Shamisen Journey Entry #1: 06/13/24

At least a week ago, the shamisen I ordered from Itone Japan was finally delivered to me. I got a kit that came with basic necessities plus two score books (Tsugaru genre score book, easy folk song collection) and an extra koma (bridge) meant to be more silent as to not make too much of a disturbance. 

Shamisen is actually quite loud. I ended up opting out of playing at night since the houses here are too close to each other and the shinobi koma did make a difference, just not a big enough difference for me to feel comfortable enough to play at night. 

Not only was it louder than I thought, it was also way heavier and harder to hold than I imagined. The thing is, the type of shamisen I bought is a futozao (thick neck), a type often used for tsugaru.

At first, I was confused as to why it felt so hard to hold but what I neglected to realize is that difference in weight was relevant to the way you hold it. The guide the kit came with talked about this, and when I finally realized it made a huge difference. It's still not any less heavy though!

Stringing it was a pain to be honest. Especially the third string, san no ito, as it kept slipping as I was attempting to wind it up to the tuning peg. Not only that, putting the neck into the body took me several attempts. When I first put it in, it didn't feel like it was fully in as there was a gap between the part of the neck that rests on top of the body.

I was actually CORRECT about that. You know why? 

Because after performing the herculean task of fearfully wrestling with the body and neck trying to take it back out without somehow snapping it in half (I was overthinking it); I put the neck back in and the gap finally disappeared. I'm 100% correct I was putting it in facing the right way, btw. So, I'm not sure what was up with that HAHA. 

But, I was genuinely sweating so much, in retrospect it's hilarious but I was STRESSED... 

Tuning it is another can of worms. After fiddling with it for 2 hours I managed to get tune it to Ni Agari, which is a standard tuning. Afterwards my hands were super sore I couldn't even think about playing it, HAHA. My hands were fine afterwards, but this thing is giving me iron hands. 

Anyways, I'm specifically meaning to pursue the Tsugaru genre. Which is more fast-paced and flashy, which I find exciting. But, I knew that I had to begin with simpler songs which I didn't mind at all because I want to play casually just for fun. 

Right now, I'm trying to get the hang of the basics to striking and proper posture, but learning new things can be quite overwhelming for me. When I got the shamisen, I knew that it would take a lot of time and effort to become skilled. 

But, even knowing that, the minute I striked the strings I felt lost, LMAO. Suddenly I wasn't sure how to proceed, even after watching hours worth of videos explaining basic techniques it felt as if I instantly forgot. 

The idea of a teacher seems more and more appealing but I'm super socially anxious and it would take me months to convince myself. 

For now, I'm taking things slowly. I wouldn't want to stress myself or overwhelm myself into avoiding playing it. I heard that KI&KI have lessons on patreon and those seem quite useful. 

I was repeatedly trying to play Sakura Sakura by ear, and I've culminated something tolerable to listen to! I'm actually surprised. 

I'm looking forward to learning.

Cordialmente,

Kani <3