Hi all.
Please someone put a video of Ringo Bushi played slow. Or any other more or less easy piece.
I’m just tired of Kuroishi Yosare Bushi of crash course. It looks I have some progress in it but I also would like to try something different. Youtube videos are too fast to follow.
Also maybe it is an idea to start a video subsection on learning center where people share their videos or something like that.
Thanks.
Don’t think you’d want to go straight from Kuroishi Yosare Bushi to Rokudan {s}, but here’s something to look forward to anyway. This is the slowest version of Rokudan I’ve found online so far - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvXzMsJ5IJc
(There are a few minor differences between what she’s playing and the music in Kyle’s book (I have v.1, fyi).
The player kept the pace fairly slow for at least the first three sections. Then she does pick up a bit, tho’, so you might find the back half a little harder to follow.
Hi, KH and Linda! Linda offered a quite fine model to start the fundamental technique of tsugaru shamisen.
I am a beginner and just have finished the rokudan first part a week ago. It took 6month (>_
Kyokoさん、はじめまして。カナダからこんにちは、Bachido にいらっしゃいませ。Rokudan の初段が出来たこと、よかったですね。津軽三味線がんばって下さい！
KH, Noted. 
Once I finish making this bloody shamisen (pun intended, as it’s made from bloodwood) I will start making more crash courses, and Ringo Bushi will be the first one I start with. All I need to do is put a skin on the front side. I just received more rice powder from Taichi san, so I will try again tomorrow.
Ah, actually the forum has a category called “Share Your Music” for the purpose of having all the user submitted videos (and such) in one place.
Linda, I didn’t send you a revised edition?? How rude of me!! Allow me to include an extra copy for you and Gerry the next time y’all need more books.
Kyoko, rokudan is a really hard song. 
I think it’s deemed the most basic form of Jonkara because almost all shamisen techniques are used in that song. The techniques are very hard though, so starting with simpler minyou would make learning shamisen more fun/faster.
I’d love to see you record you play it Kyoko! I have been playing for 6-7 months but have had no teacher and I wasn’t playing very much at times. This forum has been a great help though
You can see my attempt at the first part of rokudan in the Share your Music part of the forum. I still have much to work on, but I feel like I’m on the right track. I agree with Kyle that it isn’t a very simple song and the techniques will have to be mastered with hard work!
Linda, I didn’t send you a revised edition?? How rude of me!! Allow
me to include an extra copy for you and Gerry the next time y’all
need more books.
Thanks, Kyle, very kind of you to offer. Actually, we (you know who) have re-ordered books from you several times, so we do have your most current edition in stock. But I never updated my own personal, original (=collectors’ [grin]) copy - I figured I could always go out into the warehouse and look at one of the books there if I ever needed to. 
Lindaさん、バチ道への暖かいお迎え入れありがとうございます。あなたはどうして日本語が達者なんですか？ビックリしました。
それに日本の着物をお召しになってるようですが、ご自分で着られるのですか？
Hello,Linda!
Thanks for the warm welcome.Why are you so good at Japanese? I was so surprised. And do you wear Japanese Kimono by yourself? I am afraid I cannot wear myself though I have a lot of Kimono(>_
I saw your Rokudan play, Karl! It was wonderful and really should be praised for practicing without a teacher. Next time I would like to see your face and left hand movement together f^_^;)
I also would like to post my playing DVD on the forum,but my iPad does not accept it.Maybe it is too heavy. And I am sorry I still cannot unable to post my photo here just because of my inability to manage iPad. I have to go to softbank shop and ask for help.
Good luck on your Bachi!Yes hehe, I was really filming it to record the audio, but then I thought it is more fun for people to see the action as well. I will probably film my next clip from a distance similar to Kevin’s Rokudan video, to get a good sound while you can still see all the hand techniques.
And thanks for the praise With Kevin’s help I will get it really good in time! If I had had a teacher he would have face slapped me into practicing properly much earlier in my playing so it’s really kind of Kevin to slap my face.
Hohoho! You are lucky, Karl! I have just read Kevin’s advise. It does not mean i read nor understood.
My Japanese teacher does not hit me, but it is much easier to correct the wrong movement at face and hands. At least I came to know how difficult it is to learn online. However, I see a lot of people want to support us our Japanese tradition carriers all over the world! You are one of very important tradition keeper in Sweden (^O^)／. Thanks.
Cheer up , Karl!
Tsugaru shamisen tradition keeper,
Kyoko
My Japanese teacher does not hit me, …
That reminds me of an interesting story about Hiroshi Nitta (Masahiro’s father) and his teacher, Shirakawa Gunpachiro. During a concert, Hiroshi made a mistake in a song, so Shirakawa made Hiroshi sleep outside with the dog.
Not saying that’s good or bad, but definitely a story you can dine out on.
Wow! It reminds me again for the second time of 「star of the giants」巨人の星. Japanese father once was so strict and there are a lot of success stories who have had such a hardship and survive, finally be a hero in that field.
I am sure Nitta san was like Hoshi Hyuuma, 星飛雄馬、hero of Japanese baseball player.
I also am not concerned it is good or bad, just the fact goes strong fathers can make heroes.
By the way I used to be a strong supporter of the star of the giants!
I mean, personally, I think one does not need to be harsh to be a good teacher/father, but to be strong enough to have patience. From my observation around me (in California), one thing a lot of teachers and parents lack is patience. A teacher can’t teach what the student isn’t ready for, and so he/she has to be patient and supportive while the student gains experience to be ready.
In America, most music teachers try to get their beginning students to sound like professionals from early on, (which usually discourages them from continuing, as they are not ready) and most parents try to get their kids to act like adults from early on. Let the beginner grow in their beginning time, and the child to grow in their child time, and both will grow up to be just as amazing (or more!), but with fewer tears.
Anywho, enough preaching by me.
Kyoko-san:
私の返事遅くなって、申し訳ありません。Sorry for the late reply.
あなたはどうして日本語が達者なんですか? Why are you so good at Japanese?
Oh, I don’t think I’m good at it yet(!).
何年も前、大学で日本語を一年間勉強しました。その後、色々な日本の文化に興味がありました（たとえば箏、茶道、日本料理、着物、三味線など）。先生たちは皆日本人でしたから、日本語を少しでも話さなければなりませんでした。
Many years ago, I took one year of Japanese at University. After that, I got interested in many Japanese cultural topics (such as koto, tea ceremony, Japanese cooking, kimono, shamisen, etc.) All my teachers were Japanese, so I had to know at least a little Japanese to communicate with them.
それに日本の着物をお召しになってるようですが、ご自分で着られるのですか？And do you wear Japanese Kimono by yourself?
はい、私は自分で着物を着られます。前に帯も自分でできましたけど、この頃帯を結ぶことを忘れてしまいました。（ですから、付け帯を使って、とても便利ですよ！）
Yes, I can put on kimono by myself. I used to be able to tie my own obi, too, but I have forgotten how. So I often use “tsuke-obi” (pre-tied obi), which are very convenient!
I am afraid I cannot wear myself though I have a lot of Kimono
I have quite a lot, too. It’s one of my “bad habits”.
I would love to wear Kimono when I play Tsugaru shamisen!
If you do, please send Kyle a photo so he can put it here on Bachido!
私は名古屋の近くに住んでます. I live near Nagoya.
I went to Nagoya for the very first time last December. It is a great place to find very affordable kimono! (Especially in Osu!) So I want to go back there when I am in Japan next year… And I didn’t know there was a taikai there. I will check that out.
When Kyle has our Bachido “taikai”/conference in Hokkaido one day, maybe we can have a “grand finale” group performance all in kimono.
I also would like to post my playing DVD on the forum,but my iPad does not accept it.Maybe it is too heavy. And I am sorry I still cannot unable to post my photo here just because of my inability to manage iPad.
Kyoko-san, maybe you can put your photo or playing video on some other website (like Flickr (for photos), or Dropbox (for everything), etc.). Then you can just put the link here for people to click on.
Linda san, thank you so much for your kind reply and useful pieces of advise. I really would like to see you all non Japanese shamisen players in Kimono at grand finale!