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1 Types of Biwa

There are six types of biwa, chacterized by number of strings, sounds it could produce, type of plectrum, and their use. Notes it produce are approximated to a nearest note.

1.1 Classic Biwa

• Gagaku biwa (雅楽琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and four bridges used exclusively for Gagaku. It produces distinctive Ichietsucho (壱越調) and Heicho (平調). A plectrum is small and thin made with hard materials like boxwood and ivory. It is not used to accompany a song.

• Mekuraso biwa (盲僧琵琶) - A biwa with four strings used to play Buddhist mantra and songs. A plectrum varies in both size and materials. A four bridge type broduces E, H, E, A notes. A five bridge type produces H, e, #f, and #f. A six bridge type produces flat H, flat e, flat h, and flat h.

1.2 Middle and Edo Biwa

• Heike biwa (平家琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and five bridges used to play Heike Monogatari. A plectrum is slightly larger than that of gagaku biwa. It produces A, c, e, a or A, #c, e, a.

• Satsuma biwa (薩摩琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and four bridges popularized during Edo period in Satsuma (present day Kagoshima) by Shimazu Nisshinsai. A plectrum is wider than others. Notes are adjusted to player's voice and it produces A, E, A, H.

1.3 Modern Biwa

• Chikuzen biwa (筑前琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and four bridges or five strings and five bridges popularaized in Meiji period by Tachibana Satosada. A plectrum is slightly smaller than that of Satsuma biwa. Four string type produces H, e, #f, h and five string type e, H, e, #f, h. Asahikai and Tachibanakai are two schools of chikuzen biwa. Popularly used by a woman biwa player.

• Nishiki biwa (錦琵琶) - A modern biwa with five strings and five bridges popularized by Mizufuji Nishikijo. A plectrum is same as that of Satsuma biwa. It produces c, G, c, g, g.

2 Teacher

• Suda Seishu (須田誠舟)

3 External Link

Introduction to the Hei-kyoku

Wandering biwa players, similar to minstrels, were known as biwa hoshi (琵琶法師).