What is the point of tsugaru

General
#1

If that is a meaningful question :smiley:

In particular, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the Why of the percussive part in shamisen, very prominent in the tsugaru style. You know, after viewing the nth jonkara something bushi on youtube, one feels a bit tired and starts wondering what’s so special about that percussive sound. And misses the point.

After seeing this old video, I see shamisen music from a different perspective:

Thanks to their funny terminology - they call the shamisen a “rhythm instrument” - things say CLICK. So maybe the percussion is not about the sound, but about the rhythm! Perhaps I missed this part because I’m not familiar with the musical traditions most players come from. But if you know tekno or taiko you should be familiar with the idea that rhythm is a major component in music.

Is the (tsugaru) shamisen a unique instrument in the world, in terms of being a single instrument orchestra? You’ve got both the regular sounds/melody (strings) and the beat (percussion). I see pretty broad musical potential in emphasizing the rhythmic components with the percussion, and of course you can do that within the framework of various musical traditions.

Thoughts, insights?

#2

You get a larger range of dynamics due to the fact that you can alter how much percussion you want. I would’t call the fact that you can play both melody and percussion on one instrument unique though. It is commonly used on acoustic guitar for example.

But to summarize, bigger is better!

#3

I see. Is the higher range of dynamics on tsugaru instruments in general an effect of the larger body?

Speaking of the tsugaru style/tradition, I was just wondering if there is an explanation for wanting lots of percussion, beyond simple “it sounds totally wild and awesome”, or the louder sound being a competitive advantage for the original blind beggar players and the style kind of stuck after that. Well it’s a bit of a philosophical question too in a meta-aesthetic way, whether “better” in art is always just feelings and conditioning and has no rational basis whatsoever.

#4

I think, originally, part of the reason the larger Tsugaru was invented, or evolved, was simply to make more noise, as it was primarily played outdoors in the beginning. I might be wrong but that was my understanding. I think they probably broke a lot of nagautas to this purpose, until they came up with the tougher dou and skin.

#5

It comes from the difference in which one plays a shamisen, and western string instruments.

When you play a guitar, you strum the strings to create the necessary sound vibrations. So, all the sound stays around the front of the instrument to either get caught by pickups, or resonator.

The method used for projecting sound in a shamisen is quite different. Traditionally there has never been any amplification for shamisen, they had to use more shamisens to create louder sounds. One has to use a weighted plectrum, thrown into the strings to push the sound to the backside of the instrument. Such force is used for amplification of sound, where as an acoustic guitar could never project in the same range as a shamisen from mear strumming.

#6

From a diffent perspective , the evolution and development of Tsugaru Shamisen was influenced by the presence of female Shaman called Itako. Sometimes Itako were blind (like the early Shamisen masters) so they inevitably crossed paths from time to time. It is recorded in Tsugaru History that quite a few Shamisen players of the region had taken Itako in marriage as a wife.
Training to be an Itako is said to be extremely intense. One of the elements is the Itako Bow. (as in Bow & Arrow) The idea here is to take an object (somewhat similar to the Shamisen’s Bachi) and strike the string of the bow over and over. After several days of simply striking the string over and over (with no food or sleep) it is said that the spirit world will open up and the Itako can then communicate with ancestor spirits or the souls of the recently departed.
There is no proof, but there are plenty of rumors and legends that state that poor and starving Shamisen Players, out of frustration and a need for survival and to be able to feed their families, would inevitably ask their Itako wives for some kind of help in training themselves to mix in some Shamanic Magic into their Shamisen technique (check out the Itako training scene in the famous anime movie called Nitaboh for proof of how this legend is considered legit!) as the story goes they would train in striking the Shamisen strings much in the same way as the Itako Bow is struck. Day after day with no rest until they began to feel the soul of Tsugaru. This resulted in not only the development of certain muscles in the shoulders and arms but also in the classic snapping percussive sound that is now commonplace in Tsugaru Shamisen music.

#7

What a coincidence that you would bring this up right now, Kevin! I am teaching a class this week that includes this very topic. Mostly looking at itako, but bringing in the Tsugaru shamisen connection too.
Here is the scene from Nitaboh that you mentioned:

#8

As I watch modern Tsugaru players (Chie Hanawa especially comes to mind), I see a significant amplification of right hand (bachi) technique, over older styles. There are two components to the right hand amplification - increased rhythmic drive coupled with “fingering” techniques with the bachi, at the same time as the rhythmic beat is being done. Coupled with four-fingered left hand technique (including plucking and note placing), it is technically quite spectacular. The genre lacks diversity at this point, imo. I gather from what I’ve read around the net, that the obsession with Jongara is more about competitive play than musicality… :slight_smile:

Percussion is rhythm - that’s the primary role of a drumset in a band.

#9

I don’t know why… Maybe I am the only one prefer Nagauta and Houta over Tsugaru. I think the percussion rhymes is very repetitive and similar between pieces. I would learn Tsugaru if I have a chance though.

I believes the percussion add emphasis/contrast on each sentence of rhythm to make them stand out. But many cases I think I only hear snappy noise…
This is a shamisen piece I like by Shibata Brother and Sister
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcJuprxcXys

Thank you for digging a old shamisen video I never seen on YouTube before.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott