Simple Sanshin Source

FAQs

I’ll try to organize the questions into categories for easier accessing.

About

What’s a sanshin?

Should I buy a snakeskin sanshin, or an imitation snakeskin sanshin?

Are there any sanshin websites that sell quality sanshins at a reasonable price?

What are the proper precautions for when traveling with a sanshin? All I have is a soft case with straps on the inside to store my sanshin in.

Setting

How do I string my sanshin?

How do I set up the uma?

I try to tune my sanshin, but the karakui keeps sliding back by themselves and the string loosens. Is there a way to remedy that?

What should I use to tune my sanshin?

How do I tune to sansage?

How do I tune my sanshin? What notes should I tune it to?

Do you know if I can use other strings besides official sanshin strings and the sanshin will still sound the same or similar?

Playing

I’m a beginner picking up the sanshin. Where do I start?

Where do I place the note markers, and what are the Ryukyuan notes in relation to western music?

What should I use to play the sanshin?

Does it matter if the sanshin is played with bachi or regular guitar pick? I like using guitar pick.

Hey I was wondering what the circle’s mean in the kukunshi, and they’re corresponding arrows?

Update: One week mark

It’s been exactly one week since I started this site, and if you don’t mind me saying so, I think I’m doing a decent job so far! I’ve got some of the basic how-to posts out of the way, and I’ve been trying to think of better ways to organize the site—like adding a “how to” section that links to specific how-to posts. If it’s easier for users to navigate, I’ll probably organize the entire site into a separate hierarchy of links and blogs.

Other than that, I’ve been trying to keep a one-post-a-day pace that seems to be working for me, but I’m sure I’ll slow down to once a week or once a month after I run out of sanshin topics.

How to

Set up
String the gen
Set the uma
Chindami - honchoushi （本調子）　・　sansage　（三下げ）

Play
Locate notes
Mark the notes
Read kunkunshi
Use a bachi

(…more to be added…)

Stringing the sanshin

Question: How do I string my sanshin?

This is something I didn’t know before, but picked up from karakui.com. If you’re unsure of which strings go where, just count the loops to determine which string is which—six loops for uujiru, seven loops for nakajiru, and eight loops for miijiru.


Anyways, find the gen you want to string and insert it through the “underside” of itokake. Take the gen around, under itself, loop the end, and insert the new loop into the larger loop. It’s a little difficult to describe how to do it in words, so I’ve restrung my miijiru to show how the process should go.


To finish, close the knot by pulling on the string; you might want to hold onto the loop part of the knot while you do so to keep it in place.

Setting up the uma

Question: How do I set up the uma?

The uma is the bridge that holds up the gen (strings) of the sanshin. Usually made of bamboo, uma are quite fragile and just as necessary to keep spares of as strings.

Setting up the uma is pretty simple. Thread the uma under the strings where the sou and chiiga meet, and as you lift the strings up, move the uma down towards the end of the sanshin. It’s important to lift the uma up as you move it over the body of the sanshin so you don’t scratch up the snakeskin.


Then you’ll want to set the uma so that it’s two to three fingers away from the itokake. Set it too close to the middle and you’ll lose sound quality. Also, most uma are shaped slanting one way, and look somewhat like a right triangle; you want to make sure that the straight side is facing the itokake.

Update: new domain!

I purchased a new domain for this site!

Just type “simplesanshin.com” into your browser and voila, you’re here. I went with simplesanshin.com because, after some discussion with friends, I realized that it’s best to be clear and to the point when establishing a site with a purpose; this is such a site.

To those who have been e-mailing and contacting me about the site, thank you for your interest in this little pet project of mine. I hope it’ll become one of the main stocks in helping non-Japanese speaking users spread the sanshin love.

-kenji :)

Advice to foreigners buying a sanshin

Question: Should I buy a snakeskin sanshin, or an imitation snakeskin sanshin?

The first thought that jumps into minds of international students is, “am I going to be able to bring this home?” Well, I asked one sanshin store manager about my options, and he said that because a lot of tourists come in and out of Okinawa, a sanshin makes a great vacation memento. Meaning that the store often ships sanshin all over Japan. But when I asked about shipping overseas, he said that they couldn’t do it because of laws restricting the import/export of snakeskin products, and then suggested a viable solution to the problem: get an imitation snakeskin sanshin.

Imitation snakeskin sanshin are cheap, sound great and last long. In fact, because of the above conversation with the sanshin shop owner, the first sanshin I bought was an imitation snakeskin one from a different store that the manager recommended. While the cheapest snakeskin sanshin usually start from around $300 and up, imitation snakeskin sanshin usually start from around $150. Whether the quality is good or bad is completely up to how it was made, and because they’re usually hand made, each sanshin will have a different sound. The only option here is to try playing each of them to find the best one. Once you do get your hands on a good one, you won’t have to worry about the snakeskin ever tearing or having to replace it once the snakeskin starts to wear out, which it does.

I’ve found that this is the best way to deal with the international restrictions, but also the best way to deal with being overseas away from sanshin shops that can repair ripped or worn snakeskin sanshin.

Related post:
Travel with a snakeskin sanshin?

Update: Tuning and quick links

I edited the chindami post into two parts, adding a separate post about tuners in the process.

I also figured that some people might want quick access to tuning, so I added a new “quick links” section to the sidebar. This way you can get in, tune, get out and start playing.

Tools for playing the sanshin

Question: What should I use to play the sanshin?

Bachi, usually carved from buffalo horns, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Also called “tsume,” or (finger) “nail” in english, you can buy them with different designs or of different materials.

Playing with the bachi can be a little difficult at first, so strumming with a guitar pick or your thumb is an alternative until you get used to it. However, you’ll eventually want to start using a bachi sooner or later.

To hold the bachi, or “tsume” as it’s also called, insert your index finger into the open end and pinch the point with your middle finger and thumb. The thumb should fit snugly onto the curved underside of the bachi, and the middle finger should be opposite the thumb on the smooth topside.

Tuning devices

Question: What should I use to tune my sanshin?

You can find hundreds of different tuners for sale on the internet, but the most common ones I’ve seen are these:

[From the left: Korg CA-30, Tombo pitch pipe, Korg micro tuner.]
If I had to recommend a tuner, I’d probably go with the Tombo pitch pipe because even though most players I’ve met do not use tuners, the ones that do use the pipe.

For some people, using one of those electronic tuning devices is easiest, but for me those things are as frustrating as those bubble level tools that carpenters use; which is why I prefer tuning by ear.