And just for a bit of instrumental geekiness... the traditional instruments are not the only bits of interesting gear on view. The guitarist, Machiya, is using an unusual long scale, 29 fret baritone guitar.... presumably his signature model.
What is so amazing about this group is that each member is a master of their particular instrument. They are very intentional about how each part will participate in the song, and each instrument is featured while still blending in with the whole. Their works are always fantastic.
Kaminaga Daisuke (神永大輔) is the shakuhachi player of Wagakki Band. He began to play the Shakuhachi at the age of 18, then he was awarded a master license of Tozan-style Shakuhachi. Daisuke has his own school in Tokyo, and teaches in several colleges and universities.
wonderful! You said shakuhachi! When people from overseas saw him, they said he was a flute. The shamisen is called a banjo, The koto is called a harp. What I'm saying without looking into it is Because it's so sad, I'm so glad you knew!
Fantastic!. I was waiting for this reaction in anticipation. This Band is a wonderful combination of virtuosos. The flutist's name is Daisuke Kaminaga, hero for a day on your channel! Thank you for this excellent approach to Waggaki Band.
I have been waiting with bated breath for you to react to Wagakki Band. They are a supergroup in the truest sense of the term. WGB was the brainchild of Yuko Suzuhana, the world's greatest unknown vocalist and frontwoman. She literally has no peer, and is also a composer, lyricist and an excellent keyboardist. She started learning the piano at age 3 and by age 5 was being trained by her mom, who is a very well-regarded music professor, in the arts of Shigin, the traditional Japanese form of song/poetry, and traditional Japanese dance with both the fan (shi) and the sword (ken). She also teaches Shigin at university. Prior to forming WGB, she, her husband, koto player Kiyoshi Ikuburo and shakuhachi player Daisuke Kaminaga were together as a folk group called Hanafugetsu, of which there are several videos on TH-cam. Similarly to Band Maid, the trio ran into guitarist and composer Shin "Machiya" Oumura, who was an extremely well-regarded session musician, who also knew rock drummer Wasabi and bassist/composer Asa. Yuko knew wadaiko drummer Kurona from university and the final piece, shamisen player extraordinaire Beni Ninagawa also joined the group. Yuko wanted to form a band that would mix modern rock and traditional Japanese interests to get young people of Japan interested in traditional music. And lo and behold, Wagakki Band was formed. And they were my reintroduction to Japanese music after an 7 or 8 year hiatus of my own. About 6 years ago someone posted the music video of their song "Kishikaisei" on Facebook and I was instantly enthralled. They led me to Baby Metal, SCANDAL, Aldious, Lovebites and Band Maid. You have SO much to catch up on with WGB. Sadly, they are going on an undetermined hiatus at the end of the year, but it was expected, as Yuko and Kiyoshi's daughter will turn 2 years old in November and they need the family time. The other members will be working on their own projects also. But there is a treasure trove of music for you to react to. One thing I think you will love is their 2020 Live Premium Symphonic Night Vol. 2, where they perform with a full symphony orchestra. It is an amazing concert and is one of my go-to playlists. This is also the concert they do a new arrangement of "Bring Me To Life" with Amy Lee that is the best version I've ever heard. Lead Guitarist Machiya wrote the new arrangement. There are 16 songs, with several acoustic versions of some of their best songs. It's a real treat. And if you want to really see the traditional side of WGB, check out the video for "Goubosei + Homura", it shows all facets of Yuko's talents, as well as the rest of the band. As you said you had an affinity for traditional instruments, here are some other artists for you to check out. First, there is Ni Ni Music from Taiwan, a young lady who does great covers on several different Chinese instruments, some of which she built herself. One of her most beautiful covers is "Bridge Over troubled Waters". From China there is an artist named Moyun who specializes in doing covers on the Guhzeng, the Chinese progenitor of the Koto. She is supremely talented. There are also some great Asian folk metal groups like The HU Band from Mongolia and Otyken from Siberia. But check out Ni Ni and Moyun first, lol. Sorry for the long-winded comment, I get carried away, lol. Can't wait for the next WGB reaction. I think any live version of "Senbonzakura" would be a good choice. In addition, there is a gentleman named Frank Garcia on YT who does an amazing job of putting English subtitles on their videos, check him out also.
He tomado interés por tu canal por ésta canción pero había visto alguno de tus videos. Me suscribo, hay varios videos de tu canal que he disfrutado mucho también, espero que sigas haciendo videos porque creo que son de mi gusto. Mucha suerte y un saludo desde España.
This band is Revolutionary. They do Orchestral stuff that is just Haunting. One of the best Progressive World acts you could possibly imagine. The amount of awe with these musicians is off the hook.
It's not often that the joy of seeing something is real with reactors. I believe yours, and that makes me happy :D^ By the way: this band can cure depression ^^
It's like they asked themselves "What instruments will we use" and the answer was "Yes". I gotta say that Beni Ninagawa is one of the most awesome shamisen players I've ever seen and heard.
Beni Ninagawa is a World Class shamisen player.....and a model....and an actress...and my crush. Wagakki Band just oozes talent. The members are a lot of fun off-stage and get along very well with each other after all these years together.....very Band-Maidesque .
Apparently when she "auditioned" for the band, they weren't even looking for another member. She found out where they were practicing, walked in, and said, "you're going to let me in your band". Then she played for them. And they let her in the band. Definitely the most metal way that a shamisen player ever joined a band.
So glad you got to hear Wagakki Band, they are so fantastically talented. I'll just comment on the singer, Yuko I think it is. She's a student of not just traditional singing styles, but also a number of other traditional cultural entertainment things, such as sword play and fan dancing, which you saw a bit of in this video. In fact she seems to be something of an aficionado of Japanese fans which are gorgeous. Please do seek out other videos by them, particularly live performances. There are ones with her wielding her sword beautifully, one in which a whole army of sword dancers suddenly appear from nowhere and do this incredible accompaniment (one wrong move and Yuko would have been mincemeat lol), and so much more. Having said that, look for the official MV of Senbonzakura, as it's so well done.
I love "traditional Japanese musical instruments" Band (Wagakki). I had never thought the blending of modern & traditional styles could work so flawlessly. I'm happy to be proven wrong. I hope their hiatus at the end of the year will not be too long. Thanks NittPicc for another informative reaction. Cheers.
Wagakki Band is a super group created by Yuko Suzuhana the vocalist and she’s the one that personally hand picked each instrumentalist and they’re are some of the best to do it out of the country.
This video is a great introduction to Wagakki Band. Imo it's still their best song. I recommend "Queen of the Night" and "Synchronicity" for something a bit different from them. Everyone will also recommend their cover of "Bring me to Life" with Amy Lee as a guest vocalist, but I prefer Yuko's vocals over Amy's.
this has to be one of the best reactions to them. thank you for your great appreciation.I think you will got a lot of recommendations to their songs. mine would be "senbonsakura" (official MV) from their channel.
From Japan. I was listening to this band before I discovered BAND-MAID. Unfortunately, they are going on hiatus for a while. The singers and Players of Japanese traditional instruments are all master class. This band and BAND-MAID are my top two bands. Thank you for finding them.
