If you’re playing background music, you can always loop it. They probably won’t know the difference. That means less songs you have to practice and have down solid. You can even slow songs down a little if you need to stretch it out. I played with a trio last week playing background music for an art exhibit and we just ran through our set a few times and no one noticed. The person that hired us was really happy with the performance. Have fun and good luck.
Thanks.
Yeah, I’m banking on them not paying attention. Coming from punk rock, it’s kind of odd to want people to not pay attention.
Oh and Peter!
You could try some Hauta/Kouta stuff too.
They’re generally quite short, but can circle in on themselves and are traditional for parties.
I learned the attached link in about a week. (I’ve got gakufu for it if you’re interested).
This is cool. These should be quite easy.
Thanks. It is great to get exposed to new styles.
Pete, what a great opportunity! I can’t say what to play because not skilled or knowledgeable. But from a listener (in buffet line), at least something upbeat that would be danced to. Anyone have insight as to preferences of a Japanese Embassy? I would guess they would prefer traditional well-known songs, and not so regional (except those famous pieces, and maybe even lean towards Tokyo). Good luck!
Well, I sussed them out because I was concerned they might know something.
They apparently know nothing about all about music. Which is to my advantage haha
I am counting on the power of the buffet.
Yes. Playing slower, talking to explain stuff or repeat one more time some short minyo songs are the best tricks I know.
I had to use it for some tea ceremony events I am doing from time to time.
And easy songs can do the trick and you can ornament the melodies too if you find it too slow or something. Just need to keep them in the style you’really playing and no one will hear a thing.
Let us know how it went.
Not that it matter much, but here’s my list as of now:
ファーストセット：
さくらさくら
梅は咲いたか
金比羅船船
りんご節
ジョンカラ節
セカンドセット
道南盆唄
ソーラン節
安里屋ユンタ
アッチャーメ小
唐船ドーイ
どうかな。。
Nice to listen to your combination of songs, Ganbatte 
arigatou!!!
I know approximately 30% of this song list at this point.
Going to be a lot of improvising over skeleton versions of these tunes.
Played this gig, was pretty good after I realized no one was listening!
First set was rough because I tried to play the tunes “correctly.” It was like slogging through a deep swamp while having mace sprayed in my eyes. Will never do that again.
Second set was way better because I just jammed out on what tunes I had left. Much more fun.
Shamisen is a weird (but cool!) instrument to play live (compared with the guitar). You have to really caress it to get a cool sound out of it. Guitars you can just beat into submission. Was a good experience.
Yep shamisen is a very fascinating instrument in that respect - seems to take quite a bit of attention and technique to make it sound clean and expressive. TBH I tend to just skip most of that lately - working on rehearsing other basic skills in playing. It seems that the shamisen sound is very personal for every player, each individual seems to have his or her own style and peculiar sound (now even disregarding all the different types and makes of shamisen).
But if you want to listen to a player who’s outstanding in this respect, I’d recommend to check out our very own Masahiro Nitta - I have the Japanese DNA CD and I was amazed at the depth and sophistication of the sound, at least the more calm and mellow parts - it feels like the instrument suddenly receives a soul and the music starts talking to you - to me it felt different from much other shamisen playing, including some of Nitta’s more modern pieces. Shamisen playing in this aspect is like bathing a baby perhaps, or maneuvering a 15 000 ton starship to its docking cradle in zero-G. Pick your favourite metaphor - I hope the point comes accross that it’s like every move is very careful and precise
Yea! I totally get what your saying.
Lately I`ve been playing in the dark or with my eyes closed, in order to make sure I get it to really resonate with each note. I makes me feel magnitudes less “good”, but I think the payoff will be worth it.
I like your comment about how focusing on playing tunes “correctly” made playing live difficult. Improvisation and knowing that the audience don’t know every note or maybe the song at all in general makes for a much nicer experience for all I think. I will keep that in mind as I am working towards more performances.
Good comments.
To date, I’ve only played the shamisen in a band I play in, and in my house (on my couch) along with the occasional street performance.
I’ve never had to play it in any context where anyone would care what any of it sounds like, so it was interesting to be forced to keep the sound inoffensive. (Honestly, I like offensive things.)
The skin heads are interesting to work with, because you have to control the tones both inside and outside the instrument, it really forces you to be clever with your playing.
As for “correct” playing… will never do that again. Truly painful. Is there a “correct” way to play folk tunes anywhere? Even in rock music I would never do it (not that I play anyone else’s tunes live, ever), not sure what I was thinking.
I felt some pressure to do so, since they told me not to play my own tunes (which I did anyway), but quickly realized that they hadn’t any knowledge of shamisen music, so lucky me.
To answer your rhetorical question about a correct way to play a folk song… the answer is “kinda”!
If you’re trying to do a specific style (say Fujimoto-ryu, or Oyama-ryu) then you want to hit those exact notes, on those exact positions, while keeping your hand that close to the skin.
Gotta get that iikata, you know?
Oh, totally, it depends on what your goals are. I am definitely not poopooing meticulously learning and performing songs.
For me, though, learning songs is merely a way of widening the tool box so to speak. Meticulously learning and being able to perform certain styles is a great way of expanding the resources you have available to you.
Just not certain that I’m destined to be a guy who plays tunes faithfully… or too old, not sure which.
But for folk tunes, sure, one can have as a goal to faithfully reproduce someone’s interpretation of a tune (and that might be fun!), but in the end, they are folk tunes, that is, tunes of the people and everyone might have a novel interpretation for it… which adds to the fun, I think.
Feel you on that, yo.
At one point, I just played Slayer tunes.
Haha! In any case, it is funny to think you played Slayer for this kind of event.