looking for places to repair outside of US

Building/Repair
#1

Hey everyone~!!!

So I am currently studying in Japan for a year and I am taking a shamisen class that is offered at my school. My class has other students from various country and they all seem very interested in shamisen. The class unfortunately only meets once a week and we are not able to borrow the shamisen to practice outside of class. I believe several students really want to buy one of their own so they practice and eventually bring back to their home country to continue learning. The only issues are they seem to be having trouble finding a cheap enough shamisen to begin with, but more importantly (if they do buy one) where to get repairs once their back home.

So does anyone happen to know people that shamisen repairs (like re-sinking) outside of the US? I know couple people are from Finland, Germany, and i think China (I’m not sure exactly where all my classmates are from), but if anyone knows of anyone that does repair anywhere, could you let know so i can pass the info on .

Thank you

#2

Finland? Sounds interesting, we don’t have many players in this country!

For NA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIse7_iHhRc

I think in Europe there’s a few people with the capacity (Helsinki has one person who’s built some shamisen before). But I’m not sure if anyone provides the service, we’d need that.

In most cases I’d prepare to ship/travel to Japan.

#3

hey yow! If anyone is in SE Asia (N. Thailand) I could probably do some repairs… and whatnot :slight_smile:
Very cool that you have shamiclasses at your school.

#4

Hi! I studied re-skinning of shamisen in Tokyo and have re-skinned many kouta and nagauta shamisens in Helsinki, Finland. I have never repaired tsugaru shamisen. For nagauta I use thin and white drum head goat skin.

#5

Sorry to be off topic, Andrea, but I have a little question for Nick : what is the difference between a nagauta and a kouta shamisen ? For playing I know, but for the shamisen itself, I thought it was the same … Thanks.

#6

Patrick, the neck of kouta shamisen is thicker than that of nagauta. Well, this has nothing to do with re-skinning the instrument. :wink:

#7

Hi Nick! Where you studied re-skinning in tokyo?

Here in Argentina we have some chinese made tsugarus, and we will need a re-skining soon. So I was thinking in studied the process.

I have the stretching machine but I dont have the skill yet…

#8

My two bits as a maker and repairer of stuff: shamisen are simple instruments. Any decent luthier can fix anything wood on the shamisen. Reskinning is simply not that hard to do on your own - lots of good info and tutorials on this site and others - and helps get you as a player more in touch with your instrument. But once again, a decent instrument repair shop, or an experienced drummer could likely help out without being a expert shamisen repairman.

I don’t know why they cost so much. Like I said, they are simple instruments - a guitar is a much harder build. I guess there are not many made, so it is an issue of scarcity, or maybe we shamisen players are an easy mark.

Ganbatte! And remember, it is a simple folk instrument, not a Stradivarius.

#9

iHola! Bruno in BA - remember, if you reskin and it all goes wrong, you can take it off and try again. Skill comes from practice and experience. And drumheads are not so expensive :wink:

#10

Tomo san. I couldn’t agree more that it is likely that a local luthier of some kind could do repairs especially in the realm of the wood related. I think that re-skinning might be another story for many only in terms of the set up needed to do so. I’m sure that someone who is familiar with drum making/repair could easily do it if they were willing to set up the rigging to do so. In that realm, Kyle’s book is very clear on the subject and it IS really great for a musician to do this for themselves.

Not sure about the simple folk instrument comment though. Smacks of some sort of something or other. Violins are folk instruments too, generally spectacularly overpriced and horribly overburdened with problematic status and entitlement issues that twirl around presumed superiority of Eurocentric mindsets. One could (or maybe just me, could) make the argument that the nobel Strad and its kin of the time were nothing more than spiritually dumbed down copies of the Morin Khuur or Igil. After all, what could possibly be the point of a musical instrument at all it if doesn’t worship the great spirit of the horse! What! (the people of the steppe might have asked) you make strings out of gut?! How sad and sorry it is that you don’t have enough horses on hand to lend a bunch of tail hairs for strings as well as for the bow! Don’t even get me started on the bastardisations that happened in the 19th century!
so, ahem… put THAT in your pipe and smoke it! :wink:

… and yeah (alert! now exciting annoying rant-like paragraph) you are totally right, skill comes with time and if it doesn’t work the first time re-kawahari’ing then it’s easy to try again… and an exciting and fun-filled time too.

Everything is easy once you know how - nothing to fear but fear itself - None of us get out alive!

#11

Point taken, Catherinesan. It was a bracing smoke in my pipe.

I guess I feel that way about all instruments - don’t feel scared of your instrument is all I was really saying. Even if I sound like a cultural colonialist.

#12

haha! Thanks for making me laugh! I totally know/knew that was what you meant and appreciated it as such.
Once again, your words have such truth to them. No need to fear.

One of the instruments that I make is the Kora (a kind of 22 string west african instrument. i imagine that you’d already know about this) Actually, it’s the instrument that I have made the most of.
At any rate, the most beautiful thing often happens when I give it to a child, a child that hasn’t managed to develop this fear. Because the instrument is tuned to a specific mode, and also because of the layout of the strings, it is very friendly to just play around on. So I give it to a little kid and the most magical thing happens and I can see them sort of dissolve into the sounds that they are making. One of the most gratifying musical experiences that I have had, this. I have had the chance to do some demonstrations here in Thailand as well and what is lovely is that a lot of adults seem equally happy to try their hand at it to much the same effect. Lovely and without fear. I think that I have learned a little of what music is perhaps supposed to be from these experiences. Just a thought. Cheers and thanks!

#13

I have grandkids and a house full of instruments they are free to play - it is indeed fun to just step back and bathe in the sounds (and watch their parents suffer).

Please don’t tell anyone, Catherinesan, but i once glued a sound post into a violin. The owner kept knocking it out (prolly too short) and gave it me to fix. I fished for the post through the f-hole with my little crooked sound bar grabby-thingie (I’m sure there is an Italian term for the tool) and twisted it back into place.

After the post popped out for about the fifth time, I looked at the hot pot of hide glue and, with a shrug, dabbed a bit of glue on just one end of the post, the top end so it would not be visible. Yes, deceit was in my heart as I twisted the post into place and felt the glue cool.

The post never came free again, and the owner never mentioned any tone issues after the post was back in - in fact, he thought I hit the sweet spot placing the post as the volume went up for the instrument.

The lessons I learned were manifold. But I have still not learned to live with the guilt.

That story is just between you and me, fellow instrument makers and occasional bodgers.

#14

Hi Bruno,
I learnt re-skinning of shamisen at a small workshop called Umeya in Setagaya, Tokyo. In 1980s their shop selling shamisens and kotos was behind the Ogikubo Station. Later it moved to Lumine in the same area. I believe that the shop doesn’t exists anymore as some years ago I couldn’t find it.

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