My girlfriend is vaguely interested...

General
#1

Hi. I’m new to the shamisen. Well, I’ve read a lot about it but never played. I play a sort of faux (i.e. cheap but workable and in tune) shakuhachi amatuerishly and can play a fair amount of min’yo if I have notation on hand. But anyway that’s the most I know about Japanese traditional music - what I know through the shakuhachi.

However my girlfriend is vaguely interested in playing shamisen now, ever since she’s been watching me play the shakuhachi and I’ve shown her jiuta duets with shak and shami (cf. “kurokami”; although I’m sure you’re all acquainted with this as well as “rokudan” if you play jiuta) on YouTube.

I am interested in perhaps gifting her with one, if not an audition. I say audition because I’ve noticed that, like professional shakuhachi, these instruments are on the scale of $1000+

So she’s vaguely interested, has had a little past experience with guitar and bass… anyway, what’s a cheap, effective way of starting off on the shamisen? Can you audition one for a half hour for, say, $40? Where, when and how? Do you start on jiuta, tsugara, etc…? She’s also very animal-friendly, as am I, so are synthetic skins suitable for first-time shamisen? Is a beginner instrument worth investing in if it can’t eventually play a more complex repertoire? (I have this porblem with shakuhachi as well.) Is it better to start with a sanshin, or are the two completely different?

Thank you. :slight_smile:

#2

Hi Ryan!

Welcome to Bachido! :slight_smile:

Cool stuff! Kurokami and Rokudan were actually my two favorite jiuta pieces growing up, as well as Chidori. Luke (my brother) and I would switch off playing shakuhachi and a jiuta shamisen.

By audition, do you mean auction? That can be a great way of getting shamisen on the cheap. Fortunately, jiuta shamisen at auctions tend to be cheaper than tsugaru anyway.

How much to invest
In my opinion, one should invest depending on the experience they want out of it (as well as how much the can afford). Meaning, whether someone is a beginner or a professional, a good sounding instrument is enjoyable to play no matter what the skill level.

Bottom line: from experience with espresso machines, my advice is to get the best instrument you can safely afford. :slight_smile:

Synthetic skin can be suitable. In the case of FiberSen (the newest synthetic skin developed by Masahiro), synthetic skin can sound almost as good as real skin. It is a bit costly, so as an animal lover (platonic, might I add. :wink: ) myself, I would use whatever skin is on the shamisen you get. Later on, it can be replaced with FiberSen.

Have you checked out ebay? There are often some good deals on nagauta shamisen there, usually around $200~400.

Cheers!
Kyle

#3

Welcome Ryan!

Kyle, I think he means he wants someone to play the instrument and talk about it, showing the different parts and what is included when playing and finally letting you play a little. I guess it’s quite a good way to get a feel for if an investment would be good or not.

#4

damn it yes how cool would that be to be able to try out shamisens at a local guitar / instruments store . . . sure the time will come . . . :slight_smile:

#5

Aahhh… I see. Thanks, Karl. :slight_smile:

Ryan, if you happen to live in California, I’d be happy to give you two a shamisen audition for free.

A quick way to get an audition-like feel would be to check out the videos on the shamisen page, where Masahiro introduces the many shamisen available.

http://bachido.com/products/standard-shamisen

Also, she can hear the different styles here - http://bachido.com/learn/pages/shamisen-styles.

B H, I think the same thing too. :slight_smile:

#6

Thank you Kyle, Karl and BH for your comments. I’ve found all the information you’ve given me quite useful.

While I very much appreciate your offer Kyle, unfortunately I live on the opposite side of the country and am not planning on going to California any time soon.

Ok. So how do I spot a good shamisen? On eBay especially? What’s the best for a beginner to start with: nagauta, jiuta, tsugara…?

#7

I see, I see. Well, there’s an guest appearance on the Blogcast in it for you if you come west. :wink:

Good question. Well, if the skin is intact, it’s a good chance that is very playable, especially for a beginner. A main issue that turns a good shamisen into a not-so-good shamisen is if the three piece neck is warped. However, pictures are usually taken of those spots.

To be safe, when you see a good shamisen, send us a link so we can snipe, -ahem… ‘verify’ it :wink:

#8

I will certainly do so. I hope we can keep this thread open for that purpose. Thanks again

#9

Where are you on the East Coast? If you’re anywhere near Philadelphia, I could show you my Tsugaru shamisen. If you’re closer to the New York area, I know there are some people who play other styles, but as odd as it may seem, I don’t think there are any Tsugaru players in NY. I’ve done a bunch of web searches and never managed to find anybody.

#10

I’m in Western Connecticut. But thank you for the offer. If I’m ever near philly with some extra time I’ll remember that. :slight_smile:

It would really be helpful to know which of the three types of shamisen to start out on. My girlfriend says she liked the sound of jiuta. Is that an appropriate instrument to begin with?

#11

I don’t think it really matters which instrument you start on. None of them are really “beginner” or “master” instruments, they’re just made for different styles. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it’s not like a violin is a beginner cello. If you like cello, play cello. If you like violin, play violin. (But don’t play viola. Nobody likes viola.)

So yeah, if your girlfriend likes jiuta music, she should get a jiuta shamisen.

#12

She thought rokudan and kurokami were nice. And I thought they were jiuta. But now I’m hearing that kurokami is nagauta? Is there some overlap I’m unaware of?

#13

Kurokami is jiuta…and nagauta, and a shakuhachi piece, and a buyou/dance piece, etc… :smiley: Some works are popular/important enough in Japan to cross a number of genres, fyi.

Re: what shamisen (not shamisen style/genre) to start off with, my two cents/two yen worth is that, if you can’t decide on which style of shamisen music you want to play before you buy an instrument, the chuuzao/jiuta shamisen may be the most versatile one to have. With a futozao/Tsugaru instrument, you can’t really play things like jiuta, nagauta, etc. And with a hosozao/nagauta shami, the neck is quite a bit thinner, the sound a bit higher, and the weight significantly less than the other two main instruments. So there would be a definite transition period if you later decide to switch “up”. With a chuuzao/jiuta shami, it’s not that much thinner than a Tsugaru shamisen, it’s a good weight, and if you change your accessories (koma, bachi, etc.), you can approximate a nagauta shami well enough to kind of get by, too.

Having made those points, tho’, as Jamie said above, it doesn’t matter that much which instrument you start on - the thing is just to start, I’d say. :slight_smile: There’s a commonality of note positions/tsubo, techniques, general bachi usage, etc. across the shamisen platforms, so perhaps the thing to do is just find the best-priced shamisen you can for her to start with, and once she determines her actual interest level, you can think about upgrades and/or specific shamisen styles. Or that’s my thinking, at least… :slight_smile:

#14

Hey Ryan, I’ve got a used jiuta shamisen I would be willing to let go of for a reasonable price if you’re still interested. PM me if you want.

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