Episode highlights! (In order)
- Roasting Coffee Beans
- Sneak peek at the Bachido Questionnaire (written by Masahiro Nitta)
- Instruction on making nori for gluing skin to the shamisen
So out of curiosity, how did they stretch the skin for tsugaru shamisen in the early days? Was it simply not as stretched, or were they more skilled so that they could use rice glue anyway? I always thought that rice glue was used partially due to that it should be easy to rub away when you change skin.
Another thing that has been on my mind is, how did the blind monks care for their instruments? Who fixed them when the skin ruptured?
Very engaging, despite being 30% about your coffee beans 
I didn’t realize you were using the noriko in there; I thought you were still rocking rice flour/water combo.
And did I see some sort of strange mechanical device being implemented into your kawahari? It couldn’t be a jack could it?
Does Taichii sit around and watch you do it the whole time, or does he come in and out and help you when you need it? I could imagine it being sort of dull after awhile on his end.
Your best idea since “Taking a bath while eating toast!”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I thought I really was “Trippin” for a second.
Masahiro`s questions are classic. In the shape of an axe? Wow.
I DUNNO about that!
But I like your way of thinking… Mix that glue up with some sugar and vanilla
and lets see how that will physically affect you! Thats sounds like something I would do. Especially being out here where noone has an ounce of creativity when it comes to altered states of consciousness, As in “Hey you wanna get drunk tonight?” Wow, sure. Id love to neglect the thousands of fascinating mind altering substances which God offered to us in countless forms in favor of some alchohol. (sarcasm) no offence to anyone who likes to drink. I do it too sometimes. Im just frustrated with the legal system. That`s all.
Great episode by the way Kyle.
sorry for getting off the subject.
OK! Back to studying those links!
(we`re almost a month away!
WOOO!)
This might be blasphemous or something, but I’d actually kill for a fourth string. Just going to go ahead and put that out there.
Kevin, as a student of psychopharmacology, I applaud you, and my respect for you has grown even deeper. Stay awesome.
Holy cow! A student of psychopharmacology? Sounds like you and I have more in common than just Shamisen. Maybe I’ll send you a little PM later just to keep any Terrance Mckenna influenced discussions off of the public space here.
Karl: Actually, first tsugaru shamisen (I.e, the kind beggars used to play for food/money) were actually Gidayu shamisen. I would think they weren’t skinned as tight. tighter skins break faster, and being that they were very poor, they would want the skin to be looser to last longer.
Another fun fact (which I learned from Taichi san): The reason the flaps of skin (on the side of the shamisen) are so long is so that it could be re-stretched if/where it pops off the dou. When they are trimmed like a nagauta shamisen, they can’t be restretched.
Another thing that has been on my mind is, how did the blind monks care for their instruments?
I may be wrong, but I don’t think monks played shamisen (bousama does mean “honorable monk”, but that’s just a charming way to call them beggars, not that they live in a temple) However, they did play biwa and shakuhachi.
Who fixed them when the skin ruptured?
I imagine they’d paid shamisen craftsmen to fix them.
Very engaging, despite being 30% about your coffee beans
People want a happy Abbott. 
I didn’t realize you were using the noriko in there; I thought you were still rocking rice flour/water combo.
This was actually the first time I used noriko. Knowing I wanted it even tighter, I needed to use the real deal.
And did I see some sort of strange mechanical device being implemented into your kawahari? It couldn’t be a jack could it?
Yep! I got the idea from here. http://yugenkai.com/html/shop.html
Turns out many kawahari craftsmen use them as well. Much quieter and smoother than banging in wedges.
Does Taichii sit around and watch you do it the whole time, or does he come in and out and help you when you need it? I could imagine it being sort of dull after awhile on his end.
For the first attempt, he watched the whole time, (which turned out to be three hours due to problems) but we talked to pass the time. He was very, very patient and understanding. He also knows that I am trying to bring shamisen to the world, and wants to be sure I know how to do it properly. After the first attempt, he returned to his work and would come back when I had questions.
Eric: I actually think of that too. 
A friend of mine (a banjo player) wants to buy a shamisen and try installing a drone string on it. Anywho, not a bad idea at all.
oh my god no I would not want a fourth string but hey they also have bass out there with 5 strings if that’s one more than the usual which is 4 I think I am no bass player but whatever as for me I like that shamisen got 3 strings . . .
and coffee is always a worthwhile topic I’d say in almost any context
man i wish I had a properly stretched skin on mine, I love that high click noise when you tap it with ur fingers, instead of the “bumf” I get on mine
A drone string would be cool, I was thinking more along the lines of another string that would allow it to be tuned in fifths like so many western four-stringed instruments. While I’ve fallen in love with the Shamisen, I do miss some of the versatility that even just one more string would provide. Probably oughta get on my way to mastering the three string variety before concerning myself with freaky mutant hypothetical instruments though.
