Voice Teacher Reaction to Wagakki Band - 焔 Homura + 暁ノ糸 Akatsuki no Ito

[@bwcbiz]

One of the best things about this band isn't (just) the performers, it's the sound board technicians that are able to get the acoustic instruments through in the mix even when everyone's shredding away.

[@svenbruxx]

Homura is honestly one of my favourite instrumental pieces ever made. I'm so glad some KZbin comment got me a replacement for Spotify.

[@DrAcula-os1nz]

Yuko Suzuhana is the founder and driving force of WGB, Machiya (the guitarist) is the sound engineer who puts it all together and has the last word. He said in an interview that the first two years were mostly trial and error before they found the recipe for how to do it. They are a video on Yuko's YT channel explaining her singing technique "SHIGIN" (Used to perform poems and short stories) Wa = Japanese, Gakki = Musical instrument WGB is an 8 piece band: Yuko Suzuhana - Shigin, vocals (Founder of WGB) Machiya - guitar, vocals (Arrangement) Beni Ninagawa - tsugaru shamisen (Three strings (guitar looks like)) Kiyoshi Ibukuro - koto (Japanese National Instrument) Asa - bass Daisuke Kaminaga - Shakuhachi (Bamboo Flute) Wasabi - drums Kurona - wadaiko, Taiko (Traditional Drums) Yuko is such a good singer, you have to listen to their masterpieces "Sabakunokomoriuta" from "Otono Kairou" Tour 2018 Select video from "CC W" YT channel, all have English subtitles

[@phoebeflagg2694]

Great info. Also, they all compose. These two songs are by Machiya. He is left handed, but plys right handed. I also read that he plays bartone guitars , so as not to overpower the traditional instruments. Yuko is also a master pianist and sword/fan dancer. I think they all are geniuses.

[@guitar_noodle]

Hi Valerie. I think you’ll enjoy this. Here’s a video of Wagakki singer Yuko Suzuhana demonstrating her style of singing and the techniques required. She gives an example of normal singing then adds the Shigin style and how she sings in Wagakki. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h33YhmekfcyJsNE

[@a_un]

Yuko Suzuhana, a vocalist, sings "Akatsuki no Ito" in a unique Japanese singing method called "Shi-gin". (By the way, Yuko Suzuhana and ASAMI (LOVEBITES) are the two biggest rock (metal) singers in Japan for me.) "Shi-gin" is a unique singing method used when reading poems made in the style of "Chinese poetry" from ancient China. (However, Shigin is a relatively new singing method that was created about 150 years ago.) For WAGAKKI-BAND fans, "Akatsuki no Ito" is recognized as a symbolic song of WAGAKKI-BAND. At their live concerts, instead of applauding when asking for an encore, they often hear a big chorus of Akatsuki no Ito sung over and over again by thousands of spectators. This moving scene makes WGAKKI-BAND feel different from other rock bands. It's not the relationship between music providers and recipients, but the fact that fans and bands form the same family. There may be no other rock band that is so enthusiastically supported by all generations, from elementary school children to the elderly. ------------------------------ The instruments of Wagakki Band are explained below. (Sorry for the long sentence) "WA" means Japan. "GAKKI" is a musical instrument. (1) "KOTO" (a large, flat instrument of about 6 feet) The ancestors of "KOTO" came to Japan from China about 1300 years ago. The body is made of paulownia wood. A wavy groove is carved on the back side of the body, and the sound echoes. The thread is made of silk and is played with a finger with a claw called "Kotozume". Band member IBUKURO uses the maximum size of 25 strings, KOTO. He uses two KOTOs with different tunings. He chooses and uses two KOTOs for some songs. (2) "Shamisen" (instrument like a banjo) Generally, the "shamisen" is used as an accompaniment instrument for quiet and light songs. (Current ballads, songs like light pop) However, performer Beni plays a special shamisen called "Tsugaru shamisen". The types and playing methods of "shamisen" are evolving in various styles nationwide. Among them, "Tsugaru Shamisen" is characterized by its fast and powerful sound and unique playing technique. This style is due to the fact that the Tsugaru shamisen was born in the extremely cold region of northern Japan (Tsugaru: place name). Once upon a time, handicap (mainly visually impaired) people who lived in harsh natural environments lived. They earned cash by letting customers listen to songs and shamisen performances. They have created a unique musical style to save their lives. It can be said to be an instrument with a sad history. (3) "Wadaiko" (drums) "WA (Japan)" + "TAIKO (drums)" = "WATAIKO". And the pronunciation changes from "Wataiko" to "Wadaiko". Like the shamisen, "Wadaiko" has evolved uniquely in various parts of Japan, and there are various ways to play it. Performer WASABI often plays live and shirtless. At that time he is writing on his back. The letters are written in ink, not tattoos. (I'm sure the letters aren't written by himself!) The letters mean the place name of the live venue or a short joke. (4) "Shakuhachi" (bamboo instrument like a flute) Until 60 to 70 years ago, length units such as "shaku" and "sun" were used in Japan. (The pronunciation of "sun" is a shortened version of "soon".) 1-shaku = 30.3cm. 1-sun = 3.03 cm. "Hachi" = "eight". The average length of "shakuhachi" is "1-shaku and 8-sun (about 56cm)". The "shaku and 8" part is now the name of the instrument. The shakuhachi is made from bamboo grown in nature. In other words, it's a simple instrument with a hole in the bamboo. However, it is said that it is very difficult to learn because of its simple structure. There is an interesting sentence about the shakuhachi practice. "Kubifuri-3nen, colo-8nen". this means: "It takes three years to train to move the neck and head well to control the strength of the sound," and "it takes eight years to train the fingers to make a good sound." ----------------------------------------- From Japan * Sentences using Google Translate. I hope that the intention is conveyed correctly. * Addition (correction) In the above sentence, I mistakenly pasted the introduction of WSABI (drummer) in the explanation of wadaiko ..... The name of the Japanese drum player is KURONA.

