Satsuma biwa - 現代薩摩琵琶

Me playing the 5-string modern Satsuma biwa at the Adult Spring Concert in Himeji on 2/29/08. The song is called Nagare (Flow), which is my own composition. I have been learning to play the biwa for 6 months at this point, and this was my first live performance. Please excuse my nervous fingers!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• satsuma
• biwa
• traditional
• Japanese
• music
• Himeji
• 薩摩琵琶
• 琵琶

[telperionflower]

Did you play any other plucked string instruments before the Biwa, or is the Biwa your first? I'm asking, because performing solidly in public after 6 months seems quite the feat without any prior plucked string experience ^__^

[Obakedake]

@telperionflower

Thanks for the comment! Yes, before taking up the biwa I played the guitar for several (in local bands, etc), and about a year and a half experience playing the shamisen which has a slightly similar plectrum technique. So those experiences helped me pick up the biwa a little more quickly, despite being a radically different instrument.

[loverpath]

around 0:35-0:36 your left hand. you'll fine that the pipa players sometimes does that too. :D

[Obakedake]

It's interesting that the technique is the same for both instruments!

[theanth]

@bfizzledizzle "Brutal" is a common idiom in metal circles to describe any intense instrumentation. It is simultaneously passionate and elegant, though.

[theanth]

@TheNoga So true. Got a tattoo of a shishi kabuki playing a Flying V for that reason. The Japanese were the true progenitors of black metal in both technique and costume.

[bfizzledizzle]

@TheNoga

Brutal would probably be one of the last words I would use to describe this.

[snarfoogle]

Brvtal...

[TheNoga]

brutal tremolo picking. some black metal sh*t

[Mizixia]

He is pretty good, and cute too!

[groovybassline]

Would you play in a heavy metal band? I can totally see that happening

[Alusnovalotus]

ha ha ha I just have far wider tastes than this. and I honestly forgot why I wrote this.

oh well. don't worry about such trivial comments. I don't care about them and neither should you.