Exactly my way! First I discovered Wagakki Band and then Band Maid. (I live in Brazil, so it was a matter of TH-cam algorithm). I love the power, the intricate way of playing their stuff. The Shakuhachi man is really incredible. Once I had one in my hand and I couldn't take any meaningful sound out of it (I am a recorder player). Strong fate - th-cam.com/video/6JCEeSV0fIQ/w-d-xo.html.
Similar - a few years back I found this band on Spotify (or TH-cam music) because I was listening to Evanescence and the song Sakura Rising started playing...immediately went on TH-cam and found this song and was hooked ever since.
@@centurybeta2112 Thank you for your comment. I think they, too, transcend genres and are their own genre. It is a shame that they will probably be inactive for a year or so.
Aww! I have never seen anyone giggle when classic instruments come on. Made me proud to be from there ❤ I'm partial to koto since grandma used to teach it but I love the whole ensemble!
Yeeeesssss!!!! I've been waiting for you to do this reaction, and your reaction when you notice Daisuke-san begins is priceless! I love this band, this song, and this performance. The individual elements of this song are so awesome and memorable...all 8 musicians together are just unforgettable - including the fact that with your music background and that you're knowledgeable about every instrument in this band makes you perfect for reacting and analyzing this particular band. I'm looking forward to more in the future. Great reaction!!!
Glowsticks are a huge thing in Japan and the crowds tend to be surprisingly polite while still being hyped. Btw, this band has also done Vocaloid covers. In case you're interested, I suggest checking out "Senbonzakura" and "Rokuchou Nen to Ichiya Monogatari" by Wagakki Band. They're absolutely amazing!
Even in Japan, the average rock music audience doesn't hold a glowstick. However, since this band is strongly connected to youth pop culture, its audience resembles idol fans. glowsticks are usually seen frequently in idol fan culture. You don't see glowsticks at all in regular rock or metal audiences.
And it’s performed by hitting the string with your finger just before hitting it with the pick. It took me way too long to get it down, and even now I sometimes miss it.
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu I just hit the string with the pic and the side of my thumb almost at the same time myself. There might be a different name, but it's really easy and repeatable for me.
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu I didn't know what finger you were talking about. I've seen people use their index finger and be able to place an artificial harmonic anywhere they choose. I thought you were referring to that. (at least I think that's what they are doing. I certainly can't do it)
By hitting the string with your thumb at nearly the same time as the pick, you are muting out everything but the highest frequency of that string. It gets impressive when you get that nice reverb after. I have the misfortune of understanding the mechanics of this stuff without the ability to do it 😢
This band forced its way into my attention shortly before Band-Maid, about three years ago. They share some similarities. Similar joy of performing, similar casual application of extreme skills - both in playing and song construction, similar lack of ego. The singer won a national contest in shingen. The shakuhachi player has done world tours as a cultural ambassador. The other six have similar levels of credentials. Their mission seems to be to retool the traditional music of rural Japan for the urban age, and just WOW. They were the cause of the first money I’ve spent on CDs in decades. If you’d like to see three and a half minutes of sheer exuberance from them, try Roki. It’s one of their vocaloid covers, and I can’t help listening any time I stumble across it. Guaranteed smile. One last anecdote - The shamisen player showed up at one of their practice sessions and requested a spot in the band. She has said that she saw it as her best chance of being able to play solos. That obviously worked out well for her, as well as us. She’s amazing.
I checked out Band-Maid first, then traditional instrument factor grabbed my attention and checked out a lot of their songs. Then they started to collaborate with Amy Lee and adopted more popular sound, so I went back to Band-Maid and stuck there.
Been waiting for this since you started reacting to Japanese music knowing you are a flutist I knew it was going to be a fun one... not disapointed in that regard 😁 Nice to see that you already know all those instruments and how they are called 👍
Over time you'll discover that Japanese audiences are the best, they cheer and wave those glow sticks when appropriate and immediately stop when singing starts or a particular part in the song starts. They are very polite to the performers and each other.
Oh, Wagakki Band is yet another awesome unique band full of talent and boy do they churn out bangers! Every song is a must listen and every performance just makes me sadder i havent been able to catch them live (may have to travel to Japan for that one). Tengaku and Senbon Sakura are probably my next recommendations to go from here, but im also really looking forward to you reacting to their 2021 Dai Shinenkai performance of "Sun Wheel". Great video as always Ms. Nittpicc. Thank you!😊
I'm so glad you found this band! I'm going to recommend Hakushu Kassai, which is not one of their really big songs, but if you look up the Dai Shinnenkai 2018 live version (their New Year's concert) it's a tour-de-force in which everyone has a chance to shine. Not only does everyone get a mini-solo, but they do mini-duets, too! But what I'm going to link you to is a little silly something. The core of the group is actually a smaller minigroup called "Hanafugetsu" (Flower, wind, moon), and it's Suzuhana Yuko (singer and founder of Wagakki Band), Ibukuro Kiyoshi (koto, whom the singer married and had a kid with), and Kaminaga Daisuke (shakuhachi). In this video, they visit a music school in Ibaraki, Yuko's hometown. At the beginning of the video before they go in Daisuke reveals he has a two-part shakuhachi hidden in his kimono. Later, the class say they've been practicing Senbonzakura, the song that rocketed Wagakki Band to international fame, and ask if the students would like the band to accompany them in a performance. Everyone looks at Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi: I can ask to borrow one of their koto... Everyone looks at Daisuke. Daisuke: Well. I mean, I just HAPPEN to have a shakuhachi on me... (pulls it out of his sleeve) Daisuke is a mischievous prankster and 120% ready to throw out a solo at any given time. You can see how he won a lot of fans, and they even put out a shirt that says, in English, "I need more Shakuhachi". th-cam.com/video/2cDMtjEsV-Q/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QaKEpMKn6KL9BmQm&t=616
This made me miss Wagakki Band. They kind of got lost in the sauce several years ago. They are AMAZING live. The only band you don’t want to be up close for because there is just too much going on to take it in up close. You’re authentic joy is just too much 💕 You’re also the first reactor I’ve seen who knew the actual name of the wood flute. 🪈
I think I like your reactions way above so many others on TH-cam. You base your opinions on a fine tuned mix of musical theory, and performance values. Great job NittPicc! 🙏🕊&❤
Ok, I got one for you: WHAT IS HIP? [ TOKYO GROOVE JYOSHI COVER ] There are two versions.. one with a shamisen... the other one with a sax. The shamisen one is the crowd's favorite.
They're one of my favourite bands, so incredibly talented and absolutely badass. I love the combination of traditional instruments and styling with modern rock!
17:19 This song was in my recommendations about 2 years ago. This band is just awesome! I've been binging the live performances of them that evening/night. One week later after doing some online research I bought a Shamisen. Been practicing ever since. I never played an instrument in my entire life before. It's quite hard to play but it's great fun and I'm gradually improving.
Yuko sings in a traditional form know as Shigin, used for poems and other texts. She teaches it as well, and is an accomplished pianist and musician. Here's the bio page from her website: "Suzuhana Yuko Japanese singer-songwriter and vocalist of the Wagakki Band. She studied piano from age 3 and the traditional Japanese performing arts of Shigin (singing) and Kenshibu (sword dancing) from age 5. Graduated from the Tokyo College of Music with a major in classical piano. In 2011, she won first place in the Japan National Shigin Contest. In 2014, she started "Wagakki Band” as the leader to "expand traditional performing arts to the world."
