I never get tired of listening to this band.

I know Beni Ninagawa is a world class Shamisen player....and gorgeous. Crazy talented band for sure. Personally I don't care for the traditional Japanese singing with the sustained vibrato. I just watch them to see Beni play....she's my Japanese Crush.

The "Noh" mask Machya is wearing has two expressions, when seen from below it is angry or frowning and when viewed from above it is smiling, actors wearing them would change the position of their heads to show different emotions, sadness, happiness, anger etc. depending on the mask

Best band on the planet, very versatile range of music, highly accomplished musicians every one !!!

I love Wagakki Band! They are an amazing group with the most talented musicians. 焔 (Homura) means "Flame" and 鋼 (Hagane) means "Steel". They are two different songs. I personally prefer their performance in Hibiya from their first tour in Japan, back in 2015 ( kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ptWeh8V1qbO9mqs.html ). They played a different second song there, 暁ノ糸 (Akatsuki no Ito, meaning "Thread of Dawn"), which I like more.

They have also collaborated with Amy Lee of Evanescence.. They did a brilliant cover of "Bring Me to Life" with Amy and Yuko as a duet. Amy also sang with them one of their many version of "Senbonzakura" and they have a joint original song "Sakura Rising". They mix Japanese and Western music. Even their name reflects that. It is 和楽器バンド in Japanese. The 1st part, with the elaborate characters, is "wagakki" in the kanji which came from the Chinese writing system. The last part is "bando" in the katakana which is used for foreign words, in this case 'band". They started out being a cover band of Vocaloid music (software synthesized singers). One of their earliest MVs is one of these Volcaloid covers: "Senbonzakura". And as 伸二さん said, the shakuhachi is a difficult instrument to get anything out of let alone play that well.

Fun with the traditional instruments 🙂

Thanks Todd. Im blown away by the cool information in the comments. Im listening to the suggested tunes, and the musical cultural comments are so informative.

This 8 Ladies and Gents are the #1 Band in Japan. They are handpicked by the vocalist and founder Yuko. Benji the shamisen player in maybe top 5 in Japan, Machiya the guitar player is influenced by Steve Vai and the drummer Wasabi is a little bit like Joe Bonham from Led Zepellin. These guys knowing what they do. And their liveshows are second to none. I would maybe give Rammstein a little edge on live performance but after them its Wagakki and Nightwish. They are amazing.

About Wagakki Band's instruments "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. "KOTO" has been used without changing its shape. The body is made of fine paulownia wood. A wave-shaped groove is carved on the back of the body. This is to make the sound sound like the inside of a violin. The strings are made of silk thread. Put "Kotozume" on your fingertips and play the strings. (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". "Shamisen" is evolving in various styles all over the country. Among them, "Tsugaru Shamisen" has a fast and powerful sound and a unique playing style. It seems that the reason why this style was created is that TSUGARU-SHAMISEN was born in the extremely cold region of northern Japan (Tsugaru: place name). People with handicaps (mainly visually impaired) who lived in harsh natural environments lived. They earned money by letting people listen to songs and performances. They created a unique musical style to save their lives. It's instrument with a sad history. (3) "Wadaiko" "WA (Japan)" + "TAIKO (drums)" = "WATAIKO". And the pronunciation changes from "WATAIKO" to "WADAIKO". Like Shamisen, "Wadaiko" has evolved uniquely in various parts of Japan, and there are various playing methods. There is a band called "Kodo" which is famous as a Japanese drum performance group. They are doing performance tours of Japanese drums all over the world. If you are interested in WADAIKO, we recommend listening to the performance of "Kodo". (4) "SHAKUHACHI" (bamboo instrument like a flute) Until about 60-70 years ago, units of length such as "Shaku" and "Sun" were used in Japan. (The pronunciation of "sun" is like a shortened version of "soon") 1-shaku = 30.3cm (It's a coincidence that it's almost the same as 1 foot) 1-sun = 3.03cm "Hachi" is the number "8". And the average length of "SHAKUHACHI" is "1-shaku and 8-sun (about 56cm)". The "shaku and 8" part became the name of the instrument. The material is cut from the base of the bamboo. It has a simple structure in which the material is dried, strain is removed, and the necessary finger holes are opened. In order to make sound from a simple bamboo tube, it is necessary to control the delicate movements of the oral cavity and lips. It is said to be one of the most difficult Japanese musical instruments to learn. One month after the beginners started practicing the shakuhachi, they sometimes hear stories such as "I was able to make something like a sound for the first time." from Japan (This is a sentence using a translation app. I hope the intention is conveyed correctly).

