The sensei and I go over Wakamizu. Of course, I thought I was nailing it in practice but when I actually have to play it, I suck. The Octave notes are difficult to locate by sound. My transitions up the sao to Position 7 and 8 on the san no ito are still not where they should be. Sometimes I'm not even close. I'm still pressing too hard on the strings and sao. My tempo is better, but this is a relatively easy piece regarding that.
I mentioned this in an earlier post, but it is so frustrating when I believe I have had a good week of practice to come to Lesson time and find out that I am not doing as well as I would hope. I don't know if it's because I'm nervous or if I have just not practiced correctly at home. I want to do well for my instructor--perhaps I am trying too hard when we play together.
The sensei says I am doing much better, but it is hard to get excited when I feel I am blowing it every time I go to a lesson. Plus, I don't think I am progressing as fast as I should. I realize that every person's progress is relative. I just don't think my progress is relatively good!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Shamisen Week 25 Lesson
I practice a number of San Sagari and Ni Agari pieces that have 1/8 notes in combination with 1/4 notes in a single or an immediate following double measure. I do this in preparation for the week's lesson as I assume we will be playing the pieces my sensei has asked me to practice.
Surprisingly, I do much better this week with the tempo issues associated with those note combinations when playing the new instrument. My errors, as predicted by my sensei, are more obvious for sure. When I miss a note, it sticks out like a sore thumb now. But somehow the new instrument gives me renewed confidence. I believe a light bulb has gone on regarding how I need to approach playing 1/8 notes that are not consistently through an entire measure. Still errors abound, but I am getting better. The sound of the new sangen is incredible and reminds me of why I took the instrument up in the first place.
The lesson for the week does NOT go over the previous week's practice but goes on to learning a new song called "Wakamizu." Translated that means fresh or young water. This piece is one of the five I will have to master before I can get my beginner's certificate in sangen.
The song is in Ni Agari tuning, 3/4 time, and straightforward. There are a number of new notes (Octave 2, 3, 4, 7) which go way down the sao and are not easy to find. However, there are no intricate transitions and absent the new octave notes, the music consists mostly of san no ito positions 3, 5, 7, and 8 with a smattering of ni no ito parts.
The problem is I am still having difficulty finding Position 7/8 on the san no ito when I have to move from the lower part of the sao to the upper part. I am hitting Position 5 on the san no ito about 90-95 percent of the time within one cm. Not perfect, indeed, but much improved since I began the sangen six months ago. And finding 7 (and of course 8) is normally not a problem when I can move from the top of the sao downward. In that case, when there is a rest in the music, I have time to briefly pause at 5 and then lower the finger onto 7 or second finger on to 8.
Coming from below, when I am playing notes below (higher) than 7 or 8 (like all of the octaves!), is problematic. If there is a rest involved after a higher note (as noted earlier), again I can move to the top of the sao, slide down, pause at 5, move to 7 and/or second finger 8 with some consistency. I don't do this with the consistency of when I need to play Position 5, but still okay. When I have to come up from below, it is murder.
I know it takes time for motor memory to lock in, but it is a hit-miss situation moving to 7/8 when I don't have time to transition to the top of the sao and try to locate the notes using the anchor position of 5. I am attempting to use hand/finger/body positioning to help, but this often does not work. Wish there was some handy-dandy trick to finding those notes when transitioning from below them, but somehow I doubt there is one. Practice, practice, practice.
Surprisingly, I do much better this week with the tempo issues associated with those note combinations when playing the new instrument. My errors, as predicted by my sensei, are more obvious for sure. When I miss a note, it sticks out like a sore thumb now. But somehow the new instrument gives me renewed confidence. I believe a light bulb has gone on regarding how I need to approach playing 1/8 notes that are not consistently through an entire measure. Still errors abound, but I am getting better. The sound of the new sangen is incredible and reminds me of why I took the instrument up in the first place.
The lesson for the week does NOT go over the previous week's practice but goes on to learning a new song called "Wakamizu." Translated that means fresh or young water. This piece is one of the five I will have to master before I can get my beginner's certificate in sangen.
The song is in Ni Agari tuning, 3/4 time, and straightforward. There are a number of new notes (Octave 2, 3, 4, 7) which go way down the sao and are not easy to find. However, there are no intricate transitions and absent the new octave notes, the music consists mostly of san no ito positions 3, 5, 7, and 8 with a smattering of ni no ito parts.
The problem is I am still having difficulty finding Position 7/8 on the san no ito when I have to move from the lower part of the sao to the upper part. I am hitting Position 5 on the san no ito about 90-95 percent of the time within one cm. Not perfect, indeed, but much improved since I began the sangen six months ago. And finding 7 (and of course 8) is normally not a problem when I can move from the top of the sao downward. In that case, when there is a rest in the music, I have time to briefly pause at 5 and then lower the finger onto 7 or second finger on to 8.
Coming from below, when I am playing notes below (higher) than 7 or 8 (like all of the octaves!), is problematic. If there is a rest involved after a higher note (as noted earlier), again I can move to the top of the sao, slide down, pause at 5, move to 7 and/or second finger 8 with some consistency. I don't do this with the consistency of when I need to play Position 5, but still okay. When I have to come up from below, it is murder.
I know it takes time for motor memory to lock in, but it is a hit-miss situation moving to 7/8 when I don't have time to transition to the top of the sao and try to locate the notes using the anchor position of 5. I am attempting to use hand/finger/body positioning to help, but this often does not work. Wish there was some handy-dandy trick to finding those notes when transitioning from below them, but somehow I doubt there is one. Practice, practice, practice.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Shamisen Week 24 Lesson
This was an exciting and frustrating week combined. The excitement came when the sangen I purchased from a friend of the sensei finally arrived from Japan.
