Tsugaru Bachi | Bekko | L

Traditional bekko bachi for Tsugaru playing style. Bekko bachi are the standard for Tsugaru playing style. The flexibility of the blade and the distinct snapping sound when striking the strings is an important nuance of the authentic sound of Tsugaru Shamisen. Playing with a bekko bachi feels entirely different from playing with a standard student plastic bachi. And it transforms the sound of your shamisen immensely, too.

The blade of this particular bachi is rather thick but still has a nice flexibility in the corners. The coloring of the blade is gorgeous with many light spots that look like clouds on a summer’s day. There’s some smaller scratches on the blade on one side and scratches from the blade protector along the edge. The corners show only the slightest signs of use and are still super pointy.

The handle is made from plastic and rather long and should be comfortable for players with larger hands. There’s some matted areas along the handle, but they don’t stick out (see photos).

With its weight of 108,5 grams, this bachi feels rather light. In my personal opinion, lighter bachi feel easier to maneuver as there’s less weight pulling at your wrist. But you really have to find out on your own what feels best for yourself. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to weight and it has nothing to do with your body size or playing style. It really is personal preference.

If you’re just starting out with playing the shamisen: It’s pretty common that the bachi feels a bit weird at the beginning. But it should not cause any pain – neither in wrist nor in any of the fingers of your bachi hand. Please make sure not to grip the bachi handle when playing but to have the bachi wedged in your hand in a relaxed way (I know, it’s hard! But that really is the key to a healthy swing, painless play and a great tone).

measurements:

• blade: 10,7 cm
• length: 19,23 cm
• hilt width (bottom end): 26 mm
• hilt height (bottom end): 25,5 mm
• weight: 108,5 g