Gottan questions

General
#1

Hello, I am a musician (primarily a guitarist) who has recently become interested in learning how to play the shamisen. The problem is that the shamisen tends to be relatively expensive. I was considering beginning with a cheaper gottan and seeing how I enjoy the instrument. If all goes well, then I would consider saving up for a high quality shamisen. Does this sound like a good idea?

Also, if I do decide to purchase a gottan, I have some questions regarding this instrument:

  1. Do I need to purchase any special accessories to play this instrument?
  2. Does this instrument have its own special strings or does it use the same strings as a shamisen?
  3. Are there any resources available to help me learn how to play the Gottan?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

#2

Hi Chris! Welcome to Bachido! :slight_smile:

I’m glad to hear your want to start shamisen. Your skills with guitar will help you progress quickly.

I agree. I am an advocate of starting with a cheaper instrument and investing in a higher quality model later on.

The Gottan is quite close to the shamisen experience, though the wooden soundbox has a different tone. If you would like a full shamisen experience, I would highly recommend checking out the Beginner’s Shamisen. Though I call it the “Beginner’s Shamisen”, it is high quality and has a great tone that’s satisfying for a musician’s ear (in my opinion), to where you may not even feel the need to ‘upgrade’. Anyhow, might be worth checking out if you haven’t seen it already. :slight_smile: - http://bachido.com/store/beginner-shamisen

  1. It comes with a bridge and strings (which is the same as the shamisen). The bachi and yubikake aren’t included. They aren’t necessary for gottan, but you might find them good for getting the shamisen experience.

  2. Not that I know of. You can check out youtube, and of course, the information in the free Shamisen Crash Course at Bachido will transfer over to Gottan - http://bachido.com/school/crash-course-1/chapter-1

Glad to have you with us! :slight_smile:
Kyle Abbott

#3

That was very informative and useful! Thank you so much for your time and help.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott