Yes, still on the ole Wakamizu. Love that song (really). Just wish I could master it.
Still working on the position of Octave 1 San no ito, followed by Octaves 3, 4, 7, transitioning back through those, then finding Octave 2 and for an added bonus challenge, Octave 1 with the index finger and with the second finger.
You would think that once Octave 1 is found with the index finger that finding it with the second finger would not present a problem. Well, if you are me (and obviously you are not!), it is like a whole nother country.
What did they used to say in the days when the carnival challenge called High Striker (Strongman game) was popular? You hit the metal plate as hard as you could with a huge hammer to send a small metal puck up to a bell at the top. If you rang the bell, you won. If you did not, the carny guy would say "Close, but no cigar." Well, it's close but no cigar on the Octaves.
The master insists that without mastering this song, the following songs we will learn will be more troublesome. Master Wakamizu, and it will not be hard.
I have to trust the sensei.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Shamisen Week 29 Lesson
Wakamizu Redux.
That's it. Nothing new to report. This is sounding like a broken record (of course, most people alive today don't know what a record is, let alone a broken one, or why it is apropos for my comment. Such is life!).
In any case, the master insists we continue with Wakamizu until I master all of its parts--particularly Octave 1 and its transitions, getting Position 7 san no ito EVERYTIME, and understanding the timing of the piece.
I am getting better at finding Ocatave 1 and the timing. Trust me...
That's it. Nothing new to report. This is sounding like a broken record (of course, most people alive today don't know what a record is, let alone a broken one, or why it is apropos for my comment. Such is life!).
In any case, the master insists we continue with Wakamizu until I master all of its parts--particularly Octave 1 and its transitions, getting Position 7 san no ito EVERYTIME, and understanding the timing of the piece.
I am getting better at finding Ocatave 1 and the timing. Trust me...
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Shamisen Week 28 Lesson
Wakamizu is not going away any time soon. My sensei says that we must continue playing this until I get it right because it will help me in the next song that we will undertake. Unfortunately, I don't believe that we will move on to that song, whatever it is, anytime soon.
I love Wakamizu, thank goodness. Otherwise, I would have gone crazy by now. Three weeks plus on this song, an hour every day, can grate if it is something you dislike.
I am doing better in finding Octave 1, but it's still hit or miss, with a lot of misses vs. hits. Same goes for Position 7 which I had hoped I would have mastered by now. Position 5 is finally a lock. I find it every time. But Position 7 is not always as easy because that position floats a bit more as the san no ito gets out of tune.
I do believe there is such a thing as over practice. After a while, I'm not sure I'm getting the full benefit of my practice sessions going over the same material time and time again. With another musical piece to mix it up, I would think that when I went back to it (Wakamizu) I might improve. This is just my subjective opinion.
On the equipment front, I received my ivory itomaki from Japan and they are now installed. I did not notice more itomaki slippage with the ivory as compared to the kokutan wood as some sangen players have observed. The ivory itomaki originally came with this sangen when it was made in the '50s. Thus, they have had many years to "mate" the surfaces involved compared to the newer kokutan pieces. The ivory itomaki have a nice, yellowed aged look to them and although some experts dispute this, I believe I do hear a tonal quality difference between the ivory and the kokutan itomaki. It's probably just a placebo effect, but...
In addition, I purchased a bekko bachi from Japan and it also came at the same time as the itomaki. Bekko is SO much better than plastic! Flexibility on the blade of the bachi makes a big difference in control and sound. One thing I noticed right away is that the scrapping sound I sometimes made on the strings with the plastic bachi has disappeared completely.
I love Wakamizu, thank goodness. Otherwise, I would have gone crazy by now. Three weeks plus on this song, an hour every day, can grate if it is something you dislike.
I am doing better in finding Octave 1, but it's still hit or miss, with a lot of misses vs. hits. Same goes for Position 7 which I had hoped I would have mastered by now. Position 5 is finally a lock. I find it every time. But Position 7 is not always as easy because that position floats a bit more as the san no ito gets out of tune.
I do believe there is such a thing as over practice. After a while, I'm not sure I'm getting the full benefit of my practice sessions going over the same material time and time again. With another musical piece to mix it up, I would think that when I went back to it (Wakamizu) I might improve. This is just my subjective opinion.
On the equipment front, I received my ivory itomaki from Japan and they are now installed. I did not notice more itomaki slippage with the ivory as compared to the kokutan wood as some sangen players have observed. The ivory itomaki originally came with this sangen when it was made in the '50s. Thus, they have had many years to "mate" the surfaces involved compared to the newer kokutan pieces. The ivory itomaki have a nice, yellowed aged look to them and although some experts dispute this, I believe I do hear a tonal quality difference between the ivory and the kokutan itomaki. It's probably just a placebo effect, but...
In addition, I purchased a bekko bachi from Japan and it also came at the same time as the itomaki. Bekko is SO much better than plastic! Flexibility on the blade of the bachi makes a big difference in control and sound. One thing I noticed right away is that the scrapping sound I sometimes made on the strings with the plastic bachi has disappeared completely.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Shamisen Week 27 Lesson
Been practicing Wakamizu all the past week thinking we would move on like we have done so many times before. Not this time. I guess because this piece is one that I will have to master, the master wants me to master it now before moving on. It may be a long time!
The Octave notes are the problem. Replicating them consistently is a challenge. However, Position 7 on the san no ito is also problematic because of the constant stretching of this thin string. As soon as I can consistently hit Position 7, the string stretches a bit and I have to re-tune. That takes time and is a pain, but nothing can be done. It is part of the nature of the instrument.
So, I practice and practice Wakamizu. Sometimes it's okay; most times not so much. If I can ever nail down Octave 1, I might have a chance at Octaves 2, 3, 4, and 7. I get IT once in a while, but if I miss Octave 1, of course, everything else that follow is also off.
On the good side, I am not getting so frustrated as I have in the past. Why? It has finally dawned on my puny brain that this is not a sprint but a marathon. I am not going to "get it" tomorrow, the next week, or even next month. If I keep practicing, I hope to get better--over the long haul. So, it's not a 100 meter dash, but a long-distance event when considering learning the sangen. It has taken me a while to realize this. And once realized, the frustration and pressure has lessened measurably.
My ivory itomaki have arrived and I should be using them by next week. Some other sangen players have said that the slippage of ivory itomaki is much worse than kokutan itomaki, so I should not get too excited. It's more for looks than practicality. We shall test that theory shortly. In addition, after looking diligently for over six months, I have found a bekko jiuta bachi to purchase. That should be arriving from Japan in the next few weeks.
The Octave notes are the problem. Replicating them consistently is a challenge. However, Position 7 on the san no ito is also problematic because of the constant stretching of this thin string. As soon as I can consistently hit Position 7, the string stretches a bit and I have to re-tune. That takes time and is a pain, but nothing can be done. It is part of the nature of the instrument.
So, I practice and practice Wakamizu. Sometimes it's okay; most times not so much. If I can ever nail down Octave 1, I might have a chance at Octaves 2, 3, 4, and 7. I get IT once in a while, but if I miss Octave 1, of course, everything else that follow is also off.
On the good side, I am not getting so frustrated as I have in the past. Why? It has finally dawned on my puny brain that this is not a sprint but a marathon. I am not going to "get it" tomorrow, the next week, or even next month. If I keep practicing, I hope to get better--over the long haul. So, it's not a 100 meter dash, but a long-distance event when considering learning the sangen. It has taken me a while to realize this. And once realized, the frustration and pressure has lessened measurably.
My ivory itomaki have arrived and I should be using them by next week. Some other sangen players have said that the slippage of ivory itomaki is much worse than kokutan itomaki, so I should not get too excited. It's more for looks than practicality. We shall test that theory shortly. In addition, after looking diligently for over six months, I have found a bekko jiuta bachi to purchase. That should be arriving from Japan in the next few weeks.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Shamisen Week 26 Lesson
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!
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!
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.
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