Traditional Japanese music uses a different musical scale than the one in the west... it can be quite difficult for the average westerner (or even the modern Japanese teenager) to understand it. Certain notes seem off-key, and the melody might become lost in a jumble of meaningless notes for one's ear.

Me, I seem to have been born with an ear for Japanese music! I love the strong, resonant sounds of the shamisen, and the clear, bell-like tones of a koto that make notes float in the air like a geisha's words should.

Geisha playing a shamisen

The two main instruments in the geisha world are the shamisen and the koto.

The shamisen is THE instrument for a geisha. Most teahouses will usually have one or two on hand just in case a talented customer or a geisha without her shamisen want to play. A shamisen is so special to a geisha, she may affectionately call it her "O-shami". It has three strings, and looks like a banjo. It is played with a plectrum.

A shamisen is a very versatile instrument. It is used to provide music for a traditional dance, or accompaniament for anything from a rowdy drinking song to a love ballad.

The koto, on the other hand, is not nearly as common in the Flower and Willow world. It has a more refined, upper-class image than the shamisen. Koto have thirteen strings, which are traditionally made of silk.

SHAMISEN SOUNDS: (missing picture)