Shamisen

The shamisen (三味線) is a very traditional Japanese instrument. The kanji for Shamisen literally means “three strings.”  This instrument is similar to a guitar in the way it’s played. It’s more similar to a bass guitar with the number of strings, and a ukulele with the pitch of the sound. However, the child between both the bass guitar and the ukele is the Shamisen. The shamisen has three strings, and it’s amazing because it’s very versatile with the sound it can make. The strings are much more loose than a guitar, however, which allows it to be played freely. It has a twang to it, similar to other Japanese string instruments.

Below is a video of two men playing the Shamisen. The video is called shamisen vs. shamisen, and it’s basically two solos fading in and out from one another. What amazes me about that, however, is that the shamisen only has three strings and the players of the shamisen are very skilled. They can form notes easily, and play up and down along the pitches at breakneck speeds. This show is a performance, and it’s not traditional. Usually there is only one shamisen in a traditional performance, and it’s usually backed up by a few other instruments unless it’s a solo concert. The shamisen is very interesting. It can be played at many different tempos and the number of strings don’t limit the note capacity at all. Both of the men in the video are playing more traditional looking shamisen, but shamisen made today are often white and sleek with a base similar to an electric guitar.

Here is the video! Hope you enjoy:

click me for video!