The norm is for one piece (dan ‘act
’) in gidayû busi to be performed by one narrator, called a tayû, and one syamisen player. The narrator uses deep abdominal breathing and winds a cloth around the lower abdomen to concentrate strength in this part of the body. The narrator must portray all the characters in the drama and must provide all the exposition—that is, the explanations of the situation in which the story takes place.
The syamisen used in used in ...