Updates on Bachido features

General
#1

Howdy Y’all! Just a little Bachido update.

Tuning Page:
As of today, we finally have all three tunings (Niagari, Hon Choushi and San San Sagari) available on the tuning page, in case you need help getting the pitches correct. http://bachido.com/overview/tuning

Index Of Songs Recordings:
As I write, Luke’s currently setting up the web audio player for the recordings on the Index of Songs. It should be available tomorrow. If not, it most definitely it will be ready within the week.

Bachido Store (quick question - “Shop” or “Store”. Which sounds better?)
I had a meeting with Masahiro today to discuss the Bachido store. He’s compiling price and weight information for us, so things are still moving along. I will also need to write descriptions for all the products. Realistically, the shop most likely won’t be ready this month. But be assured that it is a top priority, and you’ll be getting updated about it as we get closer to opening.

That’s all for now!

On completely unrelated note, if a man/woman takes a fancy to you, make sure she/he works in the service industry, because you’ll get freebies!

Keep up the twang,
Kyle Abbott

#2

i’d say “Store” is better :smiley: it sounds more official.

and audio player for songs sounds great!
you may not really need the whole tutorial video of the song if you got the audio and Shamisen of japan :slight_smile:

#3

Kewl! Thanks for your opinion! :slight_smile: I’d lean towards “Store” as well, unless another name comes up.

Yeah. My feeling is that the audio will make Shamisen of Japan much more usable. As you’ve said, learning songs solely from notation is very hard, and almost impossible to get the feeling from it. For some people, the audio and Shamisen of Japan may be all they need. I’ll still make tutorials for all the pieces (played at slow speeds with explanations) for those who would like to be guided through the piece.

#4

yes :slight_smile: im glad you’ll make instructions for every song regardless because it still gets better or you get new ideas when seeing the whole picture

#5

Hmm. Would it be worth it for me to wait and purchase a tsugaru shamisen from your store then? As soon as you get the pricing information I’d like to be updated, so that I can make a firm decision to wait or buy one now.

Ah, and greetings. This is my first post here.

#6

Greeting T Korth,

No problem. I will let you know. How much are you wanting to spend on a shamisen? Do you want an entry level, mid-range, or high end?

#7

I’d definitely be looking for a beginner or advanced and nothing too extravagant. Well if I had my way (realistically) I’d like to pay 200.00-300.00 for a good beginner tsugaru shamisen, but we know that’s not likely, or at least not from any sites I’ve browsed. I’d be willing to pay approximately $500.00 for a more advanced one.

Now, I’ve considered crafting my own and I’m always for being thrifty, however, I think I should perhaps take a few steps into playing the instrument and experiencing first hand what a decent shamisen should play like before I go into that.

And, let me not forget. I appreciate the learning resources presented on your site, they’re very well done.

#8

I see. Currently, the cheapest priced student shamisen available is $517 (converted from yen).

However, we will have two cheaper alternatives. The first is the Gottan, which is basically a shamisen with a completely wooden body. That will sell for roughly $260. Here’s a sample of what it sounds like - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkz3qsyf5ao

And then the kankara, which is an okinawan sanshin made from a can, which will sell for under $100. The kankara doesn’t sound like a shamisen, but it is a good start for someone who can’t afford a cheap shamisen yet.

Someday I’m going to try to find a way to get cheap shamisen available for less than $500, but currently, that’s the best we can do.

Now, I’ve considered crafting my own and I’m always for being thrifty, however, I think I should perhaps take a few steps into playing the instrument and experiencing first hand what a decent shamisen should play like before I go into that.

Haha! You are just like me in that respect. I made my own out of being cheap—er… “careful with money.” :wink: But I had borrowed a friend’s shamisen to practice on first. So if you are going to make one, I recommend getting a cheap one first to just start playing, and then making one on the side.

Thanks! I’m glad you’re enjoying the resources on Bachido! :slight_smile: I’m really happy so many people are finding them useful.

#9

Hello everyone,
First of all i would like to complement the excellent design and wonderful community that this site possesses.
As a side note, i have a quick question regarding the Gottan, and more specifically the one portrayed in the above posted video. Is the model aesthetically the same for the one sold here? I would very much appreciate an answer to this as i am very enamored with both the sound and visual qualities of this instrument.
Thank you very much

#10

My apologies, i should be more specific.
To clarify, i mean in relation to the apparent tuning pegs versus Itomaki.
Itomaki? did i get that right?

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