it feels really good playing. At least it helped me in getting past some difficulties where you just need to keep going until it’s done properly. I still get a bit sore in my bachi hand so sometimes I may play the shamisen for a period of 1 hours, but the actual playing might be like 40 minutes due to resting my hand and stretching it.

#9

Karl,
Keep posting vids whenever you feel up to it!
Its exciting to witness the development of musical talent firsthand and you are definately on the right path. In my minds eye (or “Ear” I guess I should say) I can imagine your playing after you have developed a little more of a dynamic range. crescendos, decrescendos, sudden soft playing or the opposite (sudden bursts of loud notes) would make everything you play sound more “Shamisenesque” (Is there such a word?) Especially “Tsugaru” Shamisen is all about those kinds of dynamic swells. For inspiration I would recommend listening a lot to Kinoshita Shinichi, Asano Sho, Masahiro (of course!) Nitta, Hiromitsu Agatsuma, Hanawa Chie, Yamagami Susumu, Shibatta Kyoudai, Kamiya Takafumi,
Shibutani Kazuo, Kaoru Osanai and look for old recordings of Shirakawa Gunpachiro etc…etc…
Then try copying their dynamic approach and add that feel into your funky improvs!
At that point there will be no stopping you!!!

#10

Oh yes, I know what you are talking about :slight_smile: I’m very inspired and encouraged to get to that point where my soul and feelings control the sound/dynamics. As you say I will be able to do this once I’ve practiced more on my technique. I have already listened to a lot of those artists, but some names are new to me so I’ll definately check them out!

For the evening I’m going to work on my bachi grip again. I looked at this video by Masahiro and that bachi grip just looks so great and you can see how he has total control of the strikes. Getting the snapping sound looks so easy with his grip.

And as I’ve mentioned before, your videos are very inspiring to me as well! I particularly want more videos where the camera is focused on the bachi hand. This one of you is really good for watching technique:

#11

Ah yeah. Definitely if you feel like playing more, don’t stop yourself. :slight_smile: However, sometimes we get the feeling that they need to play 5 hours a day to get better, and so it’s good to remember that isn’t so.

I do see that your bachi hand is quite stiff. Always strive to keep your bachi hand as relaxed as possible. This will actually greatly improve your tone! :slight_smile:

#12

Yeah I’ve noticed it myself. I think it’s because I don’t have full control and keeping a tight grip makes it easier to play fast, but produces a worse sound. I was playing around today, holding the bachi in different ways. I wasn’t able to hold my hand like in the bachido logo, which is as how Masahiro is holding it. However I’ve seen that a lot of the good players Kevin mentioned are not holding it like that so I guess it’s very much up to each player’s hand.

Even though it might not seem so, I do remind myself each play session to try and keep it relaxed, so hopefully it will all come around.

In the video I noticed I produced the same kind of scraping sound that I experienced when performing sukui. I believe this has to do with my stiff grip as well. Today I tried a different approach to the striking. It’s hard to express in words but the difference is that what made it better was to just set the bachi strike in motion but not applying any pressure at all with the fingers until it actually comes into contact with the string. With a stiff hand you are kind of applying pressure on the bachi with your thumb on the way down.

#13

Karl,
You are RIGHT ON with that last thing you said about staying relaxed until the Bachi and finger (thumb) connect with the strings! Keep this new discovery of yours in your mind frequently while you practice. It is actually one of the most important insights you could stumble upon because it`s not just for impovement of tone but also to make sure you do not mess up the tendons and nerves in your wrist and end up with wrist problems later on.

Well I am very glad to know that my Jongara naka bushi is inspiring you but at the same time I have to confess it is a rather embarrasing performance. I think it was filmed back in 2007 or 2008 and I have definately improved significantly since those days. Nevertheless it was very revealing to me and made me think about what you said how posting videos can serve to document a personal history of improvement. To be honest though I have never attempted to be the best Tsugaru Shamisen player. The point where I shine is in my original Shamisen music. I am interested in bringing new ideas into Shamisen music today and fusing a more modern sound together so that one day 100 years from now people will have a standard to relate to…

Shamisen music in 1950 sounded like this. . .
Shamisen music in 1990 sounded like this. . .
Shamisen music in 2012 sounded like . . . . . . .( ? )

