Question: 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.
Soft cases are fine for traveling with a sanshin. Just don’t drop it, get it wet, or smash it against something and you’ll be fine. Hard cases, although expensive, are obviously the better choice for traveling; I’ve seen a lot of snapped karakui because of soft cases being too… well, soft.
Also, for those traveling internationally, you might want to be careful of restrictions on snakeskin instruments. Some people are lucky enough never to get checked, but it would be a shame if you were traveling out of Japan and forced to mail your snakeskin sanshin back home.
(I’ll try to find out more on international travel, so expect this post to be updated in the future.)
Question: Do you know if I can use other strings besides official sanshin strings and the sanshin will still sound the same or similar?
For people not living in Okinawa or around a sanshin shop, it might be difficult to get your hands on some strings. However, I have met a guy who strung his sanshin with different fishing lines. It sounded different, but still good enough to play on. :)
Question: 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?
The pegs sliding whenever you try to tune is a common problem for people whose karakui aren’t fitted properly. One fix taught to me by a sanshin artisan was to try shaving the karakui off using a knife or a pair of sharp scissors. I’ve done this several times and have found it to work, but If you don’t trust yourself to do that, you’re just going to have to somehow force them to stay.
Another possibility is that the string wound to the karakui is tangled or strung messily. This can be fixed easily by making sure the strings are wound so they don’t come in contact with the karakui holes.
Also, if your sanshin is new then it might help to break in the strings. This can be done simply by playing until the strings stretch.
