Lesson Blog #11 - Iso Chidori (磯千鳥), pt. 3

I feel terrible because I had yet another week where I did not practice as I should. I have got to figure out a way to give myself a little push again. It's not for lack of wanting to play. I believe that other personal life issues have gotten in the way. I may have to go back to a more rigid practice schedule in order to make sure I do what I need to do.

My sensei had intended that I be able to do some of the piece more independently this week. I definitely could not do the maeuta or atouta on my own. I was able to go through the makura, naka chirashi, and chirashi on my own but with some minor issues.

I have two weeks until my next lesson since my sensei will be out of town next week. I hope to show her that I have vastly improved!

Lesson blog #10 - Iso Chidori (磯千鳥), pt. 2

Since we only barely started Iso Chidori (磯千鳥) last week, this week's lesson was focused on going through more of the piece with my sensei. In true Kikuoka Kengyo style, this piece already seems quite complicated from a singing standpoint. It has a lovely melody, but this is going to be a piece where I really have to practice the shamisen and singing separately for many parts until I become more familiar with the music.

One of my biggest concerns about this piece are the tuning changes. I'm not great with changing my tuning quickly anyway, but part of the problem is my shamisen itself. The itomaki really need to be replaced because they slip a lot, especially the ni-no-ito. I have tried several different suggestions from my sensei, but all of them are only very temporary fixes. The one that works the best is lightly wetting the inside of the itomaki hole. This causes the wood to swell slightly, helping the itomaki stay in place. The weather is also an important factor. If it is very dry (like it has been lately), the itomaki tends to slip more.