Kyle Abbott

Shamisen performer, builder, and educator

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As one of the few experienced Shamisen professionals in the US, Kyle brings his 20 years of shamisen experience to the world.

From wedding anniversaries and corporate events to full concerts and festivals, Kyle performs powerful traditional Japanese classics from Northern Japan in a style called Tsugaru Shamisen. He also leads educational workshops, builds professional quality shamisen, and produces shamisen albums.

Founder of the Bachido (International Shamisen Community), Kyle pioneered the strong movement to connect shamisen enthusiasts in a positive global community and develops teaching materials for everyone to learn shamisen.

 

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About Kyle Abbott

Since the age of 13, Kyle Abbott has passionately dedicated himself to the Japanese shamisen. From learning how to play and build the instrument, all the way to becoming a professional performer and teacher of the shamisen. With his performance and international workshops, Kyle seeks to inspire the world with the Japanese shamisen.

In 2011, Kyle founded Bachido – the world’s first international shamisen community. With a goal to bring shamisen enthusiasts together, Kyle has created online lessons, resources and a community. As of now, over 4000 members of Bachido have enjoyed hours of educational content and shared ideas with each other in the rich community forum.

Kyle has recorded in and produced two ‘Monsters of Shamisen’ albums (‘Stellar’ and ‘Resonance’), a duet album with Japanese singer-songwriter Yuzu Natsumi, and also recorded and produced his own solo albums, ‘The Cuckoo’ and ‘Frosty’, with five more solo albums in production since 2020. He has collaborated with over 40 musical artists, and loves to integrate the energy of shamisen with artists from all genres. As well as shamisen, Kyle also plays shakuhachi, mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass, and other stringed instruments. He practices Tuvan throat singing styles as well.

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About Bachido

Sensing the worldwide interest in shamisen growing, Kyle realized there would be a need to connect shamisen enthusiasts together and create an accessible path to learning this instrument. In 2011, he founded Bachido – the world’s first international shamisen community.

With a goal to bring shamisen enthusiasts together, Kyle and fellow instructors have created hours of online lessons, (including a Free Crash Course), resources and a community. As of now, over 4000 members of Bachido have enjoyed hours of educational content, shared ideas with each other in the positive-spirited forum, and reaching towards Kyle’s ultimate goal – meeting up to play shamisen together as a real-life community!

Every year since the founding of Bachido, Kyle strives to make new and creative ways to continue making shamisen fun and exciting for people. The community has grown bigger than he ever expected.

Highlights of Bachido

Waves of Harmony

A grand musical adventure of Shamisen World Fusion. “Waves of Harmony” unites the unparalleled talents of dozens of virtuoso musicians, creating a symphony of breathtaking melodies and harmonious collaborations. I invite you to join us in bringing this music to life while not only sharing our passion for the beautiful art of shamisen, but celebrating the incredible collaborative magic that only comes from the connection of generous, down-to-earth souls!

Support us making shamisen world music for the global ear!
Click to grab our latest release! (Brisbane Ladies)

Shoutouts o’ Gratitude!

My deepest appreciation to the generous supporters who’ve donated the Waves of Harmony GoFundMe campaign!

Cora M. ($10) 

James H. ($50)

Masahiro K. ($50)

Vianney S. ($50)

David S-W. ($75)

Jonathan R. ($50)

Christian R. ($50)

Bruce D. ($20)

 

About the Crowdfunding Campaign

As a life-long musician with a deep passion for world music, I am fortunate to have connected with so many talented and professional musicians to make this dream a reality. The 40 songs are mostly complete and almost half are ready to be shared with the world, but there is just one more hurdle we need to overcome: covering the production expenses. This is where we need YOUR support!
 
To be clear, the production expenses exclusively consist of fair artist honorariums and mixing/mastering fees. My goal is to not profit from crowdfunding (because the experience of working with these incredible artists was compensation enough!) but simply recover the costs of producing the works. In this digital age, independent artists like us need to receive the support of our communities to thrive and continue creating. By contributing to our GoFundMe campaign, you’ll not only be helping us recover our production costs but also become a part of a movement that bridges cultural gaps and unites people through the power of music. Your generous donations will enable these brilliant musicians to receive the recognition they deserve and share their exceptional artistry with the world.

Performances

Solo albums and collaborations

The Cuckoo

Spotify

Frosty

Spotify

Stellar

Spotify

Resonance

Spotify

California Dreams

Spotify

Teaching

One of Kyle’s main goals is helping people discover just how fun the shamisen is. Kyle leads a local group shamisen class in California, and has led many shamisen workshops in the US.

In 2015, Kyle founded ShamiCamp, the world’s first international shamisen workshop series which brings together top shamisen instructors to share their skills and inspire shamisen enthusiasts from around the world.

Kyle teaches private lessons, group lessons/workshops, and on Skype.

Contact

© Kyle Abbott

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