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The
Shamisen is one of Japan's most representative instruments. Since
the Edo period, Japanese have kept the Shamisen close to their hearts,
near and dear and familiar. Shamisen have long been heard in various
cultural venues, including the Kabuki and the Bunraku theaters,
as a background instrument playing an important role in Geisha and
Maiko song and dance performed in an O-Zashiki setting (high class
entertainment venues for men). Shamisen also figures prominently
in folk culture, Shamisen of Goze, and various festival settings,
like Awa-Odori.
Though many people believe that the Shamisen is originally Japanese,
in fact the instrument came to Japan from China by way of the Ryukyu
Islands (Okinawa) in the mid 16th century. The instrument gradually
spread northward through the Japanese archipelago. Along the way
it became important to the BiwaHoshi, a type of monk. The instrument
evolved as it came into wider use, with various animal skins replacing
the original materials used for the body of the instrument. Through
the course of this evolution the instrument was adapted to traditional
Japanese music, eventually becoming the instrument that we know
today.
The
Shamisen differ in the style of the neck. There are three types,
thick, medium, and thin-neck. The thick-neck type is most commonly
used in Tsugaru Shamisen and Gidayu, the medium-neck type is used
in Jiuta and Minyo, and the thin-neck type is used in Nagauta and
Hauta.
Though the different types are distinguished by the thickness of
the neck there are actually other differences in the size of the
body and the thickness of the strings between the three types. In
the thick-neck type, not only is the neck thicker, the body and
the strings are also thicker. In the medium-neck type, different
sounds can be produced by altering the bridge and the style of pick
(Bachi) used. Compared to the thick-neck type, the thin-neck type
features thin body-skin, thin strings and is played with a thinner
plectrum (bachi)
Due to the rich sound of the Shamisen it has come to be used in
various genres of music.
The
style of shamisen used in Tsugaru Shamisen is the thick-neck type.
Tsugaru Shaimsen is used to back folk singers and in improvisational
performances. If you trace the history of the genre you will find
that before it was called Tsugaru Shamisen it was referred to as
"Bosama Shamisen" The term “Bosama” refers
to traveling blind shamisen players who went door to door playing
their music to handouts. In those days, they didn’t use the
thick-neck type shamisen, only the thin-neck or medium-neck types
are used to perform. The culture of Tsugaru Shamisen was born of
the harsh climate and history of the northern tip of Japan.
There are two styles of Tsugaru Shamisen playing,
“Tataki Shamisen or Tataki Bachi ” and “Hiki Shamisen
or Hiki Bachi”. In Tataki Bachi , the strings are strummed
fiercely, and in Hiki Bachi, the strings are plucked gently. Tsugaru
Shamisen performances have a basic structure, however improvisation
is often employed – depending on the personality of the performer,
individual performances can differ greatly. At present, Tsugaru
Shamisen is played with a variety of traditional Japanese or western
instruments. There is no pause in the evolution of the instrument.
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