So, I probably sound like a nerd asking this, but I was wondering if there was any possible way somebody could write how to play any of the Yoshida Brother’s songs. I can’t find notes by ear for the life of me…
Well, anyway, I’m excited to have found this site. O.o
Hi Anthony,
Welcome to Bachido! 
Never! There’s no such thing as a bad question, in my opinion.
It is possible to do that. Actually, with a little knowledge of notation (beat marks 'n all that) and several hours of free time, it is pretty simple to transcribe shamisen music into tablature, from recordings.
First, have your shamisen tuned so it matches the tuning in the recording. Then, listen to the piece bit by bit. (It helps to have a program to slow the piece down. ) Try to play the same notes you hear on the recording. If the sound matches, you’ve found the correct note. As you find the right notes, write them down in a tablature form, like this. (Domain parking page ). Shamisen tab is explained in the Shamisen Crash Course in the Learning Center, btw.
After you have all the notes written down, you listen to it over and over yet again to proofread and make sure you have the right notes in the right spots.
Though the process is straightforward, the really frustrating part is listening to the piece numerous times, and eventually getting sick of the song by the end. 
This was what I did when writing notation for Shamisen of Japan for a few pieces I didn’t know well. If anyone knows of a better way, please suggest it!
Cheers,
Kyle
Haha, thanks. My only problem is that Shamisen is my first real introduction into music, so my ear isn’t too good when it comes to… Listening. But I’m gonna try!
And as for actually playing, my Shamisen is Nagauta Style, which will make playing different, but not impossible right? Narrower neck, and a bit smaller, but otherwise the same right?
Yeah i ended up with Nagauta also, but it works just the same
But definitely will get Tsugaru some day for even better experience and sound
Kyle,
maybe I should call up the Yoshida brothers (I still have their number somwhere from those times we met up at the tai kai ) and ask if they would be willing to “Legally” allow us to transcribe and sell scores of their tunes here on your site.
I know you are more than capable and speaking for myself (I am sorry to sound like an ego maniac ass-clown as Greg Walsh fondly refers to me) but speaking for myself I could easily transcribe any Yoshida brother tune anytime. just give me an hour or two per tune etc.
well…something to think about.
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I feel like I am amongst gods.
More notation is good
Then it’s only the matter of being able to play it
Hey Kevin! If you were able to get permission to transcribe their pieces, that would be awesome! Oh, and no doubt you would be much better at transcribing their pieces. It takes me a long time to transcribe, and even longer to find all the mistakes I make. I will leave it in your very capable hands. Let’s definitely work together on it; You transcribe it and I can lay it out in a spiffy, easy-to-read PDF thing.
And Anthony, you are right. Welcome to Heaven.
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Well, if one of you would grace me with a written translation…
May I make a slightly… greedy request?
Could someone transcribe… Kodo?
I mean, really, we all just want to make our own version of the Wii commercial, right?
Kyle,
I haven`t had any luck contacting the Yoshidas yet. I had a number Kenichi scribbled down for us but when I called it someone else answered.
Either way I was thinking… As long as we are not “SELLING” a score to say KODO and just sharing it do you think there would be any legal problem with that? In that case as you said I could send you a transcription and you could lay it out in a
(and I quote) “Spiffy, easy-to-read PDF thing.”
You didn’t get his personal phone number? Aw man, that woulda been so epic!
Oh yeah. As long as we’re not making money off of it, that should be no problem. Even if laid out in a “Spiffy, easy-to-read PDF thing.”
Just picked up on this…
so… I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but…
I meet up with Ryoichiro (older brother) a couple times per month…
I could run it by him and see what he thinks (considering you guys have already released Kodo ^_-).
Actually we were talking a bit about the Bachido site just yesterday and he seems relatively interested in it.
I cant promise that he’ll go for it (considering it sounds like something he would have to clear with the production agency) but It’s worth a shot~
Wow! That’s interesting! How did you get to meet him a couple times a month? Lessons or a mutual friend? I met his brother, Kenichi, at the hirosaki taikai in 2010, but that was before Bachido was even thought about :-S.
Please do!! That would be really awesome if you could ask him his thoughts about it.
I wonder if either of them would be interested in doing a short segment on BachiTV? Considering that they’re probably uber-busy and part of a music company, it would probably be difficult.
Awesome, Norm! Thank you so much!
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Kudos to you Kyle for trying to get him on the show I share your beliefs that it will be difficult to get it done, but you never know!
And speaking of that… Recently I’ve been wondering just how popular tsugaru shamisen is today. I know that the Yoshida Brothers are pretty famous and most likely the first band that people who don’t know much about shamisen get in contact with, but does a shamisen player in Japan feel like a pop star? Or are you just a weirdo for everyone except shamisen players and tradionalists?
I hope you have the answers. In any case it could be an interesting topic for BachiTV if you get the Yoshida Brothers for the show or Masahiro to talk about the current state of shamisen music and how they feel about it compared to the opinion of the average Joe.
BachiTV episode with yoshida brothers >:D!! MUHAHA its insanely awesome!
as is the fact that norm knows Ryoichiro. Also it would be awesome if the brothers would be seen here on the forum every once in a while 
or even registered so you could see them from the global ball thingy
I think it’s indeed getting more popular around the world (on a small scale, but still…), and I think is still popular-ish in Japan. I mean, no doubt Pop still is big, and I hear African music is actually getting popular there as well, but tsugaru shamisen still is a solid place there.
As for how shamisen players are looked upon in Japan, it depends…
My opinion is that it’s somewhere in between. I mean, like any player, you wouldn’t be perceived as a star until you have recognition (make CDs, or dominate at the tournaments). Even if you weren’t famous, you still wouldn’t be a weirdo for playing shamisen. And though guitar is played far more than shamisen, it’s still common enough that it doesn’t turn heads unless you are famous or at least exceptionally impressive. Of course, there is much more WOW factor if you’re a gaijin playing shamisen there.
Yeah, that’s wild!! What a small world! (especially in the shamisen community ) Who knows, that would be pretty awesome.
So being a gaijin (which I thought was still a negative word) plus whiskey and a couple of released CDs equals instant fame?
I’m just thinking about how interested these popular Japanese shamisen players would be with our small community here. If you are releasing CDs and you are popular you need to be a cool and down to earth person to care about such a thing as Bachido.
Hopefully all of them are, but I doubt we can bet on them coming here and participating in the forum. We still have a great community though and imo it’s all thanks to the experienced players who come here and answer our questions. You know who you are and know also that you rock!
Great response :)!
Haha!! Well, like anyone who reaches fame, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. (probably more important than raw talent) Being gaijin can just potentially give you a little advantage.
Ah, it really depends on the person. Some players aren’t concerned about the spread of shamisen overseas, and others want to see it happen and may help if there is opportunity to do so. That’s why I think Masahiro is a very special person. Not only is he a very successful shamisen player, but he also has a dream about shamisen getting popular across the globe.
As you say, if they come, they come and that would be awesome. If they don’t, it doesn’t really matter because our community is very strong and active! Huzzah!!
P.S
I think gaijin can be negative but it’s also rather neutral, just depending on context. Gaijin (外人 outside person) is short for Gaikokujin (外国人 outside country person) which is formal and not offensive. Gaijin is shorter, so it’s used more often for convenience, not with any negative connotation in mind. Just my opinion. I may be wrong.