Great review, thank you. New sub for you :) A note about the lighted wands you asked about. They're used in a lot of concerts in Japan, primarily the idol / pop groups. Other times you'll see them like here in Wagakki's show. Sometimes the group members of idol groups or bands are identified with a color, so fans will have wands that match the color of their favorite singer of the group. Momoiro Clover Z comes to mind on this. Other groups may not want wands and it's specified beforehand of a concert. Sometimes the audience is asked to withold use of the wands till a certain part of the concert. It varies :) hth
Besides how incredibly skilled the musicians are, the band's sound engineering is masterclass. To have this many instruments, all from completely different backgrounds and not used together traditionally, and have them all be distinguishable and crisp sounding as the entire band is playing takes a lot of work. Also your reaction at 9:30 is perfectly appropriate lol that sudden change in pace is fantastic.
I was hoping you'd discover Wagakki Band - had a feeling you'd have quite a strong reaction to it! Wonderful to see! :) Light sticks are quite common at Japanese shows, you often see them in the crowd, but it looks like every single person had one at this gig!
So glad you found Wagakki Band also! You have found 2 of my 3 favourite bands but both that still exist (sadly Stereopony has split up). The profound musical depths of Wagakki Band’s art had been the source of many hours of reflection and enjoyment!
In the opening solo section you’re hearing double pedal bass drums and the Taiko drums doing that at the same time. It’s really effective! And then there’s Beni shredding on the Shamisen. 😊 I’m an orchestral and world musician with my roots in rock. When I discovered Wagakki band years ago they ticked off all the boxes for me! If you like traditional instruments mixed with modern music there are some great groups out there. Otyken from Siberia. The Hu from Mongolia. The Afro-Celt Sound System. An older group is Hednigarna that plays a mix of Scandanavian music. There is more if you go down this rabbit hole. Also, it’s so nice for me to see a reaction video where you know the instruments.😊
My most repeated Part of your Reaction is the Moment the Shakuhachi comes in, soo cute. Also i always shed a Tear when Yuko sings of "Overflowing Emotion bursting out..."
Sabaku no Komoriuta! A little hard to find, much more recent than this. Wagakki band has come a very long way from this performance. As suggested, Synchronicity also shows off a totally different manner, with a marvelous video.
All eight members were already well known virtuosos before the band formed. Some teach as well. Yuko (vocalist), who organized the group, is also a concert pianist. (and just had a baby with her husband, the Koto player). For the next one, you should see their cover of "Bring Me to Life" with Amy Lee. It's from a performance they did where they had a small orchestra. The music is great, and the singing, with Yuko, Amy Lee, and the guitarist, is phenomenal.
I've watched dozens of reactions of this video, and yours is by far one of the best! As someone with no music ability whatsoever, Its always fun to see actual musicians do a more than surface level analysis and point out details that I didn't even know was even interesting at all. And also, its really fun watching artists geeking out over other artists lol. subbed
Top notch musicians in their own right brought together by the singer. This one is a blast, for a different flavor check out "Synchronicity" (live), another great performance!
Hi NittPicc, Nice to see you here! Even though my no.1 will always be Band-Maid, I've been through Wagakki Band phase and have many favourite songs, including Gobousei, Tono monogatari sequel, Yoshiwara Lament (makes me cry), Synchronicity, Iroha-uta is also good musically but the lyrics are quite suggestive. Me personally, Beni is my goddess. The flutist's the second favourite member. My aunt played koto before she developed rheumatoid arthritis at 18.
This version of Homura is my favourite Wagakki Band video to watch and listen to, I must have watched it well over 100 times. Worth watching your review just to see your emotions come flooding out. Pretty amazing aren't they.
Yuko Suzuhana has her own channel where she demonstrates and teaches traditional Shigin style vocals. (Beni, the Shamisen player, also has a channel but it seems to be mainly about food) For a suggestion on what next - definitely watch the following on TH-cam it is exceptional: Wagakki Band(和楽器バンド):Yoshiwara Lament(吉原ラメント)-Live At Tokyo National Museum
that "wail" or high-pitch note is a "pinch harmonic", which is kinda hard to explain how to do.. best i can manage is its like a double-strike with the pick, or a strike and touch to set off the harmonic instead of the fretted note
Is it just me? When Beni makes her under stated entrance NittPicc looks just like Beni's Cockatiel did back in the ...a girl and her Shamisen Tubes of You uploads days ? Blessed and amazed !
Yay, your Wagakki Band reaction is finally up! Thank you for doing my recommendation to them, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙏 😊 As far as suggestions you can't go wrong with any of their songs, but I'll just say be careful with any of the official MV's from when they were with Avex (their record label up to a few years ago). They are notoriously "strike happy" to reactors for some reason, which sucks because the cinematography in the MV's is as beautiful as the music. 😢 Live videos of songs from that era (like this one), & MV's & lives from their current record company (Universal Music Japan) are fine to upload to TH-cam without worry of a strike.
Hi I'm Japanese fan .Thank you reacting Wagakkiband. Koto Shakuhachi Shamisen. "They hold the title of 'master' which means they possess the highest level of skill and knowledge in their field. Additionally, having the qualification of 'master' indicates they are authorities in their field and have the ability to impart their expertise and knowledge to others. In other words, they are the real deal in their field, highly reliable individuals. They came together to form a band." 😀
I love Wagaki band. Discovered them some years ago, though I like Beni Ninagawa on the Shamisen. If I didn't play bass I would pick up a shamisen. I love how it cuts through the mix but doesn't overpower. Those screaming notes on guitar are called pinch harmonics. If you like traditional music, check out the HU band from Mongolia. They mix traditional and modern and use throat singing in a folk metal style. They are fantastic too.
Yes! After you get a couple of Hu songs by themselves, check them out with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm doing "The Song of Women" which they asked her to write.
let me say this is exactly the reaction I want to see from this song. 10/10 reaction you killed it. reacted exactly how i want everyone to react when I show it to them
I first learned about Wagakki Band over a decade ago. Some of their first videos were covers of Vocaloid (computer-generated vocalists) songs. Which i later learned had been written by their bassist, Asa. Most of the performers are national champions in their chosen instruments. Yuko is a champion in shigen; a vocal style used for reciting traditional poetry. She modified it to use as a singing voice. She’s also a champion pianist. Wagakki Band is a storm of music and Yuko is the eye of that storm.
Excellent reaction. Shredding on a Shamisen! The pinch harmonic on guitar you asked about is achieved by striking the string with the edge of the pick and immediately allowing the string to bounce off your thumb. It's a technique that takes a lot of practice initially, but there's not a heavy metal soloist that doesn't use it.
I can't tell you how many times I re-watched the shamisen solo, it's just so incredibly amazing. Another thing is how well the sound is mixed in this show -- even with everything else going on you can hear the distinctive shamisen plucking coming through from the background and it just sounds great. Beni, and this video specifically, sent me on a whole shamisen journey of learning about the instrument and listening to traditional music. ... Which is totally rock n roll by the way. If you haven't heard of the Yoshida Brothers, I highly recommend them. One of my favorites is a live performance of a song called Kodo, and there are parts of that song that could absolutely be played on electric guitar and made into a riff in a hit rock song.
