I have a budget of about $200 with which I want to start learning the Shamisen. It doesn’t look possible since the cheapest beginner kit on here is $648, and the cheapest shamisens/sanshins on ebay are just kankaras in disguise.
Is there any way I can buy a cheaper Shamisen kit to begin with, or should I just go ahead and invest in a Kankara or a Gottan?
Well I do have a Hosozo shamisen used for Nagauta style that I am repairing. I still need to put the skins on and I can only give with it a plastic koma, used neo, and a wooden bachi you would need to purchase a set of strings. That would give you a very basic set. Since it required a lot of repairs to the wood and 2 new skins I could let it go for $350-400. I do all the repairs myself and the skining. Or another option is to buy a broken one off e-bay or another site and try to fix it yourself. Let me know if you would be interested and I’ll try to post some pics.
Shamisens are pricy. You have to be lucky to find a seller that would sell a shamisen for a affordable price. Either Ebay or look on this site (forum)
I got lucky with my Shamisen Set (I got it for $300 with shipping already included)
I’m going to tokyo soon. Anyone know where to get a cheap shamisen beginner starter kit there. Also, if anyone knows a shop in montreal that sells cheap shamisens, please let me now.
ARIGATO GOZAIMASU
It’s a pretty big compromise, but I started learning on a Chinese Sanxian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanxian).
The sound is different from a shamisen, and the strings are closer together, but it gave me a feel for some of the techniques. I bought mine for $300 a few years ago. Sonically, I find my sanxian is cleaner than shamisen (no sawari) - it’s pretty similar to a banjo.
I’ve never played a Gottan - I imagine the string spacing is more like a shami, but I don’t know how they sound. It might be the best cheap option, however I got a decent amount of milage from my Sanxian, so it might be worth considering as well.
I’ve been thinking of maybe starting out with an okinawan chanson, it’s the closest thing to shamisen and it’s less expensive, but I’ll look into the sanxian.
not chanso Sanshin. Damn auto correct
I don’t know about any shops in Montreal. I was there last year and happened to run into a shamisen player at the Place d’Armes, though. I can’t remember her name, but maybe you could bum around there and see if you run into her and maybe she could help you out. (Although come to think of it, the chances of running into an outdoor shamisen player this time of year are pretty low…) Maybe you already know who she is, though? Does she look familiar at all?
Personally, I would search Ebay Japan for any used instruments, and all the other big auction based sites for used/and or less than playable shamisens. From there, do repairs yourself. Or, check out local instrument stores that deal in other stringed instruments. A rare find I know, but sometimes people trade them in. And, I do not know how much the materials would cost, but building your own can be an option. Finally, if all else fails, either rob a bank, beg for money, rescue a wealthy damsel in distress, get it as a gift, or get a better paying job/and or save up.
I had to wait about two years before I finally came up with the money to buy mine. I know, it sucks, but if I could go back I would have bought a sanshin. Another option around your price range.
Note, I’m not an expert, but the sanxian and sanshin are very similar and if looking for the closer ‘sounding’ of the two, I would check out some vids on youtube.
I know her Jamie!
She is Ryoko Itabashi but she no longer lives in Montreal. She moved in Ottawa a few years ago with her husband and she often play near the public market there.
I bought my shamisen for 27,000 yen in Japan. Shipping might get expensive but you might be able to get it to yourself for about $80 or so.