hi everyone, I have a sound problem on some shamisen tsubos, is it normal for them to make this sound?
I tried moving the koma but it doesn’t change much…I’m attaching a video
First, happy new year!
tsubos? I’m presuming you mean the strings. But what is the problem?
Since you are not using a bachi and at some points you are plucking along the sao/neck, instead of striking the strings above the dou, you’re going to get some different sounds.
Sorry You have Reason! Happy new year:)
maybe i have to do another video with the bachi …
I have Strange Sound at 4 ,5 Sticker number on First String and 6 number on third String …it Makes a Strange Sound
New video
I hear it now.
The other positions play correctly and the strings look fresh so my guess is that it is something structural near positions 4 & 5.
Is the sao/neck completely straight? Is the joint assembly completely flush?
I hope someone more experienced than I can lend a hand.
Thank you for the answer, i ve buyed all in one….the sao is Glued 3 pieces in one …
Hi there.
First, let’s clarify some vocabulary.
ツボ (tsubo) - position. Such as position 1, 2, 3, or 4
糸 (ito) - string. Your first, second, or third string.
Now, let’s look at your technique.
In your first video, your fingering isn’t very clean. You’re using too much of your finger, and don’t seem to be correctly on the positions. You’re getting odd sounds because of it.
Next, let’s look at your instrument. Strikingly lovely wood - but your second video shows that it is not fully assembled. You should not have such a large gap. Please fully assemble the instrument.
The third video is closer to proper form, but it is still a little off.
Do you have an instructor?
Pay attention to my hands and how i keep my palm and unused fingers away from the strings.
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Thank you! I’ve probably heard this term before but couldn’t recall it at all.
your second video shows that it is not fully assembled. You should not have such a large gap. Please fully assemble the instrument.
OP said “the sao is Glued 3 pieces in one.”
thank yoi for the answers
yes the sao it’s all glued in one piece ,
ok, I’ll try again to adjust the sawari better,
for now I don’t have any teachers but I’m planning to take a lesson
so maybe I’ll see if I can solve this problem too…
when I made the videos I didn’t pay much attention to the setting
but only to try to make this resonance sound that annoys me heard,
before writing I thought I had done everything
I could on the shamisen but to no avail, however I’m trying to do
some experiments with the sawari…
in the meantime I have submitted the videos also
to a shamisen luthier who is here in Europe and he tells me
that to fix the problem probably I should send him the shamisen,
probably the wood needs to be brushed…
. I don’t know… in any case I would prefer to be the one who isn’t capable to adjust the sawari which is the cheapest solution…
Brown!
the sound of your shamisen it s really amazing!
thanks again 
snip
I read his post; but you see that gap in the first video right?
That’s an issue! If the Sao is a mitsuori that was glued together into a nobezao to fix an issue it may have been done improperly.
That line is much too prominent for my liking.
Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t get the proper microphone out of storage for this, I wanted to focus on showing proper fingering technique. The shamisen isn’t like a guitar, so the grip is a little odd.
Anyway:
It is possible that your shamisen needs kanberi which is a kind of polishing to remove damage to the fingerboard. That’s the “brushing”. This damage can cause unpleasant sounds. To fix it isn’t too expensive here in Japan.
To adjust your sawari, you must:
For Azuma (kaku) or En sawari:
Rotate the screw on the back to raise or lower the sawari. Start by lowering it and then raise it until it sounds even, long, and gentle.
For Yama (old style, unadjustable) sawari;
Add material under the first string. Usually tape is fine.
Can you take a picture of your shamisen? I’d like to see the condition of the fingerboard.
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I did and I agree (I realize now I typed “4 & 5” above when I meant to type “4 & #”) but if there’s glue involved it’s beyond my pay grade. I hope a luthier can help out OP.
thanks for the answers, for now I’m waiting for the seller’s response which unfortunately is taking a long time, a friend suggested that perhaps a high koma could solve the problem. However, at most I will send the shamisen to Spain for repairs but I think that between shipping and everything it will cost me 200 euros…