Youngens

I’m eleven and I just wanted to know if there is any kids that play shamisen.

I’m 33, but sometimes I act 11. :wink:

When I was a kid, I told my mom I wanted to grow up to play music. She said “You can’t do both, son.”

Ha!

At least in Japan, there are. Check out this from 25:00 onwards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlnO3CAdy8

Neck size could be an issue - they say it’s a tsugaru shamisen (thick neck) on the video, but I doubt they have it correct… In any case you might want to start with a nagauta shamisen, koshamisen or a sanshin.

Or join the small but proud Kokyu Club!

Hi Rylan! Welcome to Bachido! :slight_smile:

Yes, kids play shamisen ( http://www2.kobe-c.ed.jp/arm-es/?action=common_download_main&upload_id=386), and actually, the earlier you start learning, the easier it is to learn! :slight_smile: I started learning mandolin when I was 7, and starting early has definitely helped with learning more instruments.

Anywho, if you want to start learning shamisen, I would heartily say yes! Learn as soon as you can! :slight_smile:

Good clip, Yatagasaru!

When I was a kid, I told my mom I wanted to grow up to play music. She said “You can’t do both, son.”

Heheh, classic. :wink:

Neck size could be an issue - they say it’s a tsugaru shamisen (thick neck) on the video, but I doubt they have it correct… In any case you might want to start with a nagauta shamisen, koshamisen or a sanshin.

Ah, that’s a very good point Yatagarasu brings up. The heavy and thick tsugaru shamisen would be unnecessarily cumbersome to use for your age. (Even a bit cumbersome for adults as well)

Currently, this is the cheapest shamisen available, cheaper than the KoShamisen.
http://bachido.com/products/beginner-shamisen

If the neck is too long for you, we can figure out a way to make a capo to shorten the scale length a bit. :slight_smile: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capo)

I ordered my shamisen on the 7th and I’m getting it tomorrow. I’ll make sure to start practicing the second I get it. c:

Also if I got a KoShamisen, is there fujaku for those?

Unfortunately, the fujaku are standardized for full size shamisen (the length of nagauta, jiuta and tsugaru necks are the same), so it won’t fit on a KoShamisen. However! If you tune a KoShamisen to the key of C (like on the Crash Course), you can press down the string and use your ear to match the pitch of the string with what you hear on the course. Then use a piece of tape as position marks. :slight_smile:

Welcome to Bachido Rylan!

Thanks!