The music coming out of Japan just rocks. Watch (Our shining days) a show about a music school where traditional Chinese instrument artist battle with classical musicians at the school. I'm sure that you will enjoy it.
A little trivia: The lead singer (Yuko Suzuhana) and the koto player (Kiyoshi Ibukuro) married in 2022 and had their first child last year. They are also in a three-piece group together with the shakuhachi player (Daisuke Kaminaga) called Hanafugetsu. That group has videos on TH-cam as well. The shakuhachi player is considered a master of the instrument, and you can find him appearing in videos by other TH-cam content creators like Lets Ask Shogo. He also has his own channel.
Wagakki band was started by pianist, poet, composer and Shigin singer Yuko Suzuhana in 2013. They have released 7 studio albums, two of them cover albums of vocaloid songs. Homura (flame) is a Machiya instrumental that they perform only at concerts, the song is always performed differently with and without Beni and Kurona. The mask he wears is a Noh mask from Noh theater and represents the spirit of a woman. The cut in the eye is not original. The mask has two expressions: if he looks down, the mask smiles, if he looks up, the mask is angry. He mostly uses the mask on his own instrumental songs. Akatsuki no ito (thread of dawn) is also written by Machiya and is used as an encore chant by the audience.
You would enjoy a band from the 70s called Steeleye Span. They are a rock band that played music from the 15th to 18th century updated to a rock style. Try the song All Around my Hat for a good starting point.
Great reaction. Not by any means my favorite WagakkiBand thing, but they are super great. They became popular after their covers of vocaloid songs, which you should check out! The mix between traditional Japanese music and modern rock music is just unique. There are many folk bands out there, but nine quite like them Maybe you didn't ask, but there's a band called Unlucky Morpheus (also Japanese) that has a girl on vocals (my fav Japanese vocalist, Fuki) and a girl on violin. You ah, that's right, a Violin!
Congrats, you are onto one of the most amazing bands ever. I know you do some research so forgive any duplication of stuff you already know. Here is a short backgrounder: “Wagakki” is Japanese for “traditional instruments” The band was founded by the shigin (classical poetry) singer, SUZUHANA Yuko, who is also a classically trained pianist. She developed the concept of fusing Japanese traditional instruments and musical tropes with modern western music. The full band consist of eight musicians, three on western instruments (bass, guitar, drums), four on Japanese instruments and Suzuhana-sama on vocals and sometimes piano. For your viewers who don't already know: The “lute” thing is a Shamisen. The “harp” thing is a Koto. The “flute thing” is a shakuhachi. The Japanese drums are collectively called “wadaiko”. Here is a video that really lets you see up close all the instruments and how they work together: th-cam.com/video/Q2meWkWqc-I/w-d-xo.html 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. For some reason a lot of people suggest their collaborations with Amy Lee. I would not waste the time until you have seen more of their stuff just on their own. That's when they really shine.
This is one of my favorite song from them and also my favorite version, and also the favourite part to seeing the reactions when Beni starts playing Shamisen
Love your reaction! Video doesn't do them justice. Live, the percussion is thunderous, felt as much as heard. Even across a large arena. The light sticks have their insignia on them and are sold at the merch table before and after the show. They are huge in Japan and have really increased the interest in traditional instruments there. Unfortunately, they announced they will go on indefinite hiatus at the end of the year. The vocalist and koto player are married and just had their first child, and the entire band each have other projects.
I love how people reacting to this video always awestruck in waves. "oh, cool intro! oh, two drums! wow, solo bass! damn, shamisen! koto and shakuhachi! that vocal!"
You're stepping into a world of musical gods and goddesses here. Yuko, the singer, is a shigin master, vocal coach, kenbu and shibu performer, and classically trained pianist (from age 3). Daisuke, the shakuhachi player, is also a master, and has his own school. Kiyoshi, the koto player, is a cultural ambassador for Japan. Kurona teaches Taiko drumming. Beni (Tsugaru Shamisen) has been performing since she was four and is also a trained minyo singer. Asa (bass) was a vocaloid producer and has his own band. Machiya (guitar) was a music producer and session musician, as well as having other band and solo projects. Wasabi (drums) was a highly sought after session musician. What to listen to next? This one th-cam.com/video/aWlMc-pbDc8/w-d-xo.html
![Flutist REACTS|QUADRATUM (Unlucky Morpheus), Far Beyond The Sun [Yngwie Malmsteen Cover]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kJDM_4gdhVs/mqdefault.jpg)
You are the FIRST reactor who's correctly identified all the traditional instruments correctly, well done you!
And just for a bit of instrumental geekiness... the traditional instruments are not the only bits of interesting gear on view. The guitarist, Machiya, is using an unusual long scale, 29 fret baritone guitar.... presumably his signature model.
Wow, this is the first time I've seen a non-Japanese person who understands the shakuhachi, koto, and shamisen. Hats off to you!
There’s a few of us out there but we’re rare! 😊😊😉
i was audio tech at a bunch of conventions in Germany and i got to mic up various koto, shakuhachi and even a shamisen over the years. fun stuff ^^
What is so amazing about this group is that each member is a master of their particular instrument. They are very intentional about how each part will participate in the song, and each instrument is featured while still blending in with the whole. Their works are always fantastic.
Knowing that, the flute player and vocalist are a cut above to me. All are incredible though. I just flute too
Kaminaga Daisuke (神永大輔) is the shakuhachi player of Wagakki Band. He began to play the Shakuhachi at the age of 18, then he was awarded a master license of Tozan-style Shakuhachi. Daisuke has his own school in Tokyo, and teaches in several colleges and universities.
wonderful!
You said shakuhachi!
When people from overseas saw him, they said he was a flute.
The shamisen is called a banjo,
The koto is called a harp.
What I'm saying without looking into it is
Because it's so sad,
I'm so glad you knew!
Akikohorie4764. : It is a Flute , that the Flute is called shakuhachi does make it not a flute
@@powertothebauer296calling it woodwind would been better
焔と暁の糸の海外の方のリアクションたくさん見て来ましたが、あなたのような和楽器に精通した方は始めてみました 更に全てのコメントも的確で高度なコメントで見ていてとても気持ち良いです
Fantastic!. I was waiting for this reaction in anticipation. This Band is a wonderful combination of virtuosos. The flutist's name is Daisuke Kaminaga, hero for a day on your channel! Thank you for this excellent approach to Waggaki Band.
I have been waiting with bated breath for you to react to Wagakki Band. They are a supergroup in the truest sense of the term. WGB was the brainchild of Yuko Suzuhana, the world's greatest unknown vocalist and frontwoman. She literally has no peer, and is also a composer, lyricist and an excellent keyboardist. She started learning the piano at age 3 and by age 5 was being trained by her mom, who is a very well-regarded music professor, in the arts of Shigin, the traditional Japanese form of song/poetry, and traditional Japanese dance with both the fan (shi) and the sword (ken). She also teaches Shigin at university.
Prior to forming WGB, she, her husband, koto player Kiyoshi Ikuburo and shakuhachi player Daisuke Kaminaga were together as a folk group called Hanafugetsu, of which there are several videos on TH-cam. Similarly to Band Maid, the trio ran into guitarist and composer Shin "Machiya" Oumura, who was an extremely well-regarded session musician, who also knew rock drummer Wasabi and bassist/composer Asa. Yuko knew wadaiko drummer Kurona from university and the final piece, shamisen player extraordinaire Beni Ninagawa also joined the group. Yuko wanted to form a band that would mix modern rock and traditional Japanese interests to get young people of Japan interested in traditional music. And lo and behold, Wagakki Band was formed. And they were my reintroduction to Japanese music after an 7 or 8 year hiatus of my own. About 6 years ago someone posted the music video of their song "Kishikaisei" on Facebook and I was instantly enthralled. They led me to Baby Metal, SCANDAL, Aldious, Lovebites and Band Maid.
You have SO much to catch up on with WGB. Sadly, they are going on an undetermined hiatus at the end of the year, but it was expected, as Yuko and Kiyoshi's daughter will turn 2 years old in November and they need the family time. The other members will be working on their own projects also. But there is a treasure trove of music for you to react to. One thing I think you will love is their 2020 Live Premium Symphonic Night Vol. 2, where they perform with a full symphony orchestra. It is an amazing concert and is one of my go-to playlists. This is also the concert they do a new arrangement of "Bring Me To Life" with Amy Lee that is the best version I've ever heard. Lead Guitarist Machiya wrote the new arrangement. There are 16 songs, with several acoustic versions of some of their best songs. It's a real treat. And if you want to really see the traditional side of WGB, check out the video for "Goubosei + Homura", it shows all facets of Yuko's talents, as well as the rest of the band.
As you said you had an affinity for traditional instruments, here are some other artists for you to check out. First, there is Ni Ni Music from Taiwan, a young lady who does great covers on several different Chinese instruments, some of which she built herself. One of her most beautiful covers is "Bridge Over troubled Waters". From China there is an artist named Moyun who specializes in doing covers on the Guhzeng, the Chinese progenitor of the Koto. She is supremely talented. There are also some great Asian folk metal groups like The HU Band from Mongolia and Otyken from Siberia. But check out Ni Ni and Moyun first, lol. Sorry for the long-winded comment, I get carried away, lol. Can't wait for the next WGB reaction. I think any live version of "Senbonzakura" would be a good choice. In addition, there is a gentleman named Frank Garcia on YT who does an amazing job of putting English subtitles on their videos, check him out also.
He tomado interés por tu canal por ésta canción pero había visto alguno de tus videos.
Me suscribo, hay varios videos de tu canal que he disfrutado mucho también, espero que sigas haciendo videos porque creo que son de mi gusto.
Mucha suerte y un saludo desde España.
This band is Revolutionary. They do Orchestral stuff that is just Haunting. One of the best Progressive World acts you could possibly imagine. The amount of awe with these musicians is off the hook.
It's not often that the joy of seeing something is real with reactors. I believe yours, and that makes me happy :D^
By the way: this band can cure depression ^^
It's like they asked themselves "What instruments will we use" and the answer was "Yes".
I gotta say that Beni Ninagawa is one of the most awesome shamisen players I've ever seen and heard.
Beni Ninagawa is a World Class shamisen player.....and a model....and an actress...and my crush. Wagakki Band just oozes talent. The members are a lot of fun off-stage and get along very well with each other after all these years together.....very Band-Maidesque .
Apparently when she "auditioned" for the band, they weren't even looking for another member. She found out where they were practicing, walked in, and said, "you're going to let me in your band". Then she played for them. And they let her in the band.
Definitely the most metal way that a shamisen player ever joined a band.
I look only at Asa outside of band and he seems like really positive person.
So glad you got to hear Wagakki Band, they are so fantastically talented. I'll just comment on the singer, Yuko I think it is. She's a student of not just traditional singing styles, but also a number of other traditional cultural entertainment things, such as sword play and fan dancing, which you saw a bit of in this video. In fact she seems to be something of an aficionado of Japanese fans which are gorgeous.
Please do seek out other videos by them, particularly live performances. There are ones with her wielding her sword beautifully, one in which a whole army of sword dancers suddenly appear from nowhere and do this incredible accompaniment (one wrong move and Yuko would have been mincemeat lol), and so much more. Having said that, look for the official MV of Senbonzakura, as it's so well done.
This video brings joy to my soul every time
I love "traditional Japanese musical instruments" Band (Wagakki). I had never thought the blending of modern & traditional styles could work so flawlessly. I'm happy to be proven wrong. I hope their hiatus at the end of the year will not be too long. Thanks NittPicc for another informative reaction. Cheers.
Wagakki Band is a super group created by Yuko Suzuhana the vocalist and she’s the one that personally hand picked each instrumentalist and they’re are some of the best to do it out of the country.
Please check out Versailles Faith and Decision live
There's also a Wagakki Band live with Amy Lee doing the song Bring Me to Life.
Recommend Shamisen Girls Ki&Ki- Tsugaru Jongara Bushi
Shamisen in Tokyo channel
And
Kasumi Watanabe
Sakura 25 string Koto
@@gerardcote8391 A colleague of mine is EVANESCENCE fan and I showed to him this version and he said: It's the best version he has ever seen.
This video is a great introduction to Wagakki Band. Imo it's still their best song. I recommend "Queen of the Night" and "Synchronicity" for something a bit different from them. Everyone will also recommend their cover of "Bring me to Life" with Amy Lee as a guest vocalist, but I prefer Yuko's vocals over Amy's.
Queen of the night and kagerou is my favorite song from them
i just heared queen of the night recently beautiful song.
Yes! Synchronicity is sooo dope and it's such a great different vibe from them!
Definitely have to include Sun Wheel & Aria Of Twilight to that list as well
this has to be one of the best reactions to them. thank you for your great appreciation.I think you will got a lot of recommendations to their songs. mine would be "senbonsakura" (official MV) from their channel.
From Japan. I was listening to this band before I discovered BAND-MAID. Unfortunately, they are going on hiatus for a while. The singers and Players of Japanese traditional instruments are all master class. This band and BAND-MAID are my top two bands. Thank you for finding them.
Exactly my way! First I discovered Wagakki Band and then Band Maid. (I live in Brazil, so it was a matter of TH-cam algorithm). I love the power, the intricate way of playing their stuff. The Shakuhachi man is really incredible. Once I had one in my hand and I couldn't take any meaningful sound out of it (I am a recorder player). Strong fate - th-cam.com/video/6JCEeSV0fIQ/w-d-xo.html.
@@wanderleyjesus6772 Thank you for your comment.
Similar - a few years back I found this band on Spotify (or TH-cam music) because I was listening to Evanescence and the song Sakura Rising started playing...immediately went on TH-cam and found this song and was hooked ever since.
@@centurybeta2112 Thank you for your comment. I think they, too, transcend genres and are their own genre. It is a shame that they will probably be inactive for a year or so.
Aww! I have never seen anyone giggle when classic instruments come on. Made me proud to be from there ❤ I'm partial to koto since grandma used to teach it but I love the whole ensemble!
Japan is happening with music. I knew would love this.
