Since I’ve read that strings can easily snap while playing tsugaru shamisen I’m curious as to where the strings get cut off when playing. Is it where you strike with the bachi or is it at the neck or bridge?
well when i tuned my shamisen first the 3rd string snapped 
and i think it was around the bridge. (so glad my shamisen came with extra strings :D)
I’m not sure if this method works with nylon and silk strings, but I own 3 guitars and one of them is a cheap model that I bought so that I could upgrade it with some nice parts cheaply.
I had the problem that my strings always broke at the bridge and this was due to the notches being too sharp. For around 400$ you can get replacements that are not only very smooth, but also coated with a lubricant that will effectively make vibrating strings have next to zero friction against the bridge. I haven’t broke a string since I upgraded to that.
So when I read about strings breaking I thought, could this be something that works here as well? I don’t see why shamisen players should accept their strings breaking 
Let me preface my advice by mentioning that I am notorious for breaking strings (mainly san no ito - the little one).
Over the past 5 years, I’ve formulated somewhat of an educated opinion on the subject, solely as it regards to Tsugaru Shamisen.
When I first started playing, my strings would last for 3-6 months, no problem.
I always found this to be a little surprising, but I never disliked the fact, that’s for sure. In that case, I would change the strings only when the quality of their tone diminished greatly.
Over the years, these last two being no exception, I began breaking them with far more regularity (Kyle can attest to this). At first we couldn’t quite figure out the exact reason. We tried sanding the bachi down, very carefully, and saw some results. I went from breaking a string every song, to only breaking it once or twice in an afternoon.
After that, Kyle took my bridge (koma), and smoothed out the notches well.
However, this was still freakishly more often than everyone else.
Fast forward to Japan, training a week before the competitions:
I pose the dilemma to Masahiro Nitta, and he suggets i swap out my bridge (coma).
Lo, and behold, I suddenly start snapping strings very rarely. This, coupled with me new bachi purchase only a few days later, pretty much solve my issue.
This would prove that Karl’s mention of a new and lubricated bridge is a good measure to take to prevent the wear and eventual breaking of the strings.
To answer your question about where they seem to snap; mine are always at the bridge, right on the notch, and pretty much only the 3rd string. The 1st and 2nd ones wear out and break where the bachi strikes.
Best thing to do is play for awhile and lift up your strings to see if they are developing any notches or wear. If they look like they will break soon, loosen them up, pull them out from the cloth knot they are tied to on the body, and restring them further down. I only developed this strategy due to the frequency in which i would break my strings years, and the lack of availibility to go and buy more.
Word.
Nice information Did you change the brand/material of the bridge as well? So since the first and second strings wear out due to the bachi strikes, how often do you need to change them due to breaking? As you say you want to change strings when the quality of the sound isn’t as good anymore, but if you are a beginner you can always live with old strings as you are more focusing on learning the techniques.
Also a trick I’ve learned from my father is to boil your strings if you need to keep a budget. This will cause the grease and dirt to disappear. I’m not sure if it applies to silk and nylon at all, because I’ve only tried this with metal strings. Also if the quality of the string is worsened due to parts of it disappearing from the bachi I guess boiling won’t help.
PS. I don’t know why I suddenly write prices with an additional 0. For the bridge part for guitars its 40$ not 400$!
Yeah Karl, making due with what you have is important as a beginner. I feel the same way.
Hah, i was wondering what kind of bridge you were getting your hands on. That DID seem expensive.
Boiling the silk strings would kill their sound unfortunately, especially ichi no ito.
My 3rd string (san no ito) broke last night in my sleep. I guess it was the best way for it to go. This string was nylon and it was survived by two silk strings. It broke at the koma. Fortunately, there was enough left to continue using the same string.
My takeaway: Loosen the strings when not in use.
Eric, remove the koma, and then you can leave the strings tight. I used to loosen the strings after every playing session, but then I switched to leaving the strings tight w/ removal of the koma.
Conclusion: The strings lasted roughly the same amount of time.
Ah, makes sense! Thanks Kyle.
First week or two i didn’t loose the strings nor did i remove the koma
but i read from somewhere that i should remove the koma and it made a lot of sense i’ve got a hard case and tightening the straps around shamisen with tuned strings didn’t sound so good but removing koma works and is really worth it
I’ve always removed the koma, it works great. if you’re just setting it down for an hour or two, you can slide it down between the neck and body and adjust it so its held in place with the two outside strings. I wouldnt suggest doing that if you’re going to travel wit it though, as it is more likely to break or fall out when you’re moving your shami around.
Since I will be ordering my shamisen stuff either from the bachido store or some japanese store, I should order enough strings so that I don’t have to order frequently as shipping cost is a factor.
Does anyone have a suggestion on how many of each string I should get for a first shipment?
Also the third string is relatively cheap, but since it’s nylon can you use a nylon guitar string and if so which thickness?