Learn Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments
Online lessons from Japan. Currently, Shakuhachi, Sanshin, and Tsugaru-Shamisen (Jamisen) lessons are available. Lessons for other instruments will be provided in the future.
What you will learn
The lessons are customized for each student (customer). Here are the common basics to learn. You can play any easy songs (tunes) after a month if you practice hard.
| Level | Sanshin | Tsugaru-Shamisen | Shakunachi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner 1 | Posture, Tuning | Posture, Tuning | Posture, Blowing |
| Beginner 2 | Scale, Picking | Scale, Picking | basic scale |
| Intermediate | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Advanced | TBA | TBA | TBA |
From the staff (playlist)
Lesson Examples (TBD)
If I improve, I might be able to play a song like this.
Introduction to the instruments
Learn the kinds of instruments, brief history, size, sound, music genres, where to buy, price range, etc.
How it works
Please read the user guide for details.
Before booking
Please read the user guide for details
- Prepare your instrument before taking a lesson
- find a local dealer, or
- shop online (some dealers are listed in the introduction to sanshin, shamisen, and shakuhachi)
- Prepare an Internet connection and a PC (Windows or macOS) with a camera and a microphone. Test with Zoom (free download).
- Optionally, go to the compatibility test for our dedicated video meeting system before booking.
Easy 3 steps
Notices on appointments and payments will be automatically sent to the registered customer’s address.
Note: User registration is required for booking. You may register in two ways:
- in My Appt/login/JOIN or
- in the popup login/registration form when making an appointment.
- Choose “Wagakki” and book on the instructor’s calendar with new user registration
- registration is based on name (nickname) and email address only
- wait for approval from the instructor (in 36 hours)
- check for updates on My Appt/login/JOIN
- Pay the lesson fee by PayPal (or debit/credit card accepted by PayPal)
- From 10,000 JPY for 50 minutes lesson (60 minutes including time for testing communication)
- 10,000 JPY = 76 USD (approx. Exchange rate may change)
- A 10% consumption tax applies to residents of Japan
- Payment deadline: 24 hours before the lesson
- add to the cart and check out from My Appt/login/JOIN anytime before the deadline
- From 10,000 JPY for 50 minutes lesson (60 minutes including time for testing communication)
- Meet the instructor with our dedicated lesson software from My Appt/login/JOIN
- No installation is necessary. It runs on most Web browsers (Edge, Chrome, Safari). Some mobile devices are also supported.
- Speech recognition and text translation between English (or other supported languages) and Japanese are available during a lesson.
- The meeting URL will be notified on My Appt/login/JOIN
Find the time slots convenient for you
- Lesson hours: typically between 9 am and midnight in JST (depending on the instructor)
- JST (Japan Standard Time) = UTC(GMT) + 9 hours
- For examples, PST (Los Angeles) = UTC – 8 , EST (NYC) = UTC – 5
- Evening in the US is the morning one day ahead in Japan
- Find your local time
- Timezone map: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/map/
- World Clock: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
- UTC. JST, US time, South Pacific Time Table
Note: The appointment calendar is based on the UTC date. Look for available timeslots yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Your local time is also shown on each time slot display.
Instructors
The instructors are trained and interviewed for shamisen-lessons.com. They are also professional and experienced music instructors for other instruments.
Sanshin
Tsugaru-Shamisen
Shakuhachi
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Which shall I learn Sanshin or Shamisen?
Answer: Sanshin and Tsugaru-Shamisen are similar but different musical instruments. Also, they are different in culture and music genres. Choose the instrument by the culture and music genre. If you do not have a preference, begin with Sanshin because it is easier to play, shorter, and less expensive.
Is Sanshin or Shamisen easier than guitar?
Answer: At the beginner level, Sanshin is easier than the guitar because it is smaller (but bigger than the ukulele) and has only three strings. Therefore, chord work is not required. But be aware, there is no fret on Sanshin. The same thing applies to Tsugaru-Shamisen but it is bigger and uses more techniques. Say, it may be easier than the guitar at the entry level but tougher at the intermediate level or above.
Can I start practice without the instrument?
Answer: Probably not. If you like to begin with a toy-level instrument, there are some cardboard shamisen or cheap tin can sanshin.
We do not sell musical instruments but here is a list of convenient shoppers; Shopping Guide
How long should I practice to play the easiest song (tune)?
Answer: It may take a few hours. If you are a guitarist, you can play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” in 10 minutes. In general, 1,000 hours of practice is required to become a decent player.
Can I learn singing also in sanshin lessons?
Answer: No. Vocal is not taught in the lesson. You may learn to sing and play by yourself at home.
Is the lesson provided in English?
Answer: Yes and No. Most of the instructors speak Japanese. The speech is recognized and translated into English text (or another supported language). Your speech is translated into Japanese text (or the native language of the instructor). Note that machine translation is not perfect. We hope you understand what to do by the instruction in the speech and video communication.
More FAQs are added on a separate page.