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 flexible and makes a fantastic snapping sound. The blade is attached to the handle in an especially neat way. The coloring of the blade reminds of sweet caramel and is really beautiful. The corners show stronger signs of use but are still very comfortable to play.

The handle is made from plastic and rather long and should be comfortable for players with larger hands. There’s a scratched area on both sides – maybe somebody put a name on there and then sanded it away? Check out the pictures to see what I mean. That area measures roughly 2,8×0,8 cm on both sides.

With its weight of 115,5 grams, this bachi feels pretty 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: 9,8 cm
• length: 19,3 cm
• hilt width (bottom end): 26,5 mm
• hilt height (bottom end): 26 mm
• weight: 128,6 g