Shamisen

[NB: The description of the instrument is taken from HÔGAKU: traditional Japanese music]

The shamisen (also called sangen [three-stringed]) is a stringed instrument of the lute family with a small, roughly square soundbox made of a wooden band covered on both sides with cat or dog skin. The long, thin neck extends the entire length of the soundbox, emerging from the opposite side. Three silk strings are tied to this protrusion at the base of the soundbox. These strings then pass over a bridge resting on the bottom of the soundbox, a second fixed bridge at the top of the neck (the nut), and finally, to the three long tuning pegs. The neck has no frets (bridges), and the pegbox is curved backwards relative to the direction of the neck. The total length of the instrument is 95, 100 cm.
Generally, the lowest string of the shamisen does not rest on the nut but on a notch next to it. It passes over a protuberance on the surface of the neck (sawari no yama), which it strikes when it vibrates. This device serves to produce a buzzing sound (called sawari), an important tonal characteristic of the instrument. This sound is produced when the string is left open, whether played directly or (to a lesser extent) when it vibrates in resonance with the other strings.
Although it was introduced to Japan relatively late, the shamisen was an immediate success and became enormously popular in both classical and popular music, so much so that today it can perhaps be considered the most important instrument in Japanese music. Among the main genres in which it plays a leading role are jôruri (music from classical puppet theater), nagauta (music from Kabuki theater), and jiuta (chamber vocal music).

The shamisen is played with a large wooden plectrum called a bachi; the player sits in seiza position and holds the instrument diagonally, resting the body on the right thigh.

The three strings can be tuned in three ways:

4a e 5a (es. C – F – C)
5a e 4a (es. C – G – C)
4a e 4a (es. C – F – Bb)

The piece we are listening to is called Tsugaru aiya bushi [Tsugaru aiya song]. Aiya is a style, and Tsugaru is the region in the far north of Honshu (the main island of the Japanese archipelago), corresponding to today's Aomori Prefecture.
It is traditional music, but in Asia, there is no separation between traditional music and classical repertoire (for example, according to the Asian view, Strauss's waltzes are traditional Austrian music, but even composers with strong geographical ties, such as Russian composers, some Spanish, and others, are considered traditional music).
This musical genre also allows for improvisation, but the performance is quite restrained.

This video demonstrates the performance technique well.
The performer is Yu Takahashi, in concert at the Church of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, February 16 2012.

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