Shamisen Week 20 Lesson

I continue to practice Lesson 15 as contained in the Lessons tab of this blog. The transitions are brutal and my fingers are misplaced 90 percent of the time. An added problem is that I have now removed the white markers that denoted the number 5, 7, and Octave 1 positions on the sangen.

When I acquired my current sangen, those marks were on the instrument from the previous owner. They are initially used to ease the learning of the instrument. Sangens, as you recall, do not have frets and there are no markers, signs, or other distinguishing marks to indicate the specific note positions of the sao. Thus, the notes played on the sangen must be memorized using muscle memory and tones. Learning to play the guitar, even though it has more strings, is a walk in the park compared to learning jiuta sangen. Why? Frets!!!

My teacher has allowed me to continue to use the marks as a learning tool (crutch) for the past 20 weeks. No more. I removed the marks as instructed by my sensei. Easy to do; hard now to remember exactly where those base positions are without my constant peripheral eyeball check on the white marks. Thus, it is two steps forward, one step back--or maybe even two back--with Lesson 15.

I struggle with it in the previous week's practice. I continue to struggle the entire current lesson with the instructor until we rest a bit. I wonder why we are stopping since I have clearly butchered the practice material and need tons more work. Then the sensei pulls out a new song. It is Sakura, a famous and oft played song for the sangen in Japan. The title translates to Cherry Blossom. The song, however, has a new twist.

Instead of the usual jiuta tablature learned so far, it is in a new format. Individual notes (or combination of notes) are placed in single boxes. There are four boxes per measure and four measures per line (4/4 time). New markings are there as well indicating when to repeat notes or complete sections of the song. There is also new nomenclature showing which finger to use to play the note (first, second, third finger).

My instructor tells me that this tablature is equally as common as the tablature we have been learning these past five months. The instructor wants me to learn both tablatures so that if I wish to play a particular song, I will not have to hunt down a specific tablature form in case I come across the song in the other format.

The song, as mentioned, is in 4/4 time with a slow-medium tempo. No difficult notes or transitions to learn, but learning the new nomenclatures is enough.

I have included the song under the Songs tab in the blog. Since it is a recognized song, I have not also included it in the Lessons material.