How to String a Tsugaru Shamisen - Bachido

Interested in Shamisen? Your journey begins at www.bachido.com!

[@JacobKoester-t4v]

Don't try to understand just do what I do hahaha -- BEST tutorial, I can finally string my Christmas gift!

[@TsugaruShamisen]

Haha! I forgot about that. :-P I probably would try to explain things a bit more now. 😅 Glad it will help!! :) Enjoy your Christmas present!

[@Textile_Courtesan]

I'm so grateful for your tutorials! I haven't picked up my shamisen in 2 years I think and right out of the case a string popped. Complete panic ensued. Thank goodness for this video. I also just learned that my shamisen has been stringed wrong for a better part of a decade! 😅

[@TsugaruShamisen]

Yay! I'm glad it was useful! Haha, well if it's worked all this time, it must not've been too bad! :-D

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

0:03 We Start out w/ the Low String 2:39 Here's the Middle String 4:18 Finally here's the High String

[@Obakedake]

Hey there, thanks a lot for posting these informative videos! You are a beacon of information regarding the shamisen.

[@tstormchik]

Thank you so much! My third string broke (thankfully it was near the koma rather than the ito-maki) and I couldn't remember how to re-tie it, so this really helped.

[@TsugaruShamisen]

The thick one is made from silk and the two thinner ones are made from nylon material. You can get a whole set at bachido . com / store! :)

[@Formicola]

This is a life-saver because my strings break so infrequently that I always have doubts about the little flippy loop technique when a string finally does bite the proverbial dust.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

This worked the same for my Kokyu (essentially an Upright Soprano Shamisen that's playable with a Bow & tuned an Octave Higher).

[@ImmortalReaver]

Nice job on these videos! I'll be watching all of them. I'm still interested in getting a Shamisen. ;D

[@ibr7515]

So um did you get that shamisen?

[@justincobb5853]

"Don't try to understand, just do it" like pretty much everything else Japanese

[@zoukinix]

Around 1:10 of the video, you mention the string has to be tight below the edge of the dou. However, after watching other videos, I see instructions to tight above...Which one is it and what's the logic behind (if any)?

[@TsugaruShamisen]

Yes, people do it both ways. Personally, I find tightening it below the edge allows a sharper string angle on the koma which prevents the string from popping out if the koma during upstrokes (something I find happening when I tighten above the edge). Besides that, it doesn't really matter either way. :)

[@zoukinix]

@@TsugaruShamisen thanks do much for the reply!

[@MsBoMuffin]

My middle Itomaki has a left dot on it, but it came from the shop strung to the middle string? Also, the knots are far above the edge of the "Do". Should I bother changing this, or re string it?

[@jakemendenhall4791]

Thank you! This was so helpful after my cat tore all of my strings out.

[@MagmaSloth64]

same here -.- now she's finally got a shamisen string to play with

[@mikefinney423]

Was the cat trying to play that one Ted Nugent song? Or still playing Smoke on the Water like all the other cats out there?

[@HerroVincey]

That cat was just trying to revenge all his fallen brethren that used to be turned into shamisen skins.

[@tsubakitengai]

Cat gut is supposed to be good for strings. Solve two problems at once.

[@themaschi]

what kind of strings are these and where can i get some ???

[@soulbeast1892]

I'm really new so I'm just gonna ask my stupid questions Does it matter what type of bachi and strings you use? Just wondering I always thought about getting a shamisen just never had the money

[@TsugaruShamisen]

Not a stupid question at all! :-) It really depends on the style. For example, classical styles have stricter aesthetic preferences and would require a specific bachi and string thickness. However, if you just want to play shamisen and enjoy the sound, those aesthetic preferences aren't required at all. One can even play shamisen with a guitar pick as well. :)

[@soulbeast1892]

@@TsugaruShamisen Thank you! Sorry the reply is late

[@ImmortalReaver]

@fiddlefella I'm still having a bit of financial issues, which is why I haven't gotten one yet. How much would you guess that I would need to get one?

[@peachie8226]

hey! does the website have a conversion to AUD pricing?

[@TsugaruShamisen]

Hi! Unfortunately not, it's in USD, but you could check with Google to convert it. :)

[@Kasumi8779]

Does this also work on Nagauta-Jamisen?

[@TsugaruShamisen]

Correct! :)

[@Kasumi8779]

Kyle Abbott Thanks for informing me

[@distortzz]

Thank you

[@paringokaldas8325]

Where can I get a shamisen?

[@TsugaruShamisen]

You can get shamisen here! :-) - bachido.com/store

[@petethueson2043]

need a sop tail for

[@charlestaylor8344]

Are Sanshin strung the same way?

[@TsugaruShamisen]

I'm not sure if it's exactly the same way, but I think it's pretty similar. In any case, it should work just fine. :)

[@charlestaylor8344]

@@TsugaruShamisen Cool, thanks bud!