So the video covers what each shamisen’s features are and the styles played on them, but what I want to know is what ARE the styles? Is there another video going into the differences of them later on? I have a feeling this is a silly question, but I don’t really know hahaha xD noooooooob
Hi Nicholas,
Not a silly question at all, you may decide you want to play other styles of shamisen if you learn more about the various possibilities.
Hosozao shamisen are most commonly used in the nagauta (long song) and kouta (short song) genres of shamisen music.
Nagauta often provides background music for the kabuki theater and, usually, players sing and play the shamisen at the same time. (A skill I don’t have lol)
Kouta is the musical style that the geisha often play. It, like nagauta, is often accompanied by vocals of some form. From what I’ve read, it says that the style is most commonly played with fingernails and no bachi, but I’ve seen plenty of movies where geisha in the background are using a bachi. (Although those might not be very accurate…)
The Chuuzao shamisen is most often played in the jiuta (“earthen song” or “song of the country”). From what I understand, this style too is played with vocals, although the vocals in jiuta are more of a melodic poem. I’m not really sure what context it was played in, but it does have a distinctive sound. Check the “Japanese Shamisen Jiuta Ensemble” on iTunes for a good idea of what it sounds like. Also, with the fact that the chuuzao shamisen is the “middle” size of shamisen, it’s pretty well equipped to tackle to styles of the other two shamisen, although it doesn’t have the range that the futozao shamisen does, so it probably can’t play the lowest notes in Tsugaru music.
The futozao is used in the bunraku theater (Gidayubushi), min’yo folk songs, and Tsugaru-jamisen. I don’t really know what bunraku music sounds like, but I do know that it is used as accompaniment for the play.
The Min’yo folk songs are often played by tsugaru shamisen performers and are some of the more notable pieces of traditional tsugaru repertoire (Ajigasawa Jinku and Ringo Bushi, for example). I think the reason that they aren’t explicitly “Tsugaru” songs is because they aren’t from the Tsugaru region, but don’t hold me to that. There might be something in the aesthetic that I’m not aware of.
Tsugaru-Jamisen is also just the traditional Tsugaru music, like Jongara Bushi and Ohare Bushi.
And finally, there is a fourth “true” shamisen called a Heike shamisen. This shamisen is used primarily in the song “Heike Ondo.” The shamisen’s sao is almost half the length of the other shamisens’ sao because Heike Ondo requires a much higher pitch. A regular shamisen can play the song, but it would need a kase (capo) to reach the proper pitch.
And that is the extent of my knowledge on the various styles of shamisen music. There are probably more that I’m not aware of, but this should give you a start. Hopefully I answered your question! 
Wow, thanks Denver! Yes you did answer it; this is a great start! Really appreciate it man.
No problem man! Good to know I was able to help you out!