Traditional Japanese "Guiter": Shamisen Traditional Japanese Flute: Shakuhachi Traditional Japanese String.Thingy: Koto

The coexistence of futuristic high technology and ancient traditional culture. ​Japan is the most mysterious country on earth.

2:55 - Coolest part so far - Me: Wait until Beni will appear... 3:35 - Ooh, sick. - Me: Well, there you go... :)

I love the way you almost cry when listening to them, that's so relatable from when I first heard Wagakki Band!

I never get tired of watching reactor's amazement when Beni begins to play. Then things really get awesome. They have toured the US and there are some great interviews. I have read that they are more popular in Japan than Babymetal, likely due to the use of transitional instruments and the mixing of the transitional music with "rock". I love them with a Beni bias. Beni has videos on KZfaq playing solo.

i love what you said about the drummer. i have been a percussionist for decades - and also make and play many flutes. The past number of years i have been mostly listening to music such as Myrkur, Faun, Omina, . . . etc because of the mix of electric and old instrumental use. i just stumbled upon this group a few weeks ago - i love them - i watch a video every night before bed to cheer me up - Not only are they awesomely talented , but their showmanship and charisma and joy is contagious. i'm 60 (not that that matters) i can tell you i would SO go and see them if they came to canada

love how his jaw literally dropped when beni appeared lol

Two songs here. "Homura" is the first one (guitar, bass and shamisen solos), and "Akatsuki no Ito" stars with the koto solo. This band has so many cool songs, "Hangeki no Yaiba" and "Ikusa" are just two more of them. An interesting detail: you can see how the shakuhachi player reachs the high A blocking the hole in the extreme of the instrument with his leg.

I've never hear about that band before, but Jesus Christ, this band is absolutely fantastic. I literally had tears of joy on my eyes listening to that!

Wagakki Band is literally the best modern band in my opinion, they have so much skill and their songs are all amazing like holy shit They are also extremely underrated unfortunately

Wagakki Band originally covered vocaloid songs before writing their own music. That is, they were using a live singer to cover songs meant for an artificial singer...

Instruments like banjos are called shamisen.三味線 It means "three strings" in Japanese.

When she starts playing my head is like "Goosebumps initiated"

I like how you can see him fall more and more in love with the band as the performance goes on. Wholesome af.

The japanese guitar is called Shamisen (shah-me-sehn). There are many different variations, the one that Beni Ninagawa plays is the Tsugaru Shamisen. The japanese flute is called Shakuhachi (shah-coo-hah-tchee), it's a bamboo flute tuned in a pentatonic scale, played by the master Daisuke Kaminaga, a real living legend. The big drums are the Taiko drums or Wadaiko, played by Kurona. These are very traditional and of course a very tribal form of instrument. That horizontal harp is the Koto, played by Kiyoshi Ibukuro. Also it's worth to mention the guitarist Shin Omura (goes by Machiya) uses a very specific type of a 29-fret baritone guitar, which is a regular guitar but with 5 extra frets at the top of the neck, perfect for making arrangements (check the size of that neck). The singer Yuuko Suzuhana sings in a style called Shigin, which is a traditional way of singing poems, that's why it's so peculiar. Wagakki Band is amazing, so is your channel.

"I love this!" That wasn't even half the band XD I knew you'd dig these guys! Thank you for the info on how the traditional instruments and lyric style work together, never heard that before. I hope this one doesn't get taken down and there's more of these guys coming!

I cannot get enough of Wagakki band tbh. I am officially obsessed. Like...never in my life have I heard such a unique sound. It's incredible. Like holy hell. It is unreal. And watching Beni shred on a shamisen is a treat.

I love this band, one of the absolute best finds from Japan for me. They've got so many quality songs to go through that you'll be here for years, but Guren, Senbonzakura, Yoshiwara Lament, Tengaku, Ikusa, Ignite, Strong Fate, Gobousei and Hoshidzukiyo are good places to start. Another cool Japanese band to try is Gacharic Spin, Next Stage being a good starting place.

i love how she gracefully waves her fan around

Senbonzakura next PLEASE

This band just makes me smile , EVERY member is PURE

that japanese stringed instrument is what i always look forward to with this band..also the harp and flute

Years back a friend of mine brought me (from his trip to Japan) a CD called "Wagakki Band - Vocalo Zanmai" with "I think you gonna like this." I am a fan from the very first listen. I love how their music is fun, clever, and creative although masterfully crafted to be universally digestable for people who simply likes a good piece of music. A bunch of classically trained masters of their instruments isn't bad think neither. (That Shamisen solo is sooo good.)

