Development of an Uchi Self-learning System for Mutsumi-ryu-style Shamisen Using VR Environment

摘要

The shamisen is a traditional Japanese folk musical instrument. It is regarded as a valuable cultural asset that might attract people into moving into unpopulated districts of the country. We focus on the Mutsumi-ryu style of shamisen, a famous playing style originating in Akita (a prefecture in northern Japan). Mutsumi-ryu has a characteristic action called the uchi, where a plectrum is struck down to the body and strings of the shamisen. In this paper, we propose a self-learning system for the uchi for students of the Mutsumi-ryu playing style by using Virtual Reality (VR). The system captures a student's actions during uchi using a motion capture system, evaluates the student's actions, and interactively represents the movements of an expert performing the uchi in a VR environment. Experimental results showed that using our system, students can acquire a skill level comparable to that of those who learn directly from human experts.