[@TheCyberMantis]

Oh yeah, Me too. Yuko and Asami are my two favorites.

[@phoebeflagg2694]

I learned a lot from your info. Thank you so much!

[@月の友]

こんにちわ😊４０年前に僕達は、アメリカ🇺🇸やイギリス🇬🇧のロックにあこがれ聴きまくってました、 あの頃僕達がこれをやれたら、て思いますよ、今は、インターネットやSNSがあるから、出来るのでしょうね😊😊😊いい時代になりました😊😊😊😊

[@denniseldridge2936]

Hi, I'm soooo glad you found one of my favourite bands, Wagakki Band! As you can hear, they are astoundingly talented, and are great fun to watch live (someday I'll endeavour to see them in person). The very name Wagakki Band means "traditional Japanese instrument band". Their lead singer is Yuko Suzuhana, an incredible multi-talented individual, with classical piano, traditional sword and fan dancing, and so much more. She sings in a style called "shigin", which is associated with poetry recital I believe. I do encourage you to seek out their many great tunes, with Senbonzakura being their best known. Also, Yuko has a side project called (spelling?) Hanafugetsu, which is just three or four members playing much more contemplative fare, and will put your mind in a very restful state. Just perfection hehe. Oh, and one last word on this bizarre habit of attaching the label "metal" to bands that *don't play metal*. This is not directed at you at all, but I've heard people say that WB play a combination of traditional instruments and *metal*. They do not! They have an electric guitar, bass and drums, but they play good ol' rock & roll with those three instruments. Nothing metal about the style. Dimebag Darrel would not fit in here lol.

[@pohojisan1287]

鈴華ゆう子 Yuko Suzuhana（vorcal） is a 師範 Shihan=Qualified instructor of 詩吟Shigin=the recitation of the poem(a traditional Japanese performing art), and her singing is based on the vocal method of Shigin. Additionally, she has also studied 剣詩舞(Kenshibu=Sword dance to 詩吟Shigin) since she was a child. She also studied piano at the Tokyo College of Music, and is a very experienced and talented songwriter. Shamisen player 蜷川べにBeni Ninagawa plays the "津軽三味線Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music that originated in the Tsugaru region(western Aomori Prefecture) of northern Japan . Originally used to accompany 津軽民謡Tsugaru folk songs, it is characterized by its percussion technique of striking 撥the plectrum and its fast tempo and high number of notes, making it a good match for rock and metal music.（The shamisen sound is already familiar to everyone here at Band-Maiko, isn't it?）

[@ahodori2233]

Leader Yuko Suzuhana (vocal keyboard) was also the winner of the Shigin National Tournament. She was always worried about the Japanese classical performing arts, which were pushed by Western culture and gradually declined. Wagakki Band was born from her desire to "disseminate Japanese classical performing arts to the world more POP." Her wish is realized by uploading the music video for the song "Senbonzakura" from her first album "Vocalo Zanmai" to KZbin. (Currently over 140 million views) They have received worldwide attention and have been very successful in touring in France and the United States. Please note that the Wagakki Band was transferred from Avex to Universal Music in June 2019, so if you use the MV owned by Avex as it is except for the live video, it will almost certainly be blocked.