My father was a US Marine when I was a kid. We grew up in areas with high Asian populations. I have been a working southern rock bassist for 54 years. Last week Wagakki Band showed up in my recommended feed and I said why not give them a listen. I was very impressed with the orchestration and now I'm a big fan. Makes me want to learn Japanese.

I found that same video 3 days ago and have watched over 8 hours of their music since then. The first Far East band that I've ever liked. Each member is a master of their craft.

Nice reaction. It's good to see more people react to Wagakki Band which is my favourite japanese band so far. Homura + Akatsuki no Ito live was the first music video of Wagakki Band I listened to and immediately fell in love with it. I recommend Senbonzakura as your next song from them.

I'm 62 and this is literally as ass kicking as listening to Freeebird for 1st time - which just got bumped 2 notches on my top 20 list because of this and Bring Me To Life with Amy. Insane - By far best ever KZfaq find!!!!!

Shamisen is the instrument you were talking about. That Shamisen player is one of the most noted players in Japan of that instrument. Additionally her instrument more than likely cost more than 10 grand.

That nasal type of singing is called Shigin, its a technique of reciting japanese poems but it was also used in traditional japanese songs. the vocalist of this band is a Shigin teacher, and shes one of the top ones so getting to hear her is quite something, cause while wagakki band is not a super unique band cause there are many others who mix traditional japanese instruments with rock and metal, hearing a top tier Shigin in those songs is what makes this band stand out from all the others. But as said they are not the only band and if you want to hear some more i recommend you check HeavensDust who combined traditional japanese instruments with alternative metal.

Dude! The shamisen(jamisen) bro!!! Wow! I love the combination of modern and traditional instruments, and everytime beni comes in with the shamisen(Jamisen) i get the same reaction bro!!!

The instrument she is playing is called a shamisen or samisen also sangen both meaning 3 string traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument sanxian

I'm gonna say it a million times...I LOVE ASA'S NECK OF HIS BASS LIGHTING UP IS SO FREAKIN COOL!!!

These guys F*ing ROCK!! Beni Ninagawa on the Shamisen is BADASS! As a guitarist I can't believe how drawn I am to what she's got going on. WAAAYYY to cool!

The transition right into the flute was so damn smooth!

Flute man is my FAVORITE, watch more of their live performances and he will do like spins and everything ! There's one performance where AMY LEE comes out and she can sing in Japanese! It's so amazing! IM SO happy I found your channel! You're so awesome ! We think so similar 😂

I really enjoyed watching you react to this song, you've got a very kind expression. Just love seeing you dig the music gives a lot of extra joy to this reaction

Absolutely fantastic! I am a new fan of the Wagakki Band!

This sounds like an epic anthem. Must be awesome for Japanese people to hear this great collab between tradition and rock. And they kill it :3

I've watched quite a few reactions of this video, and yours is the most informational yet. Great stuff, Mr. music teacher.

Great reaction. I'd love to see you react to more of their stuff. I'd recommend "Hoshidzukiyo (live)" and "Moon Shine (live)". These are incredible performances.

This is band without a shadow of a doubt the most exciting and amazing and enjoyable band I have seen for many years.

If you like traditional Japanese music in modern songs, I think you would like Dotsuitare Hompo. They're incredible, omg. They mix that tradition with hip-hop and rap. It's fantastic.

Bro, Wagakki Band is one of my all time favorites and it meant so much to watch how much you enjoyed them!

The Coolest Band on Earth !!!

I was so fortunate to see them live in Niigatta for concert hall tour .By the time they hit this I had tears rolling down my cheeks so real so good ,I will never be the same ,they lift their audience to another dimension .

