Sid, do you have a strap so as to play while standing up or walking around? Yeah! Get ready for some fun times in Japan!
Awesome Tsugaru busker! He’s so cute, lol - I loved the way he was trolling for applause at the end. Of course, I was applauding loudly. All by myself. In my office. Because I’m insane. 
Did anyone get a look at his name? What does it say on the sign at the end. I noticed a bunch of flyers in the suitcase, could anyone make out any information about him?
thanks Gerry, I will go busking and see what happens…
Kevin, i dont have a shamisen strap, actually i never played standing…
I suppose I should get one, like bosamas in old days, walking and playing around… do people still do this in some parts of japan?
i have a guitar strap i could adjust somehow??
Just my two cents - I think with the times changing some folks are very protective of the traditional arts, maybe scared of the classics being lost, and people forgetting the origin of the instruments.
But I don’t think that way. Because if that we’re true, no one would still be playing classic Violin, classic Guitar, classic Piano, etc. Mind you pop and rock are much more popular, but there are still people who appreciate the classics. In fact I think when modern music reaches a peak, people go back to the classics eventually.
I feel very lucky my teacher is pretty open minded. She even gave me My Heart Will Go On for the Koto! We do focus on classics, but she isn’t against modern music.
My rule on the issue is that you need a balance of learning and appreciating the classics, but at the same time playing what you love, even if its not “traditional” for your instrument. If you take the time to learn the history and traditional music of your instrument, especially at the start, no harm done in my humble opinion!
Even when I played Viola in school, we played loads of classic songs, but our teacher let us play fun modern music once in a while! Halloween concerts were the best! Ghost Busters theme played by a classic orchestra. haha
Yes, my Nagauta sensei hated the fact that i was interested in playing Tsugaru. She said it was for beggars, and that i would loose my “Nagauta posture” if i continued, because of the different bachi techniques, and seating positions.
i will say that some of this was true, as i have never been formally trained on Tsugaru, i have noticed my tendency to play in maebachi. So, unlearning this has become my main struggle as of late…
So, i will travel to Kanto/Kansai next month and wanted to bring my tsugaru…so from what i am gathering, its not “safe” to play at parks in Tokyo/Osaka, anymore?
I learned about “seiza” position (from here, not in class! I’m mostly learning everything from here …) - but what is maebachi?
Ushirobachi striking in the middle of the body maebachi striking near the neck = tone / volume difference . Sorry am via phone so just in a few words
Thank God, it is a wonderful thread, and thanks to the Hirosaki Taikai joining I am late reading this all. Still like in dreaming on the whole stay in Aomori,at Misawa, Hirosaki and Goshogawara, all those incredibly fine memories!
I have something to talk about blind female beggar players of shamisen.
My mother is a living witness on Goze(blind female beggar players) and I am proud of the daughter of the eye witness.
Talk to you later on, I am drunk now and have to go to bed for Nagoya first ever Bachido gathering tomorrow (^O^)／
Thank you, BH! Kyoko, that is so cool about your mom! Does she have any stories that you could share with us?
LOL - so glad to see that you guys are having a great time at Hirosaki Taikai! Be careful getting home, and have a great time at Bachido gathering!
sure . . . and that sounds interesting Kyoko I can wait easily for a future elaboration after all I am getting drunk this evening and also good to hear in another post from you that good coffee can be found also in japan I hope you gave Kevin some pointers then . . . other than about coffee the older clip below is one in which Kevin focuses on the often heard in tsugaru ushirobachi and maebachi accentuation for dynamic playing options here in the context of the famous rokudan piece . . .
Wow. Sounds like something that happened to an acquaintance of mine, he mentioned bluegrass fiddle music to his classically trained violin teacher and she pretty much told him it was an unrefined style played by hillbillies!
Yes, Tsugaru Shamisen is kind of the equivalent of what hillbilly music is in America, in the eyes of some Japanese. I personally don’t understand that at all though. I mean how can you say one is more refined? Is it meaning one style is more spiritual than another? If that’s the case the folk music (hillbilly/Tsugaru etc.) is just as spiritual if not more because it is all about uplifting the spirits of the common people! It all depends on what you are going through in life. Sometimes so called more “refined” or cultural/ traditional/ classical music can move you in a good way and other times I think we really need music that just activates or instincts as humans and as part of nature and the animal kingdom. I personally thrive on pop, folk, metal, hip hop, punk whatever! I think it’s all exciting! Even though I’ve been trained in both traditional western harmony/theory as well as traditional Shamisen technique. But for me the real fun begins once you can tear down all boundaries and just have fun with all of it equally!
The guy playing at Ueno park is called, “Pierr Ono”, he is a member of the unit called “Seshami Street”, but looks like he plays in another unit as well, called “Orando” which the sign board says in the video. I don’t really know much about Orando , but seshami street is pretty popular with their acrobatic style ( if you are not sure of what I’m talking about, you search their performance, pretty amazing to see what they can do!)
Here is Pierr Ono’s website: http://t200000.wix.com/pierreono#
Seshami Street:このページは移転しました
Seshami street web site was garbled on my computer, but see if it work on yours.
Thank you, Sayuri, I’ll look that up as soon as I get home. I loved that guy!
I must admit. I practice the Tsugaru style, and yes, I am evil.
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I have a nagauta with pretty white wings on one shoulder, and a tsuguru with devil horns on the other! Oh noes! What a dilemma!
I am so sorry to be late in talking about blind female GOZE shamisen players.
According to my Mom, people in her area were all usually looking forward to having Goze entertainers probably once a year. At that time, no TV no radio, nothing entertaining, just work and work and work, in their farmland.
As a child Mom experienced looking adults give them some food or rice in return and they had some special house in the area to stay for a while.
I looked wekipedia and it says the same thing in Niigata, Nagano and Gifu prefecture.Mom’s hometown is Nakatsugawa, Gifu.
Mom says people in the area usually serve them food in plates that are special for Goze people. But my mother’s mom, who happens to be my grandmother, said they are all the same people like us and let us use our plates. Washing the plates and cups cleans everything.
My grandma can be very generous or accepting everyone, or just lazy to prepare special extra plates for them. I am happy to inherit her DNA.
I often to see my mother and if you have any questions, please ask me. She is now 85 years old and quite fine. I am happy to make as much interview as I can while she is alive.
does she remember anything about what tunes they would play?
and thanks for sharing that post I laughed 2 times and what a nice way anyway of your mother’s mom of treating the goze players . . .
Here is Goze history.
And, BH, I will try an interview on Mom!
Oh, Kyoko, what a treat to hear such stories! I look forward to hearing more from your mom! I lost both my grandmother and great grandmother a few years ago (they were Japanese, from Fukuoka). I wish I had known about shamisen and music back then and thought to ask them to teach me. My great grandmother taught shamisen to geisha. You are so lucky to have your mom. Please tell us any more interesting things she has to say. I’d love to see some Goze songs if anyone has any charts!
And thank you for that link. I’m going to watch it now.