How to Play a Samisen

A samisen is a three-stringed Japanese lute instrument that is played with a plectrum. For centuries, the samisen has produced some of Japan's most traditional melodies and, fortunately, the instrument is still in wide use today. Follow these steps to learn to play this difficult but delicate Japanese instrument.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Get your hands on a samisen. You probably won't find a samisen lying around an average music store. However, if you feel committed to learning to play the samisen, check online outlets and markets or ask your local music shop to order you the instrument.

2. Understand how the instrument works. The samisen has three strings, each known by number from one to three. Unlike most Western instruments, the samisen is not tuned to absolute pitch. So for some samisen songs, such as "Hosozao Shamisen," the first string is tuned from G to D, while in another songs it is tuned from G to A.

3. Tune the instrument correctly. Traditional Japanese music tunes each of the samisen strings to harmonic overtone. Experiment with tuning the instrument while listening to experts play samisen tracks, or speak with an instructor about how to tune the samisen correctly.

4. Find a good instructor. Even though you may have heard little or nothing about the samisen, there are lots of experienced and able instructors who can teach you to play the samisen. You can find a Japanese teacher if you want traditional instruction but also look to local instructors who have lots of experience with the instrument.