Trimming my bachi

Playing/Techniques
#1

While I await the return of my gidayu dou I have been thinking about my need for a better bachi. I currently have the cheap plastic bachi I got from the Bachido store, and I am planning on saving up and getting the faux bekko bachi.

In the meantime I have been thinking about trimming the plastic bachi by about ~20mm to make it the same length as the one in kyle’s book since I have always considered it to be too long. The end result would theoretically be somewhere between a tsugaru and gidayu bachi.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with trimming a bachi? I’m not really worried about ruining it, just curious as to how it would affect the sound and playing experience.

#2

xD your bachi isnt too big :slight_smile:

my shamisen is one of the smaller shamisen and I have a HUGE bachi.

#3

also… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBeknbp_iEc

she has a huge bachi too

#4

Echh. The size of that bachi in the video looks impractical and really end-heavy. Regardless… those earrings.

#5

Its all preference in size/weight, even though my bachi is huge I am used to it. I have yet to find anything it cant do that a small bachi can :stuck_out_tongue:

Those earrings are amazing… I am very tempted to make silver versions

#6

Should be the 3x bachi ring for the Bachido mon.

#7

There isn’t a set ‘ideal size’ for bachi, as everyone’s hand is different, so it’s always best to adjust your tools to match your hands. Thus, if it feels long, then cutting it would be a good idea. :slight_smile: (always work slowly!)

It would change the playing experience (and sound, to a small degree) as the balance would be different. But in terms of how much, you don’t really know until you try. :slight_smile:

#8

Yeah my motivation in trimming it would be A) improving the balance since it is handle heavy and B) making it more narrow and therefore less likely to tangled up in the strings. But then I’d have the new issue of it being slightly blunt at the end, but then again that’s how gidayu bachi are shaped anyways, and I’d be using it on my gidayu shamisen.

I’m just going to take it slow, and if I mess up then I’m only out $20 and have a new burger flipper.

#9

LOVE those earrings! And if her bachi broke, she could just take them off and use those … speaking of which, my next post …

#10

Has the way she fastens her strap already been discussed in bachido ? It looks like she only uses a scarf around the dou… If it works, it is a good way not to damage it with a hole…

#11

I use a mandolin strap/ guitar strap with my shamisen~ string on one end and the hole on the other. I stick the hole on underneath the neo on the peg. ^.^
never had a problem with my strap

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