thanks for the input amanda. everyone seems to have an issue with weight and grip so those will certainly be addressed in this project.
ill also ask again for everyone to please post a picture of them holding the bachi from the top and from the bottom. they will really help me out, especially when addressing ergonomic issues and compatibility between players!
Come on members! I know we’ve all got a camera lying around and free time as well! 
Beginner to experienced, the more examples of bachi holding, the better!
was going to do it today but was sewing and wallpapering so will try asap!
What?! You were going to sew and wallpaper without telling us?? Inexcusable! We need a picture of that too!
oh gosh, it’s been a few days since I followed this thread - photo coming right up …
Okay, I’m a total beginner - I used the same method as Kyle - color coded where I grip the tightest
photo 1 - from the top.
photo 2 from underneath - not color coded, because it was hard to do on my phone, lol - got lazy - but you can get the drift from the first photo, right? 
Hope that helps some - if not, let me know, and I will re-do!
(And, uh, Kyle, not to try to get a free lesson or anything … but if you can see some improvements to be made - don’t feel shy about a-speakin’ up!)
XOXO
Very interesting!
Kyle, not to try to get a free lesson or anything … but if you can see some improvements to be made - don’t feel shy about a-speakin’ up!
Ah, well since you ask… 
Please take a look at 1:48 seconds into the Holding the Bachi video in Chapter 4 of the first crash course. I show the way you are holding it, and the way it should be ideally held at.
(No worries if it’s too uncomfortable)
Congrats on getting a profile picture up! Are you involved in theatre?
Yes, I am! That’s me as Guinivere in “Camelot”. Oh… one or two years ago … in dog years.
And Thank You! I will look at the crash course again - I’m probably getting sloppy without a teacher to remind me - I just finished practicing, and was trying to emulate the way I saw you holding it, and I noticed a difference in my playing, although I was trying to push my pinky out like yours, and found that a bit difficult.
Although, Chris, I might have to take a new picture after I go through the crash course again! lol
A few minutes later: Ohhhhhh!!! Emily Litella voice* “Well, that’s very different, isn’t it?”
Ohhh, I see why! It’s much more uncomfortable for now, but the bachi is flatter against my palm, therefore, I don’t have to bend my wrist as much to hit the strings …
Thank you, Kyle!
Okay, new grip, and now I see why everyone is complaining about the pinky! I learned that other grip in that shamisen class that I took, (the one where the teacher went off on tsugaru style, - I have since quit) - the teacher sent another student over to teach me, and he taught me that grip, and she never checked it - I don’t think he was that much more proficient than I …
So here is the new “No, I’m not a noob, I just play one on TV grip”, except that yes, I’m a noob. Thanks again, Kyle!
Because this grip is new and uncomfortable, I’m really hanging on with my pinky, so there is a lot of pressure there. I don’t know if you can see in the photo, but the knuckle is pink. I think a dent there would really help a lot (uhm, in the bachi - not in my pinky). 
thanks for your photos lorraine! the pinky/ring finger tension has been a tricky design problem but i think im making some headway on it.
i think that i can work for a while without further pictures for now, so thanks to all who sent theirs in. ill make another post in the forum when the next step comes
Today is actually the first day I really played with the corrected grip - WOW - the strings actually ring differently, perhaps I was dampening them?
Problems, though - the bachi keeps wanting to flip inward, I have to reposition it after every song (and now I see why the plastic bachi are so cheap, they’re slippery). Also, the sharp corner on it hurts. It hurts slightly less on my wooden bachi, but I think that’s because that one is smaller. I can also now see why Kyle thinks a shrimp-shaped bachi handle would be a good thing.
Here is what I did in the meantime, until I have enough money to get one of the Bachido store’s “faux-bekkou” bachi.
I had to use the drumstick tape on top to hold the bicycle tape down. (And now I have scads of it, lol - hrm, what else can I use it on?)
Do you guys think it’s awful that I did that, and that I should take that junk off immediately before I become an even worse player (not possible, lol)?
The little padding from the bicycle tape really helps with the slipping, although now the handle is slightly bigger from it, so now there’s even more of a problem that it doesn’t fit very well between my ring finger and my pinky - but that’s not as bad as pain, so it’s a trade-off.
I think what’s needed here is an indentation in the spot where the pinky lies. Maybe, if you can, splay the indentation slightly out on the sides, so there is more of a “bed” for the pinky to rest in. Or … maybe an indentation from both sides?
I don’t know, I’m not a designer, just throwing this stuff out there to see what sticks.
Hope everyone’s weekend was awesome! Was it as hot in Santa Cruz as it was here? XOXO
Lorraine,
I agree about the groove or bed for the pinkie. I’ve just finished the RTV base mold for the Jiuta bachi. I will cast this weekend and hope to modify the epoxy prototype soon after.
Since the jiuta bachi is so much bigger than your bachi and your thumb placement (as well as other tsugaru style players) is so close to the blade, I don’t think any of the modifications I am attempting will benefit many people in this group.
However, I hope to post the process I went through and the end result in hopes it will benefit anyone here that might be thinking of creating a custom bachi for their tsugaru style.
Cant wait to see! You will post pics, right?
For sure. The post will be a new thread but I will reference it here.
Hi Gary - well, better late than never(?). Since no one uploaded pics of a jiuta bachi grip, thought I’d put a set up for you. As requested, here is the top and bottom shot, and I also threw in a side view in case it’s useful.
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg73/lhcaplan/image_zpse426b93b.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg73/lhcaplan/image_zps2fb3213f.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg73/lhcaplan/image_zps827064be.jpg
Hope this is not too late. Good luck with the casting.
Gray nail polish? 
Gray nail polish?
It’s actually slightly lilac/lavender, but that didn’t come thru in the pics. (Hey, it was only kitchen lighting, I can’t afford a proper studio…{lol})
Maybe you would have preferred last week’s colour - sage green?
Oh, btw, Happy Canada Day, in case you feel like celebrating something today…
Hey, I’ve been meaning to contribute to this thread forever! Sorry I’ve been so out of touch! I’ve gotta run and get dinner started, but I’ll upload a picture by the end of the night.
As an aside, though, am I like the only person who doesn’t really have a problem with the current bachi form…?
Hooray for bad quality pictures! Cell phone cameras for the win! And man, I guess my arms/hands are hairier than I realized. Anyway, I decided to go for a whole bunch of angles, so have fun.
Whew, it was difficult to contort my wrist in order to take those shots. sigh Such is living alone…
As for finger pressure, I’m actually pretty different from Kyle. My thumb pushes down with each strike, sure, but I tend to stay pretty loose with my index and middle fingers. My ring finger’s the one that holds on, and my pinky… uh, I guess it holds too? Less power than my ring finger, though.
Oh, and as an add on, I don’t really feel any pain in my fingers with this grip. It’s possible they used to hurt and I just don’t remember, but the most pain I ever got when I started out was from having to bend my wrist enough to hit the strings at the correct angle. That’s not really a bachi problem, though, I guess.
Maybe you would have preferred last week’s colour - sage green?
As an aside, though, am I like the only person who doesn’t really have a problem with the current bachi form…?
Well, I don’t really have a problem with it, as I’m already used to it. But I don’t think it’s the most ideal shape ever. (To think, before biwa players took it over, it used to be a piece of horn as a plectrum) My parents can’t play because of arthritis, and I’ve met some folks who’d like to play shamisen, but it hurts their hand too much.
In short, I think the current shape is fine, but as long as there’s an opportunity to try a new, revolutionary style, I think there’s no harm in taking a crack at.