I got a Shamisen (sort of) and some questions

General
#1

I apologise for not being online for a while. I was too busy RPing on Google plus (what?) . Anyways, this is kind of going to be a multipost because I have Metric Tons of questions, but also an announcement. So first things first, I finally got me a Shamisen, well, Sanshin. What I did is I’m starting out with a Sanshin, using the Oshima strings to play Nagauta style songs along with the regular Ichinoito that came with the Sanshin to basically have a miniature Nagauta Shamisen. Now here’s the long, long list of questions:

My bridge broke twice after fixing it with super glue. Can I just use a Shamisen Koma as a replacement? There is no actual skin on my Sanshin. The Dou is all wood. (It sounds as if it had skin though, so it sounds really nice). The bridges they sell for Sanshin are too weak of wood so can I use a plastic Shamisen Koma as a replacement?

If my strings ever break, can I use Nagauta Shamisen strings? Sanshin strings are very thick but Amami Oshima strings (The kind I’m using) are thin so I imagine it probably would fit in the Itomaki, but I have to ask if it’s OK to use Nagauta strings. So is it OK?

In the rare case my ma ever agrees to get me a real Nagauta Shamisen, can I use Banjo Goat skin on it? If not, can I use faux snake skin they make for Sanxian and Sanshin?

And finally, what easy Nagauta or Kouta song do you reccomend I first learn?

I’d like to thank this community for being so helpful and being so nice. Domo Arigato Gozaimashita desu :slight_smile:

#2

Im not an expert but with all wood dou could it be a gottan or is it a skinny wooden sanshin where is a pic? :slight_smile: Congrats on having your own stick or axe or so no matter what :slight_smile:

#3

Im not an expert but with all wood dou could it be a gottan or is it a skinny wooden sanshin where is a pic? :slight_smile: Congrats on having your own stick or axe or so no matter what :slight_smile:

You would think it would be like a Gottan, but it sounds nothing like a Gottan. The tone isn’t as warm, and is nice and sharp. They have pictures at Asoviva Sanshin. The Sanshin itself sounds a lot like a regular Sanshin, and a lot like a Nagauta with the Oshima strings

#4

Wow, I just had a look at their site.
http://www.asovivasanshin.com/newwoodsanshin.html

Nice find, David! The wooden sanshin is just $115, which makes it a really reasonable starter instrument. How much was shipping to the US, and did it take much time?

To answer some of your questions:
You could try a shamisen koma, but I don’t know how good it will sound. They are relatively cheap, so it wouldn’t hurt to pick one up, along with a few plastic sanshin bridges (they are only 2 or 3 bucks each) and see what you prefer. You might have got a bad sanshin bridge to start with, because I’ve never had on break on me. The bamboo ones definitely look weaker than the plastic ones I’ve seen.
For strings, very light gauge nagauta could work. The thing to keep in mind is that heavier strings put more stress on the neck.
As for first pieces to learn, start out easy. Kouta are very subtle songs, and take a long time to do well. I usually start students with “Sakura sakura” just to get used to the instrument, then move on to folk songs like “Soran bushi” or even “Asadoya yunta” (which is Okinawan, so even more fitting with your instrument).
Once you get a little facility, you can tackle some of the instrumental sections (ainote) of famous nagauta pieces.

#5

Thanks for the help. :slight_smile: It took some time for the instrument to come, but that’s because I had to refund one of the discontinued books that came with the starters’ package. Shipping to the US is about 50 USD.

#6

Sweet instrument! I saw one on sale on eBay recently (it was the same price as new) and wondered if it was any good - fantastic that it is.

The $3 uma/koma/bridge replacement on the website is made from ebony, but such an open shape I imagine it must be very fragile. The uma on my SanXian is bamboo - when it breaks I whittle a new one, cuz its bamboo and bamboo is cheap and easy to work. I see no reason why a plastic koma would not work other than string spacing, and new grooves could easily be filed into a stock koma, buffed smooth with a nail buffer or a broken string charged with a bit of toothpaste and ash or brick dust thrummed back and forth in the new groove (they polish brasswork in India with brick dust - rub two bricks together and sieve the resultant dust with cheesecloth). Or you could be very modern and hit TAP plastics where they sell a whole range of goods to polish plastic (or horn or hardwood). A koma must transmit vibration - any stiff and dense material will do, hardwood, plastic, shell.

Want me to make you a custom one?

© 2020 Kyle Abbott