Tsugaru Bachi | Bekko | S/M

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 very sturdy. The coloring is light brown with some even lighter spots. There’s some insect bite marks along the top edge and one at the side edge on the top side. They’re not pretty but they don’t affect the playing and stability. The corners are roundedn from use (see pictures). I personally think rounded corners are comfortable to play and feel smooth in handling and I have a bachi with similarly rounded corners that I like to use a lot.

The handle is made from plastic and not too long. It should be comfortable for players with medium or smaller hands.

With its weight of 132,6 grams, this bachi feels pretty solid and adds some extra swing to your strike.

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: 8,1 cm
• length: 17,5 cm
• hilt width (bottom end): 26,5 mm
• hilt height (bottom end): 24,25 mm
• weight: 132,6 g