Yeeeesssss!!!! I've been waiting for you to do this reaction, and your reaction when you notice Daisuke-san begins is priceless! I love this band, this song, and this performance. The individual elements of this song are so awesome and memorable...all 8 musicians together are just unforgettable - including the fact that with your music background and that you're knowledgeable about every instrument in this band makes you perfect for reacting and analyzing this particular band. I'm looking forward to more in the future. Great reaction!!!
Glowsticks are a huge thing in Japan and the crowds tend to be surprisingly polite while still being hyped.
Btw, this band has also done Vocaloid covers. In case you're interested, I suggest checking out "Senbonzakura" and "Rokuchou Nen to Ichiya Monogatari" by Wagakki Band. They're absolutely amazing!
Even in Japan, the average rock music audience doesn't hold a glowstick. However, since this band is strongly connected to youth pop culture, its audience resembles idol fans. glowsticks are usually seen frequently in idol fan culture. You don't see glowsticks at all in regular rock or metal audiences.
Always makes me smile when someone else discovers this group. The way they blend together is so balanced that it's mind-boggling.
Thank you so much for reacting to this band. So happy and glad that you new all their instruments! Thanx again for your great reaction!!
That sound you asked about that guitars do is called a pinch harmonics
And it’s performed by hitting the string with your finger just before hitting it with the pick. It took me way too long to get it down, and even now I sometimes miss it.
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu I just hit the string with the pic and the side of my thumb almost at the same time myself. There might be a different name, but it's really easy and repeatable for me.
@@ranger_a6953Good to know we do it the same way.
@@PaleHorseShabuShabu I didn't know what finger you were talking about. I've seen people use their index finger and be able to place an artificial harmonic anywhere they choose. I thought you were referring to that. (at least I think that's what they are doing. I certainly can't do it)
By hitting the string with your thumb at nearly the same time as the pick, you are muting out everything but the highest frequency of that string. It gets impressive when you get that nice reverb after.
I have the misfortune of understanding the mechanics of this stuff without the ability to do it 😢
この人、凄いな!!
三味線、尺八、琴を知ってるなんて。😊
This band forced its way into my attention shortly before Band-Maid, about three years ago. They share some similarities. Similar joy of performing, similar casual application of extreme skills - both in playing and song construction, similar lack of ego. The singer won a national contest in shingen. The shakuhachi player has done world tours as a cultural ambassador. The other six have similar levels of credentials. Their mission seems to be to retool the traditional music of rural Japan for the urban age, and just WOW. They were the cause of the first money I’ve spent on CDs in decades. If you’d like to see three and a half minutes of sheer exuberance from them, try Roki. It’s one of their vocaloid covers, and I can’t help listening any time I stumble across it. Guaranteed smile. One last anecdote - The shamisen player showed up at one of their practice sessions and requested a spot in the band. She has said that she saw it as her best chance of being able to play solos. That obviously worked out well for her, as well as us. She’s amazing.
Same here! After years on not purchasing CDs, I bought Tokyo Singing online and listened to it so many times now.
I checked out Band-Maid first, then traditional instrument factor grabbed my attention and checked out a lot of their songs. Then they started to collaborate with Amy Lee and adopted more popular sound, so I went back to Band-Maid and stuck there.
how i love your reaction !!!splendid
Been waiting for this since you started reacting to Japanese music knowing you are a flutist I knew it was going to be a fun one... not disapointed in that regard 😁 Nice to see that you already know all those instruments and how they are called 👍
Told ya, the flute goes hardcore, Band Maiko kind of make me found this band, and Onmyoza
Yet their traditional sound evoke different feel, band-maiko has the very local, good old day vibe in their sound.
That baritone guitar is so beautiful ♥ Love your reactions Nitt ♥ I wonder if you will do Senbonzakura hmmm
She really should, either the MV, or the one with Evanescence 😊
Over time you'll discover that Japanese audiences are the best, they cheer and wave those glow sticks when appropriate and immediately stop when singing starts or a particular part in the song starts. They are very polite to the performers and each other.
Nice! I have been waiting for you to get this part of your journey. 😊
Oh, Wagakki Band is yet another awesome unique band full of talent and boy do they churn out bangers! Every song is a must listen and every performance just makes me sadder i havent been able to catch them live (may have to travel to Japan for that one). Tengaku and Senbon Sakura are probably my next recommendations to go from here, but im also really looking forward to you reacting to their 2021 Dai Shinenkai performance of "Sun Wheel". Great video as always Ms. Nittpicc. Thank you!😊
I'm so glad you found this band! I'm going to recommend Hakushu Kassai, which is not one of their really big songs, but if you look up the Dai Shinnenkai 2018 live version (their New Year's concert) it's a tour-de-force in which everyone has a chance to shine. Not only does everyone get a mini-solo, but they do mini-duets, too!
But what I'm going to link you to is a little silly something. The core of the group is actually a smaller minigroup called "Hanafugetsu" (Flower, wind, moon), and it's Suzuhana Yuko (singer and founder of Wagakki Band), Ibukuro Kiyoshi (koto, whom the singer married and had a kid with), and Kaminaga Daisuke (shakuhachi).
In this video, they visit a music school in Ibaraki, Yuko's hometown. At the beginning of the video before they go in Daisuke reveals he has a two-part shakuhachi hidden in his kimono. Later, the class say they've been practicing Senbonzakura, the song that rocketed Wagakki Band to international fame, and ask if the students would like the band to accompany them in a performance.
Everyone looks at Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi: I can ask to borrow one of their koto...
Everyone looks at Daisuke. Daisuke: Well. I mean, I just HAPPEN to have a shakuhachi on me... (pulls it out of his sleeve)
Daisuke is a mischievous prankster and 120% ready to throw out a solo at any given time. You can see how he won a lot of fans, and they even put out a shirt that says, in English, "I need more Shakuhachi".
th-cam.com/video/2cDMtjEsV-Q/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QaKEpMKn6KL9BmQm&t=616
This made me miss Wagakki Band. They kind of got lost in the sauce several years ago. They are AMAZING live. The only band you don’t want to be up close for because there is just too much going on to take it in up close. You’re authentic joy is just too much 💕 You’re also the first reactor I’ve seen who knew the actual name of the wood flute. 🪈
I think I like your reactions way above so many others on TH-cam. You base your opinions on a fine tuned mix of musical theory, and performance values. Great job NittPicc! 🙏🕊&❤
Ok, I got one for you:
WHAT IS HIP? [ TOKYO GROOVE JYOSHI COVER ]
There are two versions.. one with a shamisen... the other one with a sax.
The shamisen one is the crowd's favorite.
I concur!
I really enjoyed your review. It's been a long time I enjoyed Wagakki band reviews.
So to see miss NittPic had a wild EARGASM.😀
They're one of my favourite bands, so incredibly talented and absolutely badass. I love the combination of traditional instruments and styling with modern rock!
I told you a flutist could have great stage presence! 😂
Great reaction!
Man it’s refreshing to see a reactor having proper knowledge on instruments being played so well. Bravo 👏
You have now reacted to the best two bands from Japan; Lovebites and Wagakki Band. Keep going!
I had so much fun laughing along with you, I’m still wiping tears from my eyes. What a great reaction.