This kind of music gives me goosebumps all over my body

I only came across this band about 2 weeks ago. My reaction mirrored yours perfectly. I am sooo pissed at covid right now for halting band tours as I am now DYING to experience them live.

I read the singer teaches traditional style of singing.

Wagaki Band are like BabyMetal, in that they are both their own thing.

Two drummers, wow. Thank you KZfaq algorithm for showing me this band.

The lead singer uses Shigin as her style, it's an old style of recitation. And she's so good at it that she teaches it at a university. Her name is Yuko Suzuhana I believe. In fact all of the "classic" musicians are award winning performers of their art.

Beni is said to be able to play all three types of shamisen. I was more surprised to find out that she became part of the band because she and Yuko met while modeling. Not sure if you're into the bass, but, Asa plays in the band as well as many other projects.

The "flute" (Shakuhachi - "difficult flute") is pitched VERY closely to the standard tuning of the Western transverse flute. WAY back, Jazz flute master, Herbie Mann and his HOT section teamed up with a bunch of traditional Japanese temple musicians on an album called. "Gagaku and Beyond". The Shakuhachi and Western flutes blended really well. WAY out of left field, as they say in the classics. The added feature on those sessions was the chanting of the monks. I bought it on vinyl when I was at high-school and finally tracked down the CD about five years ago. A lot less "rocky" than this band, but still shows what can be done. See also Paul Simon with "Graceland" and "Rhythm of the Saints".

Beni plays a Tsugaru style Futozao (Thick Neck Size) Shamisen. The sharp, hard-striking tsugaru style is said to have originated on the streets by the bousama (blind musicians), who developed a livelier style to attract audience.In the early part of the 20th century, blind musicians, including Shirakawa Gunpachirō Takahashi Chikuzan , and sighted players such as Kida Rinshōei evolved a new style of playing, based on traditional folk songs ("min'yō") but involving much improvisation and flashy fingerwork. This style - now known as Tsugaru-jamisen, after the home region of this style in the north of Honshū - continues to be relatively popular in Japan. The virtuosic Tsugaru-jamisen style is sometimes compared to bluegrass banjo.

Your face when the shamisen came out! That smile afterwards got bigger and never left . You need to react to Ningen Isu, another Japanese band that , although use regular instruments, their style of playing is straight Japanese techniques like shamisen slides and vocal techniques, but put to a Black Sabbath sound.

Drums, taiko drums, koto, shakuhachi, guitar, bass guitar and the shamisen make up their "weapons" of destruction! Throw in the high energy and their expertise....fantastic!

Loved the video dude! I found this video shortly after watching that Wagakki Band live video. Man, the experience for me was like discovering metal for the first time as a child - or almost like the first time I heard a band like Finntroll

i only discovered this band for myself a few days, amazing, love it

In a video it looks amazing but live is an experience that you will never forget. I had the chance to watch them live when they came to NYC, I will never forget that.

If you're feeling more Japanese music, check out X-Japan Kurenai live 1989! It's not traditional, but it's one of the most influential bands in Japanese metal!

Beni, Beni, Beni! great reaction bro.

i found out about wagakkiband recently and instant fell in love with their music! :D all of them are so amazing at their roles at the stage! i love seeing the live videos from the concert but i really would love to see them live for real!! would be best to understand japanese, wanna learn it, too^^

I've been following the Wagakki Band for about 5 years and love the way they intertwine trad instruments with modern electric instruments. The singer sings with a traditional Japanese singing style which I have not heard anywhere else. I just love what they do.

i LOVE their music this is so underappreciated

Ohhh I didn’t know that that was the purpose of that style of singing but it makes so much sense! It’s so neat how the world is so interconnected and things develop because of the things around them~

I reacted the same as you when I first heard this band. I love classical singing (Dmitri Hvorostovsky was astounding) and the American Song Book. But this band always blows me away. I can't get enough!

hell yeah, im an old fan of this band, learned some new stuff today though, so thank you for that.

You might also try reacting to their song Senbonzakuera. 💯

Great reaction!!!! I loved your enthusiasm

This was super informative, thank you!

this is a true live band, the production, the costume, the choreography is just amazing. of course i dont even have to mention the music which is stellar!

