learn to play shamisen

learn to play it

Just received my Ebay Shamisen. Instruction book, of course, is in Japanese…Set it up, tuned it to the PW tuner I new I would need. Now, to begin practicing, practicing, practicing. Any body know any shamisen instructors in NYC? I have found a couple of pretty good web sites. Start from there.
On a similar note, going to see the Yoshida Brothers in two weeks at Joes Pub!

Oh man, I want a shamisen so bad!

I was considering getting one for christmas, but never got the chance to.

I have to rely on eBay for one :S
Can anyone recommend something for a person who wants to learn how to play a Tsugaru-Shamisen. Thanks!

-3-String’d Elk

i got really sick in may and missed class 3 times so as not get my classmates/teacher sick. then there was the holiday so i didn’t go to the last class remaining in may so that I wouldn’t pay for a whole month and only go to only 1 class. i never went back! my bad. i’ve been focused on other things, though not predominately music even though i am also trying to learn bass too. i had hoped to learn enough shamisen to play a song or two for relatives when i visit japan in october—planning for this trip does take a lot of work. i hope to wrap up the arrangements this month so i can get back to practicing shamisen because i really would love to play a song from memory in okinawa. but i don’t think i will be returning to class anytime soon.

i’m currently taking a shamisen class. been doing so for a little over 1 month. but i’m only playing about once per week, on the day of class. i’ll never get anywhere this way. i still don’t know what the tuning should be. my teacher speaks in do-re-mi, which is typical of japanese. i do not know do-re-mi at all. i know a-b-c and 1-2-3. i always have to count out on my fingers to finger out do-re-mi. and forget movable so! at least it’s not like that.

my ear is shit too. in the spectrum of perfect pitch to tone deaf, i’m somewhere nearer tone deaf. i’ve always been terrible at identifying notes. i feel like this hinders my musical progress and it easily becomes an excuse to stop practicing. it’s part of the reason i gave up guitar.

the notes are written in kanji. at least i quickly picked that up. only i just realized more recently that i was playing one of the notes incorrectly because it was incorrectly noted on the chart my teacher gave me. he never corrected it. i just noticed what others were playing and asked my teacher where on the shamisen is that note. now that i know the correct position of the note, it is much easier on my poor little short pinky finger!

one frustrating part of shamisen class is that i didn’t grow up listening to these traditional songs. so when i get the sheets of paper with the notes on them, i have no idea the tempo! there are two basic tempos i suppose for traditional okinawan songs, but since i don’t know the songs, i feel lost regardless. plus, i don’t think the sheet music is fully notated. you have to repeat the intro or a verse and the markers aren’t clearly there. everyone in the class can pick it up like it’s nothing though. perhaps they are simply used to the teacher’s style. i haven’t gotten into that groove yet.

also, everyone must sing along. since i’m new i don’t have to sing. i dread the day the teacher will make me sing. i think it will be soon. i can hardly play the music without losing my place. no way i’ll be able to sing along. no way.