Shamisen

It is a hard work to play shamisen.

We were now in Obon recess.  So I am reviewing Nagauta pieces for remaining 3 lessons for this month starting from 23^rd.

I have chosen ‘Akino Irokusa,’ ‘Tsurukame,’ and ‘Oimatsu.’

Each piece lasts for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Therefore they are called Nagauta (literally means, long song!).  Although I tried to avoid overwork, my back started convulsion two days ago, so I had to look for a chiropractor and fortunately met an excellent person.

At the very beginning of my shamisen lesson, I could study shamisen for about 6 hours a day.  It is mainly because my skill was very poor—I can only play for an hour a day now and would stop before both my hands are numb. 

When I was a beginner, I couldn’t resist playing such long hour because I was in full joy: joy of being able to reproduce the music myself which I had been listening for very long year until then. 

I started my Japanese traditional dance lesson when I was 8.

In dance lessons, you would listen to the same Nagauta piece at least for more than a 100 times.

I was also studying piano and singing (western, classical), but never thought the music I was listening to when I dance were something able to reproduce myself. 

Singing in opera way and Japanese traditional way are completely different.

When I started Nagauta song lesson, elder pupil praised me for being a good ‘soprano.’  It wasn’t at all good because Nagauta should be sung in a deeper voice so that I looked forward to get older at that time…

Now it seems I am older enough, because a Hakone geisha in charge of music said that I sing in the most traditional way among Hakone geishas.

There was another reason that made me fascinated to shamisen.

http://www.nexyzbb.ne.jp/~hiskuwa/index.htm

When Toshimitsu Kineya, a young Nagauta singer (of my brother’s age), sat in front of me in my very first song lesson and sang ‘Nagaki-yo,’ played shamisen himself, I almost fainted.  Never in my life had I felt that way.

I was eager to become just like him: play shamisen and sing song at the same time.

I started to play shamisen by myself.

It was after I made my debut as a jikata (a musician) for maiko dancing in Kyoto, I started to take lesson from my great shamisen master I will introduce you in my next post.

As for my jikata work, play syamisen, sing songs, and explain to the tourist about maiko-san, I never could play perfectly for the first 6 months. 

But of course, to play shamisen and sing in front of audiences was my best training.  

I could not ask for more.