Rokudan's note

Playing/Techniques
#1

I’m starting to get the concept of the song.

I’ve watched this video and go to 2:00 and stop at 3:04

I’m confused when he talks about the Sukui “upstroke” - if you look carefully he uses his finger to strike upwards on the (sukui) instead of the Bachi. Not sure if the video could be outdated.

This part of the music I’m talking about:

-----------3----4-3-0-0—
—0-3-4------------------

4(open) 3(Hajiki) 0(Sukui) 0(Hajiki)

Watch the video to understand what I’m talking. He uses the “Sukui” with his finger (Upstrokes with his finger) instead of the striking upwards with the Bachi

#2

I’ve checked the timestamps you gave me but I can’t see his bachi hand at any of those times. Was your youtube timer behaving strangely?

Anyways thanks for the video! I’m going to start learning this song now and this video might help quite a bit!

#3

No it just how the video plays - I randomly just found the video. The video was originally on a DVD.

Most of the videos the camera doesn’t show his bachi technique (swinging)

#4

Kevin, I think what you are talking about happens first right around 2:47, and then is repeated at the 3:00 mark, right?
A rough translation of what he is saying is that you release your index finger from the string at the same time as you begin the sukui (though really you do it a split second before the sukui). Because of this, it looks as if he is making the sound with a hajiki, but he isn’t. The reason you want to do it this way is that any time you take your finger off of a string you make an unintentional and very weak hajiki - try it and see. You can minimize this unwanted sound by timing it to coincide with the sukui.

#5

(Gerry M.) yes around the 2:45 area note. I read the book Shamisen of Japan. and the Sukui - is described to use the Bachi and strike from upstroke position. In the video it looks like he uses the Sukui as a hajiki technique but flicking upwards

#6

I’m currently practicing on that part and obviously it’s nothing you master in a couple of days, when it comes to making the best sound possible. Sometimes it goes better than other days, but one trick that I use when I get a bit off track is to start keeping the beat with the bachi. I think it’s a bit similar to learning to play the piano. You should be able to keep the beat with one hand, while playing the melody with the other. Before that becomes natural, you need to practice on the rhythm and here it is the bachi. It’s pretty easy to feel that you are doing it right but in fact you might not be keeping the beat.

@Gerry, it’s easy to not think about even the simplest of things, but what you just said might help me in focusing correctly. I know what you are talking about with the weak hajiki, and what you are saying about performing the sukui simultaneously really comes down to that your bachi should be touching the string so that the sound is muffled in the instant before you release your index finger, right?

#7

Hmmm. I’ve never thought about that, Karl. It seems like it might make your playing cleaner to do what you are suggesting, but that’s some real next level bachi work! I don’t think I’ve ever consciously used the bachi to dampen the sound in that way - especially in the middle of such a fast run - but doesn’t seem like it would be beyond the top-notch players’ ability.
I wonder if this is a thing…
Paging Mr. Kmetz!

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