The shamisen, also known as the three-stringed samisen, is a chordophone belonging to the lute family, as described in lute.

Its origins can be traced to Western Asia. Some historical sources indicate that it was imported from China to Japan. The shamisen is derived from another Asian instrument, also popular in China, which was known as sangen in Japanese and san xian in Chinese, and was widely used during the Yuan period.

The original instrument, the san xian, had a small round soundbox covered with snake skin. The neck, particularly long, held three strings. The sound was produced by plucking the strings with the fingers. It was mainly used for theater music and folk dance accompaniment.

At the end of the 1300s AD, the san xian was exported to the Ryûkyû islands, which are now known as Okinawa. This kingdom had a strong musical tradition, both at court and in the popular culture. In this context, the san xian was known as sanshin, while retaining its original characteristics.

During this period, the instrument gained much popularity in both court music and popular music. This led to a musical tradition that has been passed down to the present day.

At the end of the Muromachi period, the sanshin arrived in Japan. Initially, it was called jabisen, meaning snake-skin string instrument. Some modifications to the instrument led to a name change, and it became the shamisen.

The two instruments, shamisen and sanshin, have significant differences. First, the shape changed. The Japanese instrument has a square-shaped soundbox, and the shamisen is much larger than the sanshin.

The skins used for covering the soundboxes are also different. In the sanshin, snake skin was used, while the shamisen uses dog or cat skin. Lastly, the way the instruments are played differs. For the sanshin, a small pick made of buffalo horn was used, while for the shamisen, a wooden pick called bachi is used. It is believed that the bachi was introduced in analogy with the biwa. In fact, the first musicians to play the shamisen were likely biwa players, known as traveling musicians. This connection suggests that the shamisen adopted the bachi to produce the sawari, an acoustic feature typical of the biwa and not present in the sanshin.

Despite its Japanese origin and its relatively late spread, the shamisen has enjoyed immense success in both classical and popular music. Today, it can be considered the most well-known and important instrument in Japanese musical tradition.

In particular, it plays a crucial role in the following styles: jôruri, nagauta, and jiuta.

Shamisen: Main Features of the Japanese Instrument

The shamisen consists of a square-shaped soundbox covered on both sides with dog or cat skin. The neck is long and slender, extending through the entire body, with one end coming out of the opposite side. At this end, the three strings, made of silk, are tied. These pass over the bridge resting on the lower part of the soundbox. A second bridge is located on the upper part of the neck, where three tuning pegs allow for adjustment of the strings.

The shamisen has an overall length ranging from 95 to 100 centimeters. The lowest string rests on a small notch next to the nut and passes over a protrusion on the neck called sawari no yama. This device generates a sound known as sawari, producing a buzzing effect. This is one of the most important timbral features of the instrument, and the sound is produced when the string is left open. It is possible to generate the sound both directly by plucking the string or when it vibrates due to a specific acoustic phenomenon called resonance (although the sound will be quieter in this case).

To play the shamisen, a large pick made of wood, called bachi, is used. The player sits in a specific position called seiza and holds the instrument diagonally, resting the soundbox on the right leg.

Different Types of Shamisen

The shamisen has undergone modifications based on the type of music genre in which it is used. The different types of this instrument can be divided into three main groups:

• futozao, an instrument with a thicker neck that generates a stronger sound;

• hosozao, characterized by a thinner neck and a delicate tone. There is also a hosozao with a shorter neck, about 82 centimeters, known as tanzao;

• chûzao, a type that lies between the two described above.

Shamisen Tuning

The tuning of the shamisen follows three different methods. The first is honchôshi, or fourth plus fifth, which is considered the fundamental tuning. The second string is tuned to a perfect fourth interval relative to the first, and the third string is tuned to a perfect fifth interval relative to the second.

The second method is called niagari, a fifth plus a fourth, also known as second raised. In this case, the interval between the first and second strings is a perfect fifth, and the interval between the second and third strings is a perfect fourth.

Finally, the sansagari (fourth plus fifth) or lowered third tuning. Both intervals, between the first and second strings and between the second and third strings, are perfect fourths.

It should be noted that, compared to the biwa, these tunings have relative intonation, meaning the absolute pitch of the strings varies based on the player’s choice.

Main Styles, Sound, and How to Play the Shamisen

In the 1500s AD, in Japan, only two styles of playing the shamisen were common: kouta, used mainly for short songs, and nagauta, typical for longer pieces.

Today, there are other playing styles. The first is Uta-mono, which is more of an accompaniment style. There is also the more traditional Katari-mono style, accompanied by specific songs. The third style is minieu, an example of folk music.

As for the sound, the shamisen has a specific role: it is often used to enhance the main sound in Japanese films.

The technique for playing this Japanese instrument deserves further exploration. Initially, the shamisen was played by musicians using a small pick called yubikake. This did not allow the full potential of the instrument to be realized.

Over the years, however, the bachi pick began to be used, allowing players to enhance the acoustic sound of the shamisen. Indeed, using this different type of pick enabled the timbral characteristics of the instrument to be fully explored.

To play the shamisen with the bachi pick, it should be held with the right hand, and the sound of the strings, if needed, can be muted by using three fingers from the left hand resting on the fingerboard.

Among the most well-known techniques for playing this instrument of Japanese cultural tradition is the simultaneous pick strike on both the membrane and the string.

The pick is not the only element that defines the instrument’s timbre. The sound is determined by the thickness of the strings, the neck, the membrane, and other parts. Naturally, the player’s hand also plays a crucial role. If the strings are plucked with the left hand, the sound will be softer and sweeter.

The timbre can be modified in other ways. One such way is by changing the length of the strings, the pick, and the neck. Other characteristics, such as weight, dimensions, thickness, and materials, can also be altered in the shamisen.

The ability to alter the quality of the timbre is one of the features that sets this instrument apart from other similar instruments.