Striking with the bachi

Playing/Techniques
#1

Hi all!

This is my first post here but I’ve been lurking for a few weeks already. So a quick intro. I’m Calvin from Montreal Canada, I started playing the shamisen about 4 weeks ago after acquiring a Nagauta shamisen. I got a musical background in guitar, violin and piano (non-professional) :slight_smile:

So I went through the Crash course and got the hang of it and can play at medium speed with more or less a decent precision. I went ahead and got “The Nitta Ryu Intensive Technique Pack” to further get the basics down and something came up. My question is really more about striking the strings. Nitta seems to always pound the string down and give out that loud percussion sound but during the crash course it seems to be much softer and I don’t always hear the loud percussion sound. Can you just pluck the string like you would use a guitar pick or do I have to “pound” the string but softer?

Also, when striking the lower strings, I’m guessing it is normal to hit the other stings in the process. How does one mute the unwanted strings so they don’t flood the sound? I was thinking of going at it like on the guitar where you just go ahead and use every body part you can to mute the unwanted ones, but it just seems awkward by how we use the nail instead of the flat of the finger to press down on the string. On violin I would use the nail to press down on the strings but never had issues with hitting anything on the side. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

#2

Hey Calvin,

I’m not too familiar with Nagauta, so this is all coming from a Tsugaru state of mind. Think of it as partly percussive. You generally strike hard through through the strings close to the koma (bridge) to get those loud sounds. Closer to the neck is where you can strike more gently and get the softer tones.

As far as hitting other strings it’s all about accuracy. It takes time and practice to learn how to control the thing and hit the strings individually. Try finding the right place for your thumb to rest on the bachi and concentrate on aiming with the thumb.

It’s a weird thing to get used to. Sometimes I’ll go to strike the strings and I’ll get caught up on the thick string (btw you generally don’t strike close to the neck on the thick string; it’s more common with the other two) and it’s really anticlimactic.

Check out the video below! He’s got some sweet bachi going on there. Hope that helps!

#3

The winners of the tournaments win because they show that they have control of dynamics. Being able to go from beating a hammer on an anvil for a couple of beats to tickling the skin with a feather is the key to be a great shamisen player. So you need to push your limits in both directions to improve your dynamic range.

The same phrase can be played loud, silent or like a crescendo. For the sake of demonstration I think most riffs are played with a solid hard strike. It’s up to you to make it work with the rest of the music flow.

Regarding not sounding the other strings. As Joseph says it’s about practice and accuracy. A flexible bachi will help a lot. When you strike your bachi should go in a straight line towards a point on the skin. On the way there it will touch the string and make it sound. Then it lands on that single point on the skin. Remember that you need to have a good angle so you don’t puncture it! You can see the proper angle in the videos you purchased.

When striking in the center of the skin, you should let your hand bounce away from that point on the skin as soon as it touches. This will make the sound stay longer since you are not dampening it with the edge of the bachi touching the skin.

When striking near the edge of the skin you let it stay instead. This will make the snapping sound louder and the actual tone more silent. This helps in making the difference of the two positions more distinct.

#4

Thanks for the responses! I’ll take the recommendations at heart! :slight_smile:

#5

Hi Calvin! Welcome to the Bachido Forum.

Great answers by Joseph and Karl. I’ll add that the hard percussion is strictly stylistic. Nitta san strikes very hard and has a sharp tone. Getting this intensity safely requires some comfort with the shamisen first, so I wouldn’t worry about striking forcefully in the beginning. Adding too much force at a beginning level can damage the skin, bachi or wrist. That’s why in the Crash Course, I don’t talk about percussive striking because in the beginning, simple striking can be quite challenging. ‘One step at a time’ is my philosophy. :slight_smile:

That said, feel free to practice that strike if you’d like, or any other techniques. Just know that it’s not required to enjoy shamisen. :slight_smile: It all can be adjusted depending on the tone you want to go for.

For accuracy, I agree with Joseph and Karl again. I think all shamisen players mistakenly hit multiple strings when they were beginning. It just takes time.

Most importantly, have fun! :slight_smile:

#6

Hi Kyle!

Thanks a lot for the answer! I’ll take it easy and continue some of the precision drills from Nitta and the ones I’ve come up with. On another note, I’ve been wondering if a softer bachi might make it easier to use for the percussion striking and for precision? I currently have a plastic white bachi that came with my Nagauta, judging on the Bachido store, it seems to be the same as the plastic one there. It does take quite a lot of force to bend it.

“Most importantly, have fun! :)”

I shall! :slight_smile:

#7

Be careful with the plastic white bachi if you intend to practice real “Tataki” striking. Just to share my experience as a Shamisen instructor. I have purchased a total of three plastic white bachis for practice (student) models to use in beginning lessons and for demonstrations at workshops etc. well, simply put All three of them have ended up snapping apart during demonstrations where either I or a student has tried to get the hang of the striking technique. I think the sad truth is that the turtle shell (Beckko) Bachis are really the only ones meant to be used for powerful dynamic striking. Anyway welcome to Bachido Calvin. Good to hear from you

#8

oh my! Both Kyle Abbott and Kevin Kmetz replied! I feel honored! :smiley:

Thanks for that Kevin, once I get some extra cash I’ll invest in a nicer bachi, for now I’ll just practice softer. I’ve also taken the time to do more research in Nagauta style playing and they don’t tend to do a tataki style striking but more of a guitar like picking, which has been more or less what I’ve been doing up to now.

Thanks guys!

#9

I can vouch for the Faux-Bekkou Bachi here on the store. I’m sure there are people who strike harder than me but I like to strike hard and have tried to get the hang of it during soon 3 years. The only wear I’ve seen is that the surface where my thumb is has got these scratches. I think it comes from that I’ve had a edge on my thumb nail there. When I noticed it I just made sure to hold my bachi with that side up all the time. In any case, there has been no sign of chipping or snapping apart. Also it is flexible.

As usual you get what you pay for. 28 USD vs. 250 USD.

While in Japan I could have bought a new real bekkou bachi but decided that I’ll play this one to dust first.

#10

I’ve also taken the time to do more research in Nagauta style playing and they don’t tend to do a tataki style striking but more of a guitar like picking, which has been more or less what I’ve been doing up to now.

What would be the best sources for studying the nagauta style, is there actually anything sensible online? Just videos of people playing? Or learn how they do it on guitar and just copy that?

Could be a good idea to add that to the wiki if we have some notes and/or sources available.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott