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[title]Originally published in Time Out Tokyo magazine issue 22 (Apr-Jun 2019)
How did you come to be based in Tokyo?
One of my friends who is also a musician asked me to come, so I moved to Tokyo from New York in 2016. I had never been to Japan before, and didn’t know how long I would be staying or what to do in terms of work. I hardly spoke any Japanese at the time either. The band I was in with that friend broke up, so I started mainly playing the chopstick piano on my own.
The chopstick piano you created is unique in that it incorporates accompaniment, melody and rhythm into a single piece of equipment and only requires one person to play it. What inspired you to build it?
The idea was something I came up with when thinking about what I could do on my own without a band. The music we were making as a band wasn’t the kind of music I wanted to make myself. And while studying music at college, I was often told how hard it is nowadays to be a composer who directs an entire orchestra. I thought I needed either a little ensemble or something I could do on my own. At that point I had never made music I had complete control over, so I really wanted to try it. Going from there to the chopstick piano was a long journey. I had tried using a synthesizer to get the kind of sound I was looking for, but it wasn’t right. That’s when I came up with the idea of creating an instrument with a metallic sound. After finding a small vintage harpsichord online, I thought its structure wasn’t so complicated and that I might be able to build something similar, so I did.
Many musicians these days create the tracks they perform on a computer, but you don’t?
I chose a live instrument because I wanted to play something I can touch. I also like improvising, so that played into it too. Although I see myself as a composer, I also want to remain a performer.
Why did you start playing on the street?
I just liked playing in the park. There are kids around, and all kinds of people come up and talk to you. I played the accordion on the street before building the chopstick piano, but eventually people lost interest. Because it’s all improvised, maybe it kind of turns into background music. With the chopstick piano, everyone really pays attention when I play.
Japanese people aren’t really used to paying street performers, so I suppose you aren’t making much money?
Right, that’s why you need products in Japan. If you make a CD and have it available, people will come up and buy it. In the US it’s the opposite: people pay for the performance, but won’t buy CDs.
You recently completed an ‘earpick piano’, for which you used a 3D router to carve wood?
That’s right. I used a computer program to draw a 3D model, sent it to a workshop, and used a router bit (the rotating part of a drill) to carve the wood, instead of sticking pieces of wood together by hand. You get a higher level of durability that way, and it sounds better too. I use earpicks as hammers that hit the chords. Chopsticks and earpicks are available everywhere, so they’re easy to replace when they break.
NHK World offers a wide range of multilingual programmes. Do you have a favourite show?
I like the nature in Japan, so ‘Journeys in Japan’ is a favourite. Life and culture in Japan’s countryside is really interesting, and this show is great because it allows you to learn more about those things.
What do you plan on doing next?
I have a mellow, new age-y project with an American shakuhachi flute artist, which I’m looking forward to a lot. I also started a session event at BPM, a café in Ikejiri-Ohashi. Its aims are interaction with tourists and community building – you can sign up via Airbnb.
Check out Sami's work here.