[@risingsun6980]

It's about time you react to the band-maid. Best regards.

[@nanach6276]

Fav is for me the guitarist. Just look at how he moves his head and is facial expressions. Dude gotta be their writer I guess.

[@GuyLakeman]

go see them live ! fall back onto your seat and wish you can push the replay button :)

[@crystalbowie1212]

The Japanese word "HOMURA" has the following meanings. Fire. Figuratively, grudge, anger, jealousy, etc. burn your heart. The first song represents such a heart-lit flame. The next song, "Akatuki no ito", is a song with lyrics that connects people overseas with a single thread that crosses the sea at dawn at the beginning of the day. they hope the lyrics convey this heart across the rainbow and the sea as she sings. She sing that it would be great if everyone could feel the overflowing feelings of cutting the weir.

[@johancoetser906]

The singer, Yuko Suzuhana, also pratices kenbu (japanese sword dancing)...there is a youtube video of her practising...

[@mrz80]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYS0aK1jmceVgdU

[@TheCyberMantis]

The goddess Yuko Suzuhana. She's my favorite. Along with Asami from Lovebites. Wagakki Band has no equal anywhere in the world. They put on the most spectacular shows.

[@meshachabednego5671]

Nice and best reaction ❣️❣️

[@_goliath2577]

10Q (thank you) for the content

[@地獄太夫-z7w]

凄い良かった。 本当にかわいいですね！！！！

[@outwest1014]

The band was formed to bring the transitional instruments of Japan to the youth of Japan. They are Masters of their instruments and are teachers. They have toured the US and Europe successfully. They very popular in Japan, playing festivals. Right now the best Rock/Metal music is being created/produced in Japan. A key is the musicians are highly educated/trained from an early age. There are 2 guitarist in different bands who began piano at 3yo. The bands have no weak members, like most western bands. There are 200+ Rock/Metal bands in Japan with many all female, other have 1 or more females in them.

[@hiawatha.g]

Been dying to see you react to this. Some background: “Wagakki” is Japanese for “traditional instruments” The “lute” thing is a Shamisen. I happen to be in love with Beni, the shamisen player. Just sayin’ The “harp” thing is a Koto. The “flute thing” is a shakuhachi. The band was founded by the singer, SUZUHANA Yuko. Yes, you’ve heard these instruments a million times, in movie soundtracks, when they want to convey a Japanese atmosphere. Here is a video that really lets you see up close all the instruments and how they work together: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2PQloqhjNaWY6s It was originally written for a “Vocaloid” which is an electronic virtual singer-essentially an AI. In Japan (where else?) vocaloids have actually become pop stars. What can I say? America may be the land of innovation for things like tech and social media, but in music no one here cares any more. Most of the creative action has moved to Europe and Japan. And thank you for not choosing the one with Amy Lee--most people start off with that one and it's not the right way to get introduced to WB.

[@ShikataGaNai100]

When Beni steps up with her tsugaru shamisen, everything changes.

[@gatograto]