I hate to offend anyone but if I were to be completely honest it really fills me with disappointment when I hear a recording of Shirakawa Gunpachiro from 1950 (or whatever) and realize that the basic vocabulary and phrasing is almost 100% identical to the phrasing of the general Tsugaru Shamisen performer of today. it upsets me when I hear people talk about how it is all about personal expression when 99% of them are copycat players. The times we live in are unique . Nearly everyone has access now to almost any kind of music. Today there is an ocean of musical knowledge and inspiration flowing all around the world but most Shamisen players refuse to swim in it (with the exception of Kinoshita, Masahiro, Agatsuma and a handful of others)

Learning the tradition is important and essential. There is no denying that… but
Kuroishi Yosare, Jonagara and Ringo bushi are songs from times that have past.
and were written to keep the spirit of that past alive.

In my opinion we have a responsibility to the future just as much as we do to the past. We live in a time that needs to be captured as well. Some may misunderstand me and claim that I am going against the tradition but that`s not the case. I am simply pointing out that There is a NEW style of Shamisen already emerging which reflects todays muticultural world!
Your funky improv is a clear example of this!

#14

Even though I’m not an experienced player yet I can still hear when someone isn’t happy with a mistake or such when playing. I am well aware that you have improved since that video because before I saw that video I didn’t think you could do any mistakes! To me, it doesn’t matter if someone makes a mistake as long as I like the performance. And I completely understand that any musician that has progressed over the years is kind of embarassed to see old stuff :smiley:

I also read a comment there that you had no soul when playing and that it was all technical playings. I feel I haven’t completely grasped the concept of “soul” that is being discussed a lot in the Tsugaru Shamisen ground, because I feel you had soul when playing that song. To me “soul” or “feeling” is when you see and hear a person playing an instrument and you know that that person is enjoying every note she/he plays.

That said, I believe we should all let everyone do whatever they want with their instrument (except smashing it against the floor at live shows). Copycats are probably happy with how they play and I say we can let them be that. For one, they will at least be able to carry on the technical aspects to new people who want to learn. Obviously though, if some people start thrashing your way of playing, you are bound to explain to them how you feel. That’s only natural.

While I’ve never met anyone in my life that is conservative when it comes to music, if I did I would definately be with you on the topic. You can’t put a lid on creativity. There is a lot of crap music out there today that is VERY popular. But that is only my opinion and I can only let these people listen to that music. So many people enjoy this music and enjoying music is GOOD. It’s not like I’m going to put a stop to there being more crap music if I start a crusade. I’d just be hated. All everyone can do is keep making their music and hope they get connected with other people in the world who like the same stuff.

I think it will take a while for me to get tired of the traditional songs, but I’m not here to only listen to them. I’m here because when I grew up I heard cool sounds when watching feudal Japan movies, played games with Japanese music and played around with the MIDI sounds on my SoundBlaster, where Shamisen and Koto were two of the best sounds for having a distinct melody. I’m here because even though I am 26 right now, I watch Naruto because I know there is bad ass music with guitars and shamisen in it.

I’m here to make badass music.

#15

Hey Karl,
Yes no offense at all to players who want to do nothing but traditional material. And as you point out it is they who are most qualified to bring those technichal aspects to new generations.
But what really excites me is when I hear an honest refletion of todays world coming through a Modern Shamisen Player. That is why people like Masahiro Nitta are so special. The real idea is to master the traditional songs and material. Then keep mastering until finally you hit a wall and at that point you have to look to something else. Build on top of the tradition first! But dont be fooled into thinking that the old songs are the “End” of the story!

It sounds to me like you are already on this path.
Of course at this point your focus should doubtlessly be the basic songs.
Have you begun practicing Jongara bushi or Roku dan?
Well at any rate some of the styles popping out of your improvisation definately have the potential to be badass as you say!
All that is left for you is to develop technique because the music is already inside you. I can hear that!

Looking forward to future video posts!

#16

I did start with Rokudan but I tend to get stuck with the intro part as I’m having trouble getting that distinct powerful sound when hitting the ichi no ito. It’s just not the bachi, its also about sliding in a good way. I think you understand what I’m saying. You notice when a player is in full control over his instrument. Of course I can’t master each single part before moving on to the next, but I’m just that type of person who wants to achieve at least an acceptable level before moving on.

I posted a video of me performing the bachi strike with snap in the other thread where we discussed that topic:

I will try and make some new videos as well, it’s really motivating to have a great player watch them and discuss them!

© 2020 Kyle Abbott