The instrument was made sometime in the 1950s in Japan. It was used professionally by the friend's mother before the mother passed the instrument down to her daughter (at about the age of 10). This individual then used the instrument for the past 50 years (also professionally). When my sensei was in Japan for a concert tour, she contacted this friend to see if she had any sangens to sell. The friend graciously consented to sell me this instrument.
The sao is made of Kokutan. Kokutan (ebony) is from the native Okinawan tree Ryukyu Kokutan or Ryukyu Symplocaceae. In olden times, this tree was often used to make ebony saos for sangens. Unfortunately, for the most part, this is way too expensive today. There are not many sangens now being played that have solid ebony saos. In fact, the only ebony sao on a sangen that I have seen is the one my sensei plays and some pictures of sangen museum pieces.
Additionally, the sao has gold inlay where the joints of the three pieces fit together. The cut lines are so fine and the joints so tight you have to hunt for them--they are not easily discovered. A new dog skin covers the dou. Pre-ban ivory itomaki finish this work of art.
I don't wish to sound corny, but I am surely not worthy of playing this fine instrument. However, I will try my best. At the very least, I can admire both its sound and beauty.
The frustration came with understanding playing on the "off-beat" and understanding the musical notation of 1/8 notes on the beat and on the off-beat. I wish I could explain it better or that the sensei could explain it better. I am struggling with this. Let's just say I don't completely "get" the right tempo and timing of one practice piece we have been playing (Lesson 19 on this blog). Timing, tempo, pauses, etc. are everything (obviously) in music. So this lack on my part is disheartening. But I keep on trying.
The instrument was made sometime in the 1950s in Japan. It was used professionally by the friend's mother before the mother passed the instrument down to her daughter (at about the age of 10). This individual then used the instrument for the past 50 years (also professionally). When my sensei was in Japan for a concert tour, she contacted this friend to see if she had any sangens to sell. The friend graciously consented to sell me this instrument.
The sao is made of Kokutan. Kokutan (ebony) is from the native Okinawan tree Ryukyu Kokutan or Ryukyu Symplocaceae. In olden times, this tree was often used to make ebony saos for sangens. Unfortunately, for the most part, this is way too expensive today. There are not many sangens now being played that have solid ebony saos. In fact, the only ebony sao on a sangen that I have seen is the one my sensei plays and some pictures of sangen museum pieces.
Additionally, the sao has gold inlay where the joints of the three pieces fit together. The cut lines are so fine and the joints so tight you have to hunt for them--they are not easily discovered. A new dog skin covers the dou. Pre-ban ivory itomaki finish this work of art.
I don't wish to sound corny, but I am surely not worthy of playing this fine instrument. However, I will try my best. At the very least, I can admire both its sound and beauty.
The frustration came with understanding playing on the "off-beat" and understanding the musical notation of 1/8 notes on the beat and on the off-beat. I wish I could explain it better or that the sensei could explain it better. I am struggling with this. Let's just say I don't completely "get" the right tempo and timing of one practice piece we have been playing (Lesson 19 on this blog). Timing, tempo, pauses, etc. are everything (obviously) in music. So this lack on my part is disheartening. But I keep on trying.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Shamisen Week 23 Lesson
I return from the long, football infused Labor Day weekend ready to go. I have had one additional week of practice for the previous lesson and for the song Sakura. I've played ahead a bit in anticipation that we will move from what we have done the previous two weeks into new material.
New material, yes. What I expected, no. Instead of advance fingering in some new practice pieces with the ni agari tuning, we switch gears yet again and take on the new tuning of San Sagari.
San Sagari means "lowered three" or "lowered third" wherein the honchoshi tuning is taken (D-G-D), but the third string (San) is lowered a whole step. Thus, the tuning of the instrument now becomes D-G-C.
Going from D-A-D to D-G-C is a dramatic change in the sound. It is much mellower with the third string not so "strident" in the playing. This third tuning (combined with the other two) covers about 85-90 percent of the music for jiuta sangen. There are some additional tunings in the future, but my sensei says they are less important than the major three: honchoshi, ni agari, and san sagari.
The new material is challenging although there is not much new as to string positions. The transitions and the tempo of the practice pieces are always a challenge for me, a "counting challenged" individual. But I look forward to new material. My sensei always seems to know when to move on with new material or new challenges. Thus, just at the point where I have about "played out" in practicing, we go to new material.
New material, yes. What I expected, no. Instead of advance fingering in some new practice pieces with the ni agari tuning, we switch gears yet again and take on the new tuning of San Sagari.
San Sagari means "lowered three" or "lowered third" wherein the honchoshi tuning is taken (D-G-D), but the third string (San) is lowered a whole step. Thus, the tuning of the instrument now becomes D-G-C.
Going from D-A-D to D-G-C is a dramatic change in the sound. It is much mellower with the third string not so "strident" in the playing. This third tuning (combined with the other two) covers about 85-90 percent of the music for jiuta sangen. There are some additional tunings in the future, but my sensei says they are less important than the major three: honchoshi, ni agari, and san sagari.
The new material is challenging although there is not much new as to string positions. The transitions and the tempo of the practice pieces are always a challenge for me, a "counting challenged" individual. But I look forward to new material. My sensei always seems to know when to move on with new material or new challenges. Thus, just at the point where I have about "played out" in practicing, we go to new material.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)