Finally!! Someone reacts to my favourite band. Thanks so much guy! Btw the traditional guitar is a shamisen. You asked for it. Im realy happy to see you react to it. Btw greetings from bavaria😁

This was way cool!! Once again I have to thank the subscribers who recommended the Wagakki Band, and DJ who reacted to it. I would never have know anything like this blend of traditional instruments and modern rock existed in the world...and Wow!! I gotta hear more!

Ignite, Synchronicity, Yoshiwara Lament, Senbonzakura. The list goes on with them. Amazing group.

the traditional instruments: round drums= taiko drum, the " traditional banjo" = shamisen, the traditional flute= shakuhashi and the taditional table cythar "koto" and yes the singer suzuhana yuko is traditionality trained mostly in "enka" singing!

nice, watched this video like 50 times already and you taught me about the off beat drums, i always felt something was peculiar in that part honestly one of my favorate currnt active bands =)

I first heard about Wagakki band yesterday and my reactions were pretty similar to yours when the traditional instruments were playing.

These guys recently did a collab with Amy Lee of Evanescence, both with a live version of Bring Me To Life (with a full orchestra) and a new song, called Sakura Rising which blends Japanese and English lyrics gorgeously

Love this reaction dude, and it's SO COOL to finally hear someone talk about how good the music in Mystical Ninja is.. It's my favourite game for music on the N64 and probably any console ever, and is probably the reason I love Japanese music so much. The amount of times I hear a song and think, 'that reminds me of Mystical Ninja'

react to band maid is a Japanese rock band formed in 2013. The band combines a rock sound with a maid image modeled on Japanese maid cafés

yea i just discovered this band and i thoroughly enjoyed listening to them. they remind me of Slipknot in the sense of so many different roles and people playing different instruments but with the twist of japanese style. They make it sound so natural which im sure is no easy feat and plus their stage presence you can tell.. very showmanship and accurate. its like you get to watch artists, martial artists, and musicians ... fuck i dont even know how to describe it other than just simply "YESSSS"

Damn I'm having all the same reactions to you. I've listened to Wagakki Band but I never saw this video. Just amazing.

i found them from yt a while ago-- and maybe its because of my lack of knowledge in music, but when i first listened to it, i felt so confused i teared up. i think i was purely completely amazed by how well it all came together, i listen to a lot of music, but i don't know the theories or understand the mechanisms of it very well, so it has always fascinated me when people can make things sound this good, or even imagine them possible. i love traditional and classical instruments, and i've always been familiar with rock/metal, everytime i think of this band it just blows my mind sometimes. They're all masters of their own instruments and quite literally when put together it feels as if they're unstoppable. it may sound like an exaggeration but i really did feel this way.

Those squeels and pinch harmonics are such sugar to the ears. Love it.

This is my first time watching your channel and I am already a fan of yours, and now a new subscriber

That’s exactly how I felt first time hearing this!! ❤

First time I seen them I was already a fan

I love this cool music.

This song blew me away the time I saw it, absolutely awesome

love when people discover my to bands welcome

Love it! Great Reaction!

Quite possibly the best thing I seen in a long time!

Yet another informative, fun and interactive reaction from Temple Music Academy! 😁 Im glad you enjoyed it!! They have a lot of great songs, other people have recommended some in the comments! i prefer the live performances though 😉

I had to comment as soon as you brought up Goemon. Even as Japanese, Goemon definitely gave me a great introduction to fusion of traditional instruments with modern music. Goemon and Wagakki Band are 2 great creation of Japanese culture/music.

I always love it when when the band breaks out the kota and Yuka’s voice.

hell yeah. they are amazing. I have seen this video a long time ago. It is still great. I love a modern mix of traditional Japanese instruments and modern electric ones. I especially like the more rock focused sounds mixed into the bunch.

totally agree with you, its totally wicked and mind blowing for me to when i first time hear these band...

Wagakki Band es genial llevo un tiempo escuchándolos y simplemente son impresionantes como combinan lo tradicional con lo nuevo .

One day I will go to Japan to see this band!!!🤩🤩

mr teacher love your reaction big huge from italy