Liam: Do you still have your stretching set? Perhaps you could reskin it tighter?
Eric: Ah, I see. I think that could be done. On a similar note, the Doshpuluur (the Tuvan “shamisen” with goat skin - Alash Ensemble - Doshpuluur) usually had three strings, but a four string version is also made.
Probably oughta get on my way to mastering the three string variety before concerning myself with freaky mutant hypothetical instruments though.
In my experience, exposing yourself to other instruments helps you with the first instrument you’re trying to learn (in this case, shamisen).
Actually, Taichi said that he would like to have a new shamisen made to appeal to interests of people around the world, but because he’s been exposed to the current shamisen for most of his life, he can’t think of another shape/form for it, even though he knows/wants it to be possible.
Point being, if you have ideas, now is the time to express them before you get completely absorbed in the current aesthetic!
I guess it’s a bit expensive to extend the form of the dou, but even though the masters can hold the shamisen perfectly without any support from the left hand, I think it’s just inferior design that one has to focus on this before learning on making music. So my main thing would be a more rounded bottom of the dou that is formed for your leg, and maybe you would need a rubber pad on this surface anyway but it would still work better I think.
Regarding an extra string, I’d say it would be a pain in the ass with the current thickness of the sao. The only reason I’m not throwing my shamisen in the trashcan due to it’s insanely thick neck, is that it only has 3 strings which makes it at least possible to reach the strings while moving the hand into a more guitar like approach to play some more western songs. Let’s say you added a new string. If you then wanted to play both on the thickest string and the thinnest, your yubikake would muffle the thinnest string most likely. In general though, one more string equals more creative possibilities so it’s not a bad idea musically.
I may seem a bit negative when it comes to adding the string but it’s just that I think it’s impossible to achieve a playable instrument with the current neck thickness and that would have to be solved first. If you make it thinner then the sound may change. However I think the main issue is to prevent the wood from warping. This may require the use of a metal rod inside the neck. If you still want it to be detachable, maybe if the rod parts had long screw endings to attach into the next rod?
Shamisen isn’t technically my first instrument, but what I was really hinting at was that I can’t afford any more instruments for a while.
I was just assuming in my mind, and sorry I guess I should have clarified, that adding a fourth string would probably involve making the sao a little wider, and would certainly involve making the headstock (what’s it called on a shamisen?) bigger to accommodate a fourth itomaki, and yes, this would involve developing new playing styles most likely. Your concern about the yubikake is legitimate, it would also probably involve either changing the yubikake or doing away with it entirely, as the purpose of the yubikake is to reduce friction between your hand and the sao, however if another string is added it would give you greater range in less horizontal area on the neck, making the yubikake less necessary.
Basically, I don’t see any reason not to have an optional fourth string except for the sake of tradition, which is apparently a big deal to some people, but if everyone stuck to tradition too strictly we wouldn’t have tsugaru style either, most likely. I imagine this argument might make some people’s heads explode though.
Kyle - I wish! I never had a set, I just used rope, made holes in the skin and then left the edges try so it could take some pull, it does get better everytime though. Will try it again when I get some cash after download. Would love to send it off to Jessica for calf skin but I think if you can do it yourself you won’t be afraid to hit the skin so much!
As for the shamisen itself, I guess if you add a string you kinda gotta change the “MI” in “SHAMISEN” :P.
If there was an added string it would defo have to be a drone or bass string for me, I wouldn’t need it to higher!
It may seem cliché but I would just love so see some kool synthetic materials, different colour skins, strings etc.
I have no idea how you could do it but if there was a way to make the dou like a banjo so you can fix the skin easily.
Apparently Kame-ya in Japan sell non-slip itomaki which sound kool.
It’s not really about having more range on the instrument, though it would add some in either direction if not both, it’s more about having greater range available in smaller sections of neck and the ability to form more interesting chords. That’s what I’d like to see, anyway. Your opinions may differ.
One thing that I would want to criticize is the thick part around the head where the azuma sawari is. It is a bit tedious to play the first compared to a completely straight neck.
As for chords, isn’t it considered quite hard to make it sound good without frets?
3 strings is one of the things I like about shamisen so I just am attracted to that as for me it’s surely not about tradition but I am sure some would reject the 4th string idea for traditional reasons . . .
Now, now people. If there’s one thing I’ve learned by having a perfectionist brother, it’s not to shoot down ideas before they’ve come to fruition.
Let me remind everyone that at this stage, all ideas are good, no matter how wild it is. Once we start trying to make the CAD design and prototypes, we’ll adapt and modify things to see if it even works.
For example, if the sao would be too thick with a 4th string, we can always try making the neck thinner. If making good chords would be difficult, then we can try inlaying frets/marks into the sao (still being flush so you can slide)
At this stage, which is simply brainstorming, anything is possible.
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