This band is incredible! Love everything they do! They've created their own genre! All their stuff is great! As with all the Japanese bands their musicianship is awesome! And like Band Maid. Love Bites. Baby Metal etc... They do it with Style! Showmanship! Thanks Brother!😊😎🎅🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

I have read many comments since I discovered Wagakki Band in May. I think they are wonderful and listen/watch their videos every day. They are all masters of their instruments and the all compose songs. Most songs, from what I have seen, are composed by the guitarist, Machiya. Asa, the bassist, also composed many of the songs before he joined the band. Yuko, the vocalist, has some beautiful songs and some very lively ones! Kurona, the Wadaiko drummer, also has some great compositions. Some of my favorites are: By Asa: Yukiyomachire sonata ni mukete kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bNKgZ6yolqfGl3U.html Clean Perfect Blue By Machiya: Doppo Sasameyuki kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bZx1dbOD3pannZs.html Kyoshu no sora Tsuioku Ryuusei By Yuko Sabakunokomoriuta Nadeshiko Sakura By Kurona Hakushu Kassai kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a9l6odmWp9zTfKs.html Kyougasuigestu Kishikaisei

I recommend watching senbonzakura MV

Wow! Im blown away by the seamless synthesis of old and new. I dig the transitions a lot! The vocals are rad. Pretty dang tight too. That four stringed instrument and flute were rad. A rockin tune! Thanks Todd! Blessings to you and yours!

Check out the song Kyougasuigestu you will see Yuko the singing samurai in action beautifull sword play

Nice reaction, also check out "Episode 0" live version from 2017 and "Hakushu Kassai", both great songs by them

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

This band mixes folk with many genres. Well here is a recommendation(s): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/irV_ntZ_vMyogIU.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i9yTd7hp3s66hWg.html Now the first link is part of plays/instrumentals they do between songs in a concert; second one is a song (with lyrics). You could play those back to back. While those clips are shortish, they are _very_ cool.

Interesting that your friend started you off with a video from the American tour. It's pretty good, but it's a very stripped-back version of Wagakki Band. From what I can tell, they caught on quickly in Japan and had a lot of money invested in their pre-pandemic live shows. In terms of their concerts, I call them the Trans-Siberian Orchestra of Japan. - Machiya, the guitarist, typically plays baritone guitars and often uses a capo. His guitars are usually made by Sago, and they're gorgeous. He does a good amount of vocals for the band, too. - Yuko Suzuhana is the founder and vocalist, but she can play piano wonderfully and played a little melodica and sanshin (a smaller version of a shamisen from Okinawa). Her mother was a piano teacher, and one of her students practiced kenshin which is the combined term for sword and fan dancing. There are plenty of live videos out there of Yuko katana dancing during parts of the concerts, but she always has a fan in her hand otherwise. - Beni Ninagawa plays the tsugaru shamisen; that's the largest type of shamisen but has the smallest pick (called bachi). My understanding is that Beni was the last person to join the band. She has said on her personal KZfaq channel that she took the "Ninagawa" name from a camera man that worked with the Wagakki Band in their early days. - Daisuke Kaminaga plays the shakuhachi (the flute/recorder). I don't know that much about him, but a shakuhachi made from bamboo takes a fairly long time and a lot of care to make. They're really expensive, so most players today play plastic shakuhachi. - Asa, the bass guitarist, is really good, but I don't know anything about his background. I'm going to recommend "Tengaku" live in 2018. That concert that it comes from shows the band in their element with an incredible stage and a super hot crowd. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/obl6gbCC19jLpqM.html

Though their songs are very complex and highly woven, their live performance is always better than studio version. They are amazingly cool at metal, punk, swing, fusion, slow ballade and pure traditional. All of them are master class players. So many comparably recommendable songs. But I would say Senbonzskura.

Yay Todd! I want to order a T-shirt.

You need to listen more to your Japanese friend. 😂 This is from 2017, they have become much better now. WGB constantly puts together grate shows, One of Japan's most popular bands at the moment. Everyone is professional on their instruments, All songs are good, no one is equal, Metal, rock, jazz, ballads, funny songs, sad songs, etc. 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) Can highly recommend: "Hotarubi" Premium symphonic night Vol.2 "Ignite" Manatsu no Daishinnenkai 2020 "Iroha Utha" Manatsu no Daishinnenkai 2020 If you need a link, just let me know Great reaction by the way 👍

Well this was from 2016-17 I think they have way more bigger concert stages and are the most popular band in Japan right now (yeah popular than babymetal)

👍👍 next ～ asterism / gacharic spin / show -ya / aldious / bridear

Great reaction. I love Wagakki band. There are a number of good songs, but I would like to recommend two of them. Wagakki Band - 拍手喝采(Hakushu Kassai) / Dai Shinnenkai 2018 ~Ashita e no Koukai~ kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a9l6odmWp9zTfKs.html Wagakki Band / Bring Me To Life with Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ntFheteKsJ2meoE.html

Poor audio in this. The japanese recordings live are much clearer, and it has to be as so complex and 10 pc band, Good to see them in front of western audience though.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kLN8hpya19OrYoE.html recomended 👍👍