Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let's go into another Three Tune Tuesday post.
As always, thanks to 
Someone in the neighborhood is learning how to play the koto. Usually Japanese people are very mindful of their neighbors and don't practice music loudly where it might disturb other people, but this person has been playing it for at least a few days. He or she isn't very good, but they keep practicing. Maybe they are a foreigner.
It's not an unpleasant sound, so I don't mind. It but me in the mood to hear more music using traditional instruments, so off to YouTube I went. I searched for modern music using traditional instruments, and I found some fun ones! Let's share!
Samurai Strings - Show
These guys are really cool. They are doing a cover of Show by Ado (listen here) which is a fun song. Their cover is using taiko drums, a shakuhachi (the bamboo flute), and a shamisen (the stringed instrument). The result is really great!
Check out their channel for more. I instantly subscribed.
amane5269 - Gakusaku Shiki
Another masked player. This guy is playing a biwa, which I think I see the least often of traditional instruments, due to the fact that its sound lends itself to chanting. Despite that, it can be a beautiful instrument. He does a great job here playing it to a metal song.
His channel is also full of great videos. Another good subscription!
TRiECHOES - Shape of You
Another cover here, this time of Shape of You by Ed Sheeran (listen here). They are using the koto, which may be the most recognizable of all Japanese traditional instruments. This is a wild ride!
Bonus: Misirlou
A great cover of a great song, using both a 17-string koto and the kokyū.
So what's your favorite?
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| David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon. |