17:19 This song was in my recommendations about 2 years ago. This band is just awesome! I've been binging the live performances of them that evening/night. One week later after doing some online research I bought a Shamisen. Been practicing ever since. I never played an instrument in my entire life before. It's quite hard to play but it's great fun and I'm gradually improving.
Yuko sings in a traditional form know as Shigin, used for poems and other texts. She teaches it as well, and is an accomplished pianist and musician. Here's the bio page from her website:
"Suzuhana Yuko
Japanese singer-songwriter and vocalist of the Wagakki Band.
She studied piano from age 3 and the traditional Japanese performing arts of Shigin (singing) and Kenshibu (sword dancing) from age 5.
Graduated from the Tokyo College of Music with a major in classical piano.
In 2011, she won first place in the Japan National Shigin Contest.
In 2014, she started "Wagakki Band” as the leader to "expand traditional performing arts to the world."
Didn’t she sing the Japanese national anthem or some really traditional song for an official event in Japan
Great review, thank you. New sub for you :) A note about the lighted wands you asked about. They're used in a lot of concerts in Japan, primarily the idol / pop groups. Other times you'll see them like here in Wagakki's show. Sometimes the group members of idol groups or bands are identified with a color, so fans will have wands that match the color of their favorite singer of the group. Momoiro Clover Z comes to mind on this. Other groups may not want wands and it's specified beforehand of a concert. Sometimes the audience is asked to withold use of the wands till a certain part of the concert. It varies :) hth
Damn your enthusiasm is contagious, I know the band and the song but it feels like a first time!
Besides how incredibly skilled the musicians are, the band's sound engineering is masterclass. To have this many instruments, all from completely different backgrounds and not used together traditionally, and have them all be distinguishable and crisp sounding as the entire band is playing takes a lot of work. Also your reaction at 9:30 is perfectly appropriate lol that sudden change in pace is fantastic.
I was hoping you'd discover Wagakki Band - had a feeling you'd have quite a strong reaction to it! Wonderful to see! :)
Light sticks are quite common at Japanese shows, you often see them in the crowd, but it looks like every single person had one at this gig!
すごく楽しそう😊
こちらまで楽しくなる
This is fun too, please listen "Bring Me To Life" by Wagakki Band with Amy Lee from EVANESCENCE and WGB Symphonic Orchestra.
It's an awesome collab!
th-cam.com/video/hk1GtYK7BJM/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/hk1GtYK7BJM/w-d-xo.html
So glad you found Wagakki Band also! You have found 2 of my 3 favourite bands but both that still exist (sadly Stereopony has split up). The profound musical depths of Wagakki Band’s art had been the source of many hours of reflection and enjoyment!
In the opening solo section you’re hearing double pedal bass drums and the Taiko drums doing that at the same time. It’s really effective!
And then there’s Beni shredding on the Shamisen. 😊
I’m an orchestral and world musician with my roots in rock. When I discovered Wagakki band years ago they ticked off all the boxes for me!
If you like traditional instruments mixed with modern music there are some great groups out there. Otyken from Siberia. The Hu from Mongolia. The Afro-Celt Sound System. An older group is Hednigarna that plays a mix of Scandanavian music. There is more if you go down this rabbit hole.
Also, it’s so nice for me to see a reaction video where you know the instruments.😊
My most repeated Part of your Reaction is the Moment the Shakuhachi comes in, soo cute. Also i always shed a Tear when Yuko sings of "Overflowing Emotion bursting out..."
Sabaku no Komoriuta! A little hard to find, much more recent than this. Wagakki band has come a very long way from this performance. As suggested, Synchronicity also shows off a totally different manner, with a marvelous video.
All eight members were already well known virtuosos before the band formed. Some teach as well. Yuko (vocalist), who organized the group, is also a concert pianist. (and just had a baby with her husband, the Koto player). For the next one, you should see their cover of "Bring Me to Life" with Amy Lee. It's from a performance they did where they had a small orchestra. The music is great, and the singing, with Yuko, Amy Lee, and the guitarist, is phenomenal.
音楽に国境は無いといいますが、良い音楽は誰が聞いても良いのが、貴方のリアクションで良く伝わります。
I've watched dozens of reactions of this video, and yours is by far one of the best! As someone with no music ability whatsoever, Its always fun to see actual musicians do a more than surface level analysis and point out details that I didn't even know was even interesting at all. And also, its really fun watching artists geeking out over other artists lol. subbed
Would also highly recommend their performance of Hakushu Kassai!
Top notch musicians in their own right brought together by the singer. This one is a blast, for a different flavor check out "Synchronicity" (live), another great performance!
Hi NittPicc, Nice to see you here! Even though my no.1 will always be Band-Maid, I've been through Wagakki Band phase and have many favourite songs, including Gobousei, Tono monogatari sequel, Yoshiwara Lament (makes me cry), Synchronicity, Iroha-uta is also good musically but the lyrics are quite suggestive.
Me personally, Beni is my goddess. The flutist's the second favourite member.
My aunt played koto before she developed rheumatoid arthritis at 18.
This version of Homura is my favourite Wagakki Band video to watch and listen to, I must have watched it well over 100 times. Worth watching your review just to see your emotions come flooding out. Pretty amazing aren't they.
Yuko Suzuhana has her own channel where she demonstrates and teaches traditional Shigin style vocals. (Beni, the Shamisen player, also has a channel but it seems to be mainly about food)
For a suggestion on what next - definitely watch the following on TH-cam it is exceptional:
Wagakki Band(和楽器バンド):Yoshiwara Lament(吉原ラメント)-Live At Tokyo National Museum
that "wail" or high-pitch note is a "pinch harmonic", which is kinda hard to explain how to do.. best i can manage is its like a double-strike with the pick, or a strike and touch to set off the harmonic instead of the fretted note
Is it just me? When Beni makes her under stated entrance NittPicc looks just like Beni's Cockatiel did back in the ...a girl and her Shamisen Tubes of You uploads days ? Blessed and amazed !
Yay, your Wagakki Band reaction is finally up! Thank you for doing my recommendation to them, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙏 😊
As far as suggestions you can't go wrong with any of their songs, but I'll just say be careful with any of the official MV's from when they were with Avex (their record label up to a few years ago). They are notoriously "strike happy" to reactors for some reason, which sucks because the cinematography in the MV's is as beautiful as the music. 😢
Live videos of songs from that era (like this one), & MV's & lives from their current record company (Universal Music Japan) are fine to upload to TH-cam without worry of a strike.
Hi I'm Japanese fan .Thank you reacting Wagakkiband. Koto Shakuhachi Shamisen.
"They hold the title of 'master' which means they possess the highest level of skill and knowledge in their field. Additionally, having the qualification of 'master' indicates they are authorities in their field and have the ability to impart their expertise and knowledge to others. In other words, they are the real deal in their field, highly reliable individuals. They came together to form a band." 😀
I love Wagaki band. Discovered them some years ago, though I like Beni Ninagawa on the Shamisen. If I didn't play bass I would pick up a shamisen. I love how it cuts through the mix but doesn't overpower. Those screaming notes on guitar are called pinch harmonics. If you like traditional music, check out the HU band from Mongolia. They mix traditional and modern and use throat singing in a folk metal style. They are fantastic too.