There are so many to talk about here. Let's start with instruments then. 8 members in total, Shamisen is the banjo like three string instrument but this is not a regular shamisen. It is called a Futo-zao which means a Fat-rod. A futo-zao's got a thicker neck and a robust body. The futo-zaos are particularly used in a play style called Tsugaru-jamisen (or shamisen) which was born and developed in Tsugaru region located in the norther tip of the main island of Japan. Tsugaru-jamisen is much faster and wilder and brutal than regular play style. Second is a Koto the horizontal harp. Japanese drum or drum kit is called Taiko or Wa-daiko, Wa means "Japanese" in this case as Wa-gakki Band (gakki means insrument). Then Shakuhachi, the bamboo flute. The bass and drum kit are regular western style. The guitarist has many guitars but they are all Sago Guitar specially built for him. They are seven string with extra long necks by three or five extra frets to meet Japanese scale. The guitarist Machiya plays them with a capo to adjust the scale. He really is a beast. He doesn't go wild to drive you crazy but extremely skillful and play any style, jazz, Spanish, metal, rock, and never shows his edge. Then comes the singer Yuko. She is versatile. she sings in western style, traditional poem recital called Shi-gin, folk song style Min-yo, Southern tropic island Okinawa Min-yo style and mix them in one song sometimes. She is a master of traditional dance and sword dance called Ken-bu. I strongly recommend you to try their Kyouka Suigetsu + Tsuki Ni Sakebu Yoru. It begins with amazing solos, and transit to Yuko's great performance. It's a showcase of Wagakki Band. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4jPfpZjpcd3mZo or Sabaku No Komoriuta is nice too kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5-pmGpjnNZ9p8U. A most beautiful duet by the singer Yuko and the guitarist Machiya is Doppo kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3jRZZ9-d8h-q6s. It's a beautiful work of art. You'll be interested by this while you are a vocalist. Senbonzakura is up tempo fun rock fusion kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpvalmyNrrRrh9U, and Yuko is explaining in her KZbin video channel how to sing that tune mixing with western and Shi-gin style kzbin.info/www/bejne/h33YhmekfcyJsNE. Please, don't forget to use English subtitle. It is regretful it seems like that Lovebites is not your thing. There are many Lovebites fans here as you can see it in the comments.

[@clintashcraft579]

Nice reaction, Can't believe that you haven't reacted to Band Maid yet. I would suggest "Freedom" Thank you!!!!!!!

[@VocalSplendorStudios]

Thank you! I will check it out.

[@cepho8349]

Band-Maid are lame.

[@clintashcraft579]

@@cepho8349 And what band are you with that gives you the credentials to say that?

[@cepho8349]

@@clintashcraft579 Dunno, I just consider Band-Maid overrated. But I don't want to stop anyone from reacting to them.

[@johancoetser906]

I second the reaction to band maid.. suggest the live version of Domination...

[@pareh6951]

❤Beni🤘

[@AK-tv6bo]

Voiceは詩吟という日本独自の歌唱法です。海外の方に理解していただければ嬉しいですね。

[@jarosawmalinowski8130]

Please react to Unlucky Morpheus.

[@panglima4832]

i think you need mic, maam, ,, great reaction btw

[@VocalSplendorStudios]

My laptop is having problems connecting to my Yeti mic. I haven't found a great solution yet. :/

[@renatopeduto4088]

Vocal splendr studio please react to waggaki band and amy lee from evanescence singing bring me to life live. It is so nice

[@soundocean3765]

Great reaction content-wise, as usual, but the volume mix seems veeeery off here. Do you think you could either turn the mic volume up or the music down for the final reaction mix? Especially the mic seems wayyy too low, I have to set my sound to almost max volume (for most other videos it's on 30-40% usually) and gotta change it whenever the music plays. This can get a bit annoying sadly. So if you could do something about this only issue it would improve the viewing experience a LOT! ♥ (Aside from that I loved everything about it, as usual, like mentioned above haha) For recommendations, you NEED to check out their Senbonzakura live collab with Amy Lee from Evanescence! Would love to see you react to that.

[@VocalSplendorStudios]

Thank you. Unfortunately, I have been having problems using my Yeti Mic with my Mac. It has happened only recently and I'm still looking for a solution.

[@zander12]

Camellia - Flamewall Just saying...

[@corvusclones]

There are 2 instruments met desperately needs more of, shamisen and bagpipes

[@GuyLakeman]

not new ! they are over 10 years old !!!!

[@davidyerkey7425]

Hi Valerie! Still waiting for your thoughts on Beth Hart... you'll be in AWE... Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa Live In Amsterdam doing an Etta James cover ""I'd Rather Go Blind" you can thank me later 🤣

[@VocalSplendorStudios]

I'll check it out! Thanks for the reminder.

[@VocalSplendorStudios]

I found and saved it. :)

[@davidyerkey7425]

@@VocalSplendorStudios I promise you, if you haven't heard her yet, you'll DEFINITELY be looking for more... ENJOY

[@СанатТокушев-б4с]

Не самая удачная песня для ознакомления , не раскрываются вокальные данные солистки )