Died 12 April 2016 | ||
Takanori Nakano (July 23, 1936 – April 12, 2016) was a cellist for the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, and an accomplished Tsugaru-jamisen player. He was the first to make a special music sheet for the Tsugaru-jamisen, using the regular shamisen's 3-lined music sheet and elements from the regular classical (Western) music sheet.
Aside from being a shamisen player, he dedicated his life to passing down the art of the Tsugaru-jamisen/Minyo (music of Tsugaru region in Aomori prefecture) to the next generation. The most notable of his students include Michiko Nakano, the 57th Champion of the "Aomori-ken Minyo Ouza" (Tsugaru singing competition in Aomori Prefecture).
Contributions
Until Nakano published the first music sheet for the Tsugaru-jamisen in 1984, the art was learned by listening to the masters, and took years of training. Nakano wanted to preserve the culture by having many learn the art, so he revolutionized the way it was taught by using music scores for the first time.