Yes! After you get a couple of Hu songs by themselves, check them out with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm doing "The Song of Women" which they asked her to write.
let me say this is exactly the reaction I want to see from this song. 10/10 reaction you killed it. reacted exactly how i want everyone to react when I show it to them
この2曲のリアクション動画は沢山ありますが、個人的に一番好きな動画です✨
Really enjoyed your reaction and thanks for all the info, I love the Wagakki band, would also recommend Babymetal and Ado if you don't know them
I first learned about Wagakki Band over a decade ago. Some of their first videos were covers of Vocaloid (computer-generated vocalists) songs. Which i later learned had been written by their bassist, Asa. Most of the performers are national champions in their chosen instruments. Yuko is a champion in shigen; a vocal style used for reciting traditional poetry. She modified it to use as a singing voice. She’s also a champion pianist.
Wagakki Band is a storm of music and Yuko is the eye of that storm.
you reaction is so pure!! i love it! its contagious, also loved your reaction to Crow by Upiko
I would like to see more reactions to the Wagakki Band. She's very cool.
So far you are the best reaction in TH-cam!! I saw like 1k already. You have a phenomenal listening skills
One of the best reviews I have heard. Your knowledge gave a lot of insight. You need to revie them more -- they are amazing.
Your reaction is great and vivid. I love it.
Excellent reaction. Shredding on a Shamisen! The pinch harmonic on guitar you asked about is achieved by striking the string with the edge of the pick and immediately allowing the string to bounce off your thumb. It's a technique that takes a lot of practice initially, but there's not a heavy metal soloist that doesn't use it.
I can't tell you how many times I re-watched the shamisen solo, it's just so incredibly amazing. Another thing is how well the sound is mixed in this show -- even with everything else going on you can hear the distinctive shamisen plucking coming through from the background and it just sounds great. Beni, and this video specifically, sent me on a whole shamisen journey of learning about the instrument and listening to traditional music.
... Which is totally rock n roll by the way. If you haven't heard of the Yoshida Brothers, I highly recommend them. One of my favorites is a live performance of a song called Kodo, and there are parts of that song that could absolutely be played on electric guitar and made into a riff in a hit rock song.
The music coming out of Japan just rocks. Watch (Our shining days) a show about a music school where traditional Chinese instrument artist battle with classical musicians at the school. I'm sure that you will enjoy it.
Oh dude, you should see them perform Bring me to Life with Amy Lee. Mind-blowing.
A little trivia:
The lead singer (Yuko Suzuhana) and the koto player (Kiyoshi Ibukuro) married in 2022 and had their first child last year.
They are also in a three-piece group together with the shakuhachi player (Daisuke Kaminaga) called Hanafugetsu. That group has videos on TH-cam as well.
The shakuhachi player is considered a master of the instrument, and you can find him appearing in videos by other TH-cam content creators like Lets Ask Shogo. He also has his own channel.
Pinch harmonics
Wagakki band was started by pianist, poet, composer and Shigin singer Yuko Suzuhana in 2013. They have released 7 studio albums, two of them cover albums of vocaloid songs.
Homura (flame) is a Machiya instrumental that they perform only at concerts, the song is always performed differently with and without Beni and Kurona. The mask he wears is a Noh mask from Noh theater and represents the spirit of a woman. The cut in the eye is not original.
The mask has two expressions: if he looks down, the mask smiles, if he looks up, the mask is angry. He mostly uses the mask on his own instrumental songs.
Akatsuki no ito (thread of dawn) is also written by Machiya and is used as an encore chant by the audience.
Almost forgot about the song Kyoka Suigetsu. An awesome instrumental piece that really showcases each member of the band.
Hello from Japan!
I am impressed by your deep knowledge of Japanese classical instruments!
Thank you very much.❤
You would enjoy a band from the 70s called Steeleye Span. They are a rock band that played music from the 15th to 18th century updated to a rock style. Try the song All Around my Hat for a good starting point.
Great reaction. Not by any means my favorite WagakkiBand thing, but they are super great. They became popular after their covers of vocaloid songs, which you should check out! The mix between traditional Japanese music and modern rock music is just unique. There are many folk bands out there, but nine quite like them
Maybe you didn't ask, but there's a band called Unlucky Morpheus (also Japanese) that has a girl on vocals (my fav Japanese vocalist, Fuki) and a girl on violin. You ah, that's right, a Violin!
After you may try East of Eden, another supergroup that feature Violin a well.
Congrats, you are onto one of the most amazing bands ever. I know you do some research so forgive any duplication of stuff you already know. Here is a short backgrounder: “Wagakki” is Japanese for “traditional instruments”
The band was founded by the shigin (classical poetry) singer, SUZUHANA Yuko, who is also a classically trained pianist. She developed the concept of fusing Japanese traditional instruments and musical tropes with modern western music. The full band consist of eight musicians, three on western instruments (bass, guitar, drums), four on Japanese instruments and Suzuhana-sama on vocals and sometimes piano.
For your viewers who don't already know:
The “lute” thing is a Shamisen.
The “harp” thing is a Koto.
The “flute thing” is a shakuhachi.
The Japanese drums are collectively called “wadaiko”.
Here is a video that really lets you see up close all the instruments and how they work together: th-cam.com/video/Q2meWkWqc-I/w-d-xo.html 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.
For some reason a lot of people suggest their collaborations with Amy Lee. I would not waste the time until you have seen more of their stuff just on their own. That's when they really shine.
As a metalhead, a shredding flute solo on a big fat dropped guitar riff is the most metalest thing I ever heard in my life! 🤘
This is one of my favorite song from them and also my favorite version, and also the favourite part to seeing the reactions when Beni starts playing Shamisen
Oh you have to follow this rabbit hole!
It's the best reaction. I was surprised at how knowledgeable you are about Japanese musical instruments.
One of my favorite reactions to this duet of songs. Very animated!
Love your reaction! Video doesn't do them justice. Live, the percussion is thunderous, felt as much as heard. Even across a large arena. The light sticks have their insignia on them and are sold at the merch table before and after the show. They are huge in Japan and have really increased the interest in traditional instruments there. Unfortunately, they announced they will go on indefinite hiatus at the end of the year. The vocalist and koto player are married and just had their first child, and the entire band each have other projects.
I love how people reacting to this video always awestruck in waves. "oh, cool intro! oh, two drums! wow, solo bass! damn, shamisen! koto and shakuhachi! that vocal!"
You're stepping into a world of musical gods and goddesses here. Yuko, the singer, is a shigin master, vocal coach, kenbu and shibu performer, and classically trained pianist (from age 3). Daisuke, the shakuhachi player, is also a master, and has his own school. Kiyoshi, the koto player, is a cultural ambassador for Japan. Kurona teaches Taiko drumming. Beni (Tsugaru Shamisen) has been performing since she was four and is also a trained minyo singer. Asa (bass) was a vocaloid producer and has his own band. Machiya (guitar) was a music producer and session musician, as well as having other band and solo projects. Wasabi (drums) was a highly sought after session musician. What to listen to next? This one th-cam.com/video/aWlMc-pbDc8/w-d-xo.html