December 2008
14 posts
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HAPPY NEW YEAR from simplesanshin.com!
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Notes and the western equivalents
Question: Where do I place the note markers, and what are the Ryukyuan notes in relation to western music?
I’ve made a video to describe the relation of the notes “in person.” You can find a map of the notes and a few more Q&As here.
Here’s a chart I made that better shows the relation between the notes, their western counterparts, and the finger used. You...
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Update: YouTube channel and thanks
Some of you may have noticed that I created a YouTube account for the Simple Sanshin Source. I’m not that great of a speaker, and most of the videos are ad-libbed on the spot, but I hope that my videos can be of some use to you.
P.S.
I’ve been a tad busy with my own things lately, but I’ll be sure to post a few new kunkunshi before the year’s end.
P.P.S.
Thanks to...
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沖縄三線楽譜一覧 (List of sanshin music) →
One of simplesanshin.com’s visitors was nice enough to give me a heads up about this site. It contains a ton of sanshin music sheets.
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The Simple Sanshin Source on YouTube →
I created a separate YouTube account for simplesanshin.com to keep things “professional.”
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Classical Ryukyuan Music →
Interesting site with historical information on the sanshin.
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Reading kunkunshi
Question: Hey I was wondering what the circle’s mean in the kukunshi, and they’re corresponding arrows?
That’s a good question that I should have addressed much sooner. Originally, I was just going to describe the symbols and their meanings, but I thought adding visual aids would help people better understand what I’m describing. I also thought I’d touch down on how...
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Bashoufu
Bashoufu, a song about Okinawa, is one of the first songs I learned because it’s fairly easy to sing along with.
Lyrics:
海の青さに 空の青
南の風に 緑葉の
芭蕉は情けに 手を招く
常夏の国 我した島沖縄（うちなー）
首里の古城の 石だたみ
昔を偲ぶ かたほとり
実れる芭蕉 熟れていた
緑葉の下 我した島沖縄（うちなー）
今は昔の 首里天加那志（しゅいてぃんじゃなし）
唐ヲゥーつむぎ はたを織り
上納ささげた 芭蕉布
浅地（あさじ）紺地（くんぢ）の 我した島沖縄（うちなー） Romanji version:
Umi no aosa ni sora no ao
Minami no kaze ni midoriba...
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Tinsagu nu Hana （てぃんさぐぬ花）
Tinsagu nu Hana, or Chinsagu nu Hana, is another supremely well known Okinawan folk song heard throughout the island. It’s a beautiful song about our relationships with our parents and life.
While the first three verses are about the guidance received from parents, the last three versus are about life goals.
Lyrics:
てぃんさぐぬ花や 爪先（ちみさち）に染（す）みてぃ
親（うや）のゆし事（ぐとぅ）や 肝（ちむ）に染（す）みり...
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Update: rewriting kunkunshi
I’ve been making regular updates to the site, but the kunkunshi section is one that hasn’t seen much action. The last edit I made was this:
*edit: 08/11/22
I’ve decided to only upload kunkunshi I’ve personally redrawn/rewrote to avoid possible trouble with copyrights. Although I don’t imagine there to be many problems because most Okinawan songs are shared folk...
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Asadoya Yunta （安里屋ユンタ）
Asadoya Yunta—a love song I suppose you could genre it—is a great song for beginners because it’s easy to play and sing along with. It’s also one of the most easily recognized songs in Okinawa, and I don’t think I can name a person around me who hasn’t heard it. So if you don’t know it already, then this is definitely a song you put in your practice...
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GO KENJI, GO KENJI, GO! →
My personal blog: the ramblings, links, and photos of a Japanese-American expat in Japan.
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Tuning to sansage （三下げ）
Question: How do I tune to sansage?
Sansage is literally translated as “three down” because you’re going to be tuning the third string—miijiru—down. The first thing you want to do is get your sanshin tuned to honchoushi, and then tune your miijiru to a low flat sound. (Your ears will eventually get used to the pitch you’re aiming for.) Then alternate playing...
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Internet sanshin prices
Question: I did some searching on eBay but the prices seem really high for a fabric sanshin ($300+). Are there any sanshin websites that sell quality sanshins at a reasonable price?
I wish I could help, but I’ve never purchased a sanshin online before. However, after visiting some Japanese internet sanshin shops, I can tell you that the online stores sell imitation skinned sanshin for...