Question about the sound of my strings.

Playing/Techniques
#1

Hello, all! First post here on the Bachido community webpage!

So I got all my shamisen stuff in the mail a few days ago and have been practicing when I can. It’s going pretty great so far. However i’m getting somewhat bothered by the sound of my third string and i’m wondering if I did/am doing something wrong, or if I just have a bad string for it.

Basically it’s the only string that gets this sort of muffled sound to it when I try and play anything past position 4. The first and second have no real issues and still sound pretty resonant when I play higher notes. It’s just the third one.

Any and all assistance/advice would be appreciated!

#2

Oh, I forgot to mention. I’m using the beginner’s shamisen, so it could also be the shamisen itself? Also the strings are the ones that are sent in the starter package.

#3

Hi, I’m new to shamisen too, but when you hear the muffled sound, are you using your fingernail or the finger pad to depress the string?

#4

I am using my fingerpad.

#5

So you have the answer !

#6

How I play with my finger nails though?

#7

Doesn’t correspond with my experience with the instrument, so quite interesting.

Which tuning (as in, which note/pitch are the strings) do you use? How far is your koma from the edge of the dou (some advice says it should be about 3 finger-widths)?

#8

I use the standard C/G/C tuning (niagari I think), and I have my koma at 3 finger widths away from the edge.

#9

Hi Tino! Welcome to the Bachido community! Stoked to see that you’ve already gotten started with your Beginner’s Shamisen! :slight_smile:

Ah, I realize I never talked about how to press the string in the Crash Course. Well, the course is made to be as simple as possible, and getting a clean sound does require a bit of skill.

Take a look at the preview (3:38) for The Nitta Ryu Intensive Technique Pack. -
http://bachido.com/school/nitta-kihon1. You can see him use the tip of his finger(nail), which is what Philip is referring to. :slight_smile: (Playing with the fingertips can take some time to get used to, but when you do, it becomes second nature)

That could help a lot. Also, you may want to try setting the bridge about two fingerwidths away from the neo. Having the koma closer to the middle of the dou (three fingerwidths) brings a warmer tone, and closer to the edge (two fingerwidths) brings a sharper tone. Both one fingerwidth and four fingerwidths is too much in either direction, so the sweet spot should be somewhere between two and three.

It’s perhaps a combination of those two factors, so definitely give both a try! :slight_smile:

Thanks for writing! Keep us posted on your progress!

#10

Ah thank you everyone! I think I understand what i’m supposed to be doing now. The help is very much appreciated!

#11

This is kinda basic, but make sure that the string is seated properly in the channel of the koma. Also, the string itself may be bad. With silk strings, the sound changes before the string breaks. If you are using tetlon (synthetic material) strings, I don’t know, maybe forget what I said!

#12

Some good information here. It is hard to find info on how to play with the fingertips. It is my biggest challenge so far. Thanks everyone!

#13

#14

Great video, Patrick! That’s very 分かりやすい, as they say. :slight_smile:

#15

日本です

© 2020 Kyle Abbott