Everything you need to know about the Shamisen!
The Birth of Tsugaru
(Taken from the book Shamisen of Japan) The Tsugaru style of shamisen is said to have been created by goze, blind female musicians who belonged to a guild and traveled widely, singing epic poems and popular songs of the time accompanied with the shamisen. However, blind men [...]
Caring for your Shamisen
Tips and tricks to keep your shamisen at it’s best.
Brief History of the Shamisen
History of the Shamisen (Taken from the book Shamisen of Japan) This is a brief, rudimentary history of the shamisen which will, at the very least, allow you to sound smart at a drunk party. The shamisen had many forms before it arrived to Japan, though it’s unclear [...]
How to Tune the Shamisen
Being a folk instrument, the shamisen is very easy for people to pick up and learn how to play (assuming they allow time to get accustomed to the large plectrum and the whole fretless thing). However, in the beginning, one major difficulty is understanding how the shamisen is tuned. [...]
Perks of Posture
What do you need to level up your tone and abilities? Perhaps a new flexible bachi, or a freshly reskinned dou? How about something free and immediately implementable? Posture! If you’re like me, you probably haven’t put much importance into proper posture. After all, wielding that giant putty knife [...]