Trying to find more about my second hand shamisen

General
#21

The biggest take-away is you have a nice instrument to play on, I think. Real talk, I’m not a super huge fan of classing shamisen by their genre (despite doing so previously).

Like technical definitions aside, the music you play and how you play it are the most important markers in my opinion.

Point of fact, one of Toyama’s most famous min’yo pieces (Etchuuowarabushi) is typically played on what basically amounts to a chuuzao nagauta (they clock in at about 2.6 cm wide, so right on the borderline). They generally sport rather thin itomaki, have a curved hatomune, and generally do not have azuma sawari.

So do your best to enjoy, and don’t worry about the details too much～ !

#22

Christopher, the shamisen you describe here is exactly my first shamisen sold by my min’you teacher…

[Album] Imgur

A “chuuzao nagauta” which really intrigued me at the beginning before I learned not to put everything in boxes and not to ask too much questions to classify the shamisen as you recommand too… My next shamisen was a…hosozao min’you !

#23

Christopher no worries, the only limitations that I set myself in my music playing choices is only so I don’t destroy my instrument. For now I’ve almost only been playing melodies from old icelandic music, something I know by heart while I’m still figuring out and mapping where all the notes are in my head.

I’m mostly interested in knowing what kind of music the maker had in mind when he was making this. He decided on this size, this design, with these things attached and I like to think he did it with some purpose.

Starting next year I’ll have to start writing my b.a. thesis and I’m thinking about making it about shamisen, not really sure what kind of question or statement I should make, maybe something along the lines of “Does Shamisen have a place in modern times” or something along those lines. Not really sure but I intend to research it and figure out if it’s a viable option. I will have to start my research somewhere and I might as well start figuring out what my own shamisen was intended for and go from there.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott