String Troubles

General
#1

Hey everyone! I have a question: Does anyone else have trouble with their second string snapping? Even if it looks to be in good condition?

I had trouble with that string snapping often because I would put it in the case without de-tuning it (my teacher had me tuning to C# instead of C, and told me that C is low enough tension it’s ok, but C# is just tight enough that strings start snapping). But just now it snapped on me again! I didn’t even tighten it (it was flat, I was going to tighten it) but all I did was grab the peg and it snapped…

Is this a normal issue? Luckily I have extra strings, but would be troublesome if that happens once I start getting gigs…

Thanks!
K2

#2

hmm, if you mean the strings are snapping in half or breaking I would suspect really old strings that have probably been left in the sun for a long time.

But if you just mean your strings detuning your shamisen randomly, welcome to the world of friction tuners :slight_smile: they will stop doing that when the strings break in and only do it slightly. (which is one of the reasons why shamisens are tuned soo much in performances) Try pressing in the peg a little harder when you tighten it.

My shamisen loves to let its strings loose when my guard is down and i’m just relaxing and watching tv… and squeeky sound they are detuned randomly. I suspect its just the wood swelling and unswelling due to weathers/ temperatures.

#3

In my experience, the third string in the one that breaks most often. Maybe take a closer look at your Koma. If the notch in the saddle isn’t just right, or if the string hops up out of the notch while you’re playing, the force of striking the string is pushing it against an edge, creating a “divot” that weakens the string. Get enough of those and the string toast.

As far as detuning, I never detune my shamisen. I usually just slide the koma up to the edge of the Dou or remove it entirely after I play. My strings don’t usually break unless they have those divots.

#4

Huh, I wonder… Maybe I’m just not changing them often enough. They’re snapping into two pieces at the nut, not at the koma. So perhaps the constant de-tuning and retuning is putting extra wear. And my pegs slip a LOT, so I’m constantly battling with the tuning. :confused:

How often do you guys usually change your strings?

#5

I’m with Joseph, but as you’ve explained; they aren’t snapping at the koma… Personally, I mess with tuning all the time and rarely change strings. Just retired my first string in the 3 months, and I play for a minimum of 30 minutes most days, if not all days.

Of the three strings, most often it is the third string that will snap easiest (it’s thin, and takes a lot of the brunt while playing). I wouldn’t necessarily think the tuning/detuning so often would put that much extra ware on them unless you are constantly over-tuning them. But you’d have to be tuning them waaaay up there.

My guess would be that they are not terribly worn out. How often does it happen?

Cana makes a good point that the strings could be improperly stored; having received harsher conditions before they are ever even used. Where did you get them, and how do you store your strings?

Also, what are the conditions you store your shamisen in? We all chose the best instrument for harsh climate changes (sarcasm). The various parts of shamisen are all very sensitive to the fluctuation of humidity. The flex of strings and the skin are very easily affected, which can change tone and longevity.

A thought might be to check if where they rest on the kamigoma, it could possibly be a bit rough. That would be abrasive enough to cause them to snap over time.

Anyhow, best wishes with solving this~

#6

I got my strings from my teacher, so I’m unsure about brand specifications. I keep them in my shamisen’s case, which I also keep indoors unless I’m playing a gig outside. I try to play an hour or more each day, and I noticed that string lasted me a couple months. It probably gets more wear on it due to my constant peg slippage. I always had a problem with that string’s peg, even in Japan’s humid climate, and its only gotten worse in Arizona. Maybe I’ll take it to the local music shop, and ask what they do for violin pegs in the dry climate. I know they have some substances (wax?) that they sometimes use for violin peg slippage.

It’s a miracle my 3rd string has only snapped once in a year and a half! That’s the one I would have expected to snap more often, too. But I’m guessing it’s just that peg causing extra wear at the nut (kamigoma?) since it detunes every few minutes for the first 20 minutes of playing time. Usually I jam it so tight after my warm-ups, it finally stops slipping 20-30 min into my practice session. But we’ll see if it’s any better today with a new string on it!

Thanks everyone :slight_smile:

#7

Couple months is a pretty decent length of time, unless you are literally saying it only lasts (on average) 2 months. Are they tsugaru-gauge strings? If not, that could be the culprit. Also, if you are using kinu (silk) strings, the tone is amazing, but they are a lot weaker.

If the slipping is causing the strings to rub against the kamigoma in a bad way, then I would suggest either replacing or smoothing out the kamigoma before laying blame to the peg. Kamigoma should be smooth, and thus cause minimal abrasion with the string sliding on it. But I’m just the kinda person who would rather get rid of the source of the problem.

Some of these ideas may help, in regards to the slipping peg:

#8

Thanks! Yeah, I think its just the peg issue. The kamigoma seems to be fine. My other strings last much longer.

I’m going to the music store today to get some rosin or other product to prevent the pegs slipping. They’ve been particularly bad since yesterday, to the point that when I try to tune the 2nd string down for honchoushi, the 3rd string’s peg slips… without even touching it. So I think I just need to do some maintenance there. I push the pegs in while tuning, but even when I face the shamisen to me and push with all my might, the pegs still slip. Time for anti-slippage stuff. I also wrote down the date that I changed the strings this last time so I can see just how long they last.

#9

Well, bare in mind that if you put too much pressure while twisting, you’ll actually cause a little more wear on the itomaki. What is better is to tune, then when you finish adjusting, push the itomaki in with a firm amount of pressure, but not too much. Else-wise, you end up grinding them down a bit more (which is speculative just how much, but it is more wear)

Good luck at the shop~!! I hope you come back with good news :slight_smile:

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