Question: Have you asked about traveling with a snakeskin sanshin before?
I can honestly say that I have! I spoke with the second in command at Chindami Kougei, and since he has gone abroad to perform the sanshin in Brazil before, I asked if he’s had any problems taking snakeskin sanshin into other countries. He said he hadn’t had any problems going into Brazil with seven or so sanshin, but he ran into trouble in Hawaii when trying to bring in over 20 snakeskin sanshin. I asked, “Uhm… what about just one sanshin?” To which he laughed, “If it’s just one you probably don’t have to worry.”
So there you have it. Since the Okinawan sanshin is not a well known instrument, just saying “I don’t know what it’s made of” will let you slide through customs—if they check you that is. For me, when traveling with my non-snakeskin sanshin, I was never even asked to open my sanshin case. All they asked was “Instrument?” And gave me the go ahead. This was the case in both Japan and the US, traveling back and forth.
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 don’t have to know kanji to learn to play the sanshin; just remember where they are on the sanshin and you’ll be fine.
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 GO （五） and turning the karakui until you arrive at what should sound like miijiru in honchoushi when GO is played.
I made an instructional video to help you figure out my words:
Just in case, here is a step-by-step of how to tune to sansage:
1. Tune to honchoushi.
2. Turn the miijiru down to a lower pitch.
3. Hold down GO （五） and play the miijiru, adjusting until you have a honchoushi sound.
Note: when playing in sansage the position of shichi （七） will shift down a bit.
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 about $300 even in Japan, so the deals on Ebay aren’t so different from the deals in Japan.
(Of course, I can’t speak for every internet shop out there.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Question: I’m a beginner picking up the sanshin. Where do I start?
Learning to play the sanshin is easy. It’s just a tad daunting when you open up a piece of music and see characters that you’ve never seen before. Get over that, and you’ll be right on your way. All you have to do is remember where these characters are in relation to the sanshin.
These top notes are played open string.
These notes are played with the index finger.
These notes are played with the middle finger.
These notes are played with the pinkie.
When I was learning to play, I would set a chart like this one next to the kunkunshi I was working on to help me memorize where the notes were. Start with something simple like 安波節 (aha bushi) and work your way onto other songs while using YouTube searches to find song samples. It might also be wise to mark where the notes are on the sanshin to visually aid your playing.
Names of the notes
On the low string: 合 = “ai” 乙 = “otsu” 老 = “rou”
On the middle string: 四 = “shi” 上 = “jou” 中 = “chuu” 尺 = “shaku”
On the high string: 工 = “kou” 五 = “go” 六 = “roku” 七 = “shichi”
Question: How do I tune my sanshin? What notes should I tune it to?
There are several different tunings for the sanshin that I’ll cover later on, but the most commonly used one is “honchoushi,” which I’ve learned is C-F-C (do-fa-do). You can use this MP3 I uploaded to tune to:
(You can also click the link to download the MP3 for uploading to your IPod, NDS or whatever.)
[Tuning from uujiru, nakajiru, to miijiru.]
The MP3 starts from uujiru, the lowest sounding string, and works it’s way up to miijiru, the highest. You can see from the image that I’m not jamming the karakui in from one side, but applying pressure to both sides using four fingers to turn the peg while keeping my thumb/pinkie on the other side for balance. No matter what notes you may be tuning to, this method for adjusting is pretty much the common rule.
Some people have trouble with their karakui slipping when they tune. For possible fixes, check this post: Karakui keep sliding.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the 三線 (sanshin), which literally translates to “three strings” and is considered to be the backbone of traditional Okinawan music. Made up of basically a long neck and a snakeskin body, the instrument is said to have derived from the Chinese sanxian during the 16th century. However, there are those who believe that the sanshin may have been born out of south-east Asia because of its even closer resemblance to instruments in Thailand and Vietnam. Trade between the Ryukyu Kingdom and Thailand was frequent during the 15th century, and the large snake skins used for the sanshin could have been imported to Okinawa along with the Thai rice used in making awamori. Regardless, a Chinese birth seems to be the more commonly accepted history.
(From left to right: Japanese shamisen, Chinese sanxian, Thai ping, and the Okinawan sanshin.)
Anyways, the sanshin of today comes in a variety of forms—wartime sanshin made from empty cans, imitation snakeskin sanshin made from plastic, and traditional sanshin made from large snake skins imported out of south-east Asia. You can find any of these for purchase almost anywhere on Okinawa, and you can hear them being played almost anywhere on the islands. The sanshin is truly an integral part of Okinawan culture.
Question: Does it matter if the sanshin is played with bachi or regular guitar pick? I like using guitar pick.
No, it doesn’t really matter. In fact, I use both depending on the situation. If I’m on-the-go, I usually have a guitar pick stashed in my back pack or in my wallet, but if I’m performing I’ll usually use my bachi. Other times I’ll just play with my index finger.
These top notes are played open string.
