Recently, avant-garde inventors have developed a tsugaru-jamisen with electric pickups to be used with amplifiers, like the electric guitar. The tuning pegs, which are usually fashioned out of ivory, and bachi which are fashioned from a combination of ivory and tortoise-shell for example, are sometimes made of acrylic material to give the shamisen a more modern, flashy look.
As a more open instrument, variations of it exist for show. The tsugaru-jamisen, on the other hand, has lent itself to modern use, and is used in modern genres such as jazz and rock. Purists of these genres demand that the shamisen be made of the correct wood, the correct skin, and are played with the correct bachi, with little room for variation. Shamisen used for traditional genres of Japanese music, such as jiuta, kouta, and nagauta, adhere to very strict standards. Examples of shamisen genres include nagauta, jiuta, min'yo, kouta, hauta, shinnai, tokiwazu, kiyomoto, gidayu and tsugaru. There are three basic sizes: hosozao, chuzao and futozao. Shamisen are classified according to size and genre. The bachi used will also be different according to genre, if it is used at all. The construction of the shamisen varies in shape and size, depending on the genre in which it is used. The heike shamisen compared with a medium-sized, or chuzao shamisen Variations in construction and playing method Students often use nylon or 'tetron' strings, which last longer than silk, and are also less expensive.
#Japanese two string guitar professional#
However, silk breaks easily over a short time, so this is reserved for professional performances. The material of the strings will depend on the skill of the player. The head of the instrument known as a tenjin may also be protected by a cover. The upper side of the dō (when on the player's lap) is almost always protected by a cover known as a dō kake, and players often wear a little band of cloth on their left hand to facilitate sliding up and down the neck, known as a yubikake. The lowest string is purposefully laid lower at the nut of the instrument in order to create a buzz, a characteristic timbre known as sawari (somewhat reminiscent of the "buzzing" of a sitar, which is called Jivari). The strings are stretched across the body, raised from it by means of a bridge, or koma ( 駒), which rests directly on the taut skin. They are stretched between the pegs at the head of the instrument, and a cloth tailpiece anchored at the end of the rod which protrudes on the other side of the body. The three strings of the shamisen are made of either silk (traditionally) or nylon. The pegs used to wind the strings are long, thin and hexagonal in shape though they were traditionally fashioned out of ivory, due to scarcity and trading regulations regarding and constricting the sale of ivory, many are now constructed from other materials, such as wood and plastic. The neck of the shamisen is a singular rod that crosses the drum-like body of the instrument, partially protruding at the other side of the body and acting as an anchor for the strings. The sao ( 棹), or neck of the shamisen, is usually divided into three or four pieces that fit and lock together, with most shamisen made to be easily disassembled. Contemporary shamisen skins are often prepared with synthetic materials, such as plastic.
#Japanese two string guitar skin#
Traditionally, skins were made using dog or cat skin, with cat skin favored for finer instruments : 257–258 though use of animal skins was common throughout the 20th century, use of these skins gradually fell out of favor, starting around the mid 2000s, due to social stigma and the decline of workers skilled in preparing these particular skins. The skin used depends on the genre of music and the skill of the player. The body, called the dō ( 胴), resembles a drum, having a hollow body that is covered front and back with skin, in the manner of a banjo. The neck of the shamisen is fretless and slimmer than that of a guitar or banjo. Its construction follows a model similar to that of a guitar or a banjo, with a neck and strings stretched across a resonating body. The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument. View B shows the neck and head of a Azumasawari shamisen. View A shows the neck and head of a Yamasawari shamisen. protective piece of leather ( bachigawa, azumasawari).
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