New player looking at the koshamisen

#1

Hi everyone!

I have wanted to learn the shamisen for about 17 years and finally got up the courage to invest in myself.

Starting small though as I don’t want to overcommit and feel forced into continuing, I have looked at the koshamisen.

Does anyone have some advice for the absolute fresh people as to purchase list.

I figure a Bachi, Koma (planning on Shinobi and regular), koshamisen and the strings, but as it is so much smaller, I can’t get the markings for the neck and the chamber being so much smaller, I guess doukake won’t fit?

Is there anything else I should be including in the quote request?

Thanks in advance!

#2

This is a question best answered by @Kyle_Abbott, our grand Pooh-Bah as I’m not familiar with the specifics of bachido’s kojamisen, and how it relates to more standard nomenclature (such as tanzao and niban).

#3

Hi @Hardycastle! Thanks to Mr. Brown for the tag, and my apologies for the delay. Was super busy in Japan, but am now back in California as of 9am today!

I totally understand your feeling! In my opinion though, as a beginner it would really be best to get a regular sized shamisen like the Beginner’s Shamisen, or even the Karin Minyo Shamisen Set. It would be one thing if the small size of the koshamisen equaled a small price, but the koshamisen is quite expensive due to requiring especially small parts (which requires extra time/care to make). Thus, something like the Karin Minyo Shamisen Set would actually be best, as it costs the same as a koshamisen, but includes all the accessories (and thus is cheaper than a koshamisen + accessories). :slight_smile:

Definitely don’t want to talk you out of a koshamisen if your heart is set on it, but that’s just my thoughts. :slight_smile: Let me know what you think!

Cheers!
Kyle

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