$100 vs $20,000 Japanese Shamisen | Can You Hear The Difference?
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- čas přidán 14. 11. 2020
- Can you hear the difference between these Japanese Shamisen? Comparing a $20,000 instrument to one under $100 can yield some pretty interesting results...
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Honestly had an absolute BLAST making this one~ Hope you enjoyed the comparison
Were you able to tell the difference? Leave a comment below, or join the discussion!
I could tell there was a difference the first two comparisons but it was hard to determine for me which was which. Haven't listened to enough I guess to know which was better but honestly they all sounded decent. I was impressed by even the cheapest one.
We could tell the difference, but i should say it would be interesting to see the opposite: an expert player can make a lower quality instrument sound good, but if a novice/lower level player was playing on a the expensive shamisen, could you still tell?
I could tell the difference between all of them, but it was hard to determined which ones which between the most expensive ones, though I guessed :) but they sound the best when played together. Or is it maybe the wonderful ladies skills? Great video.
It was easy to get the difference in my ears 😉
BTW what Microphone did you use for recording the Shamisen?
Awesome video brother, I could hear a slight difference between the two more expensive Shamisen and the other more affordable ones. It was awesome seeing KiKi and all the different Shamisen.
My bank account : You have enough guitars
Me : but it's not a guitar
My living space: You have enough instruments
@@meercreate my keyboard, violin, flute, fife and 3 guitars think same :,D
Yup that's me. Oh, I don't have a shamisen...or sitar...or oud...surely I need ALL THE STRINGED THINGS!
Same maybe I will get it in a couple of years lmfao I have an oud and a guitar NOW I WANT A SHAMISEN
Haha
Have to say the cardboard one sounded better than I expected, but having someone so skilled playing it may have helped. 😁
Absolutely. Just like Ichika Nito sounds heavenly on his $10k Nishgaki guitar but can make an entry level guitar sound better than me on a $700 guitar
The cardboard one kinda had a light sound to it, it obviously sounds cheap but still pretty good
Cuz the player is a pro a good player can make anything sound way better that its capacity
I Agree too!
Yeaah... Im shocked D:
I'm just happy to find out that I can actually buy a Shamisen for $300 and below.
I've always wanted one and it's good to know that they still sound lovely (Especially if played by a pro).
Hey it's GLOCO. Yes, get one next time you go to japan.
Boto mo mo boi haha
Glocooooooo
gloco nuginagawa mo dito hahaha
Like with every instrument, it's all in the skill of the player.
This video clearly shows at least one thing for certain: the ladies are talented musicians without a doubt.
Ill happily second that opinion
@@TokyoLens
Withoot a doot, eh?
Sorry, Norm, I just couldn't help myself 🤭
I think these girls could put a couple of boot laces on a broom handle and make it sound good. But nice to see the comparison. Thanks Norm :)
😂
Sounds like that’s the next vid! Haha
@@TokyoLens oh pppleeaseeee do Norm! would be hilarious yet amazing at the same time!
Their skill to adjust fingering on different neck lengths of a non fretted instrument is just superb! When i shifted from a violin to a viola, that adjustment took time!
It looks like there are fretting notches on the side of the neck though
When played by themselves, the expensive ones blow the cheap ones out of the water, it just has so much more resonance and a much fuller sound. BUT for some reason, I enjoyed the sound of the 2 cheap ones dueting more because how the strings harmonized sounded more complex, the expensive ones sounded too identical when dueting to have a really noticeable harmony
Amazing how a pro can make a hunk of cardboard musical!
They are truly skilled!!
It was more than a hunk of cardboard. The strings stretched tight of the wood neck and vibrating is what makes the sound. The cardboard base acts as and amplifier for those good vibrations.
For less than $100 I can become the cardboard hero.
Imagine 1600's Japan and these ladies just start shredding. Hundreds of years later the rest of the world also discovers the origins of speed metal.
Yes, can hear the difference is resonance between the cheaper shamisen and the more expensive ones. Trouble is the comparison isn't really that fair because both if the members of Kiki are extremely good players and hence they can still make the low end shamisen sound ok due to their high skill level. Whereas the sort of person who would actually use one of those cheaper instruments would probably sound entirely different and the gap would be way way larger.
Of course the big question is whether Hikari will hit you with one of the cheaper ones when she finds out that CZcams auto captions calls her a yeti at the start of the video! 😜😜😜
Lol oh no...... yeti
Time to come clean I guess lol
Thanks for that, Tim 🤭😂
I would never have known
The cheaper ones have trouble holding clean tones, too. I’m assuming that the cheaper material also makes it less sturdy, and it can’t quite muster the same volume.
Could I hear _A_ difference? Yes!
Did I know which was the more expensive one? Hell no! :P
I thinks it’s kinda like if you were to put a 500k Lamborghini vs a 200k Lamborghini unless you actually know stuff about cars like anyone can tell that they’re different looking sounding and feeling but what those things actually are are a little bit harder to tell
yep, one of them did sound cheap and one sounded really good. but I was surprised the cheep one is the one I thought was one of the high end ones. and I think it was the thousand dollar one I thought was the cheap one. it is interesting.
After the first comparison, I think the main difference between more expensive shamisen and more affordable shamisen is the difference in resonance with the material it's made of. (Just like he explained with the red sandalwood neck.) Even between the 10k shamisen and the 15-20k shamisen, there was actually a fair difference if you're listening with headphones, since you can hear a difference with the 15k shamisen since it has a clearer almost reverb-like sound, especially during the portions of the piece that included vibrato.
As for which is better, I think all the shamisen have their own merits, even the $100 one. It's just a matter of which tone you like the best and how much resonance you want from the wood/material it's made of.
I could did on the expensive side but just little differences on resonance, but on the cheap side. . . XD I didn't hope the cardboard sounds great XD
@@CrossRoadsOfTime Same here! I was surprised.
Its kinda funny how you can tell when the musicians are borderline punching the strings for the cheap shami's just to get a half decent sound, LOL_
It's really nice to see you getting more people into shamisen, these are legit my favourite videos from you. I'm not gonna start, cuz I cannot even fathom how much dedication is required to just prevent the shamisen from getting damaged, but I find it inspiring.
it takes a lot of work and care (especially when transporting)
in fact just setting up the stage area was a stress of epic proportions lol
The wood, the thickness, the finish, you can hear the acoustics difference. The more expensive one has no echo and sounds like it was played in a sound proof studio.
Pretty impressed with how the cardboard one sounded, honestly! I'm all for making decent quality beginner instruments available to more people.
You’re so talented! I love your shamisen videos. Very unique and cool.
Thank you so much! (^-^)
IMO, The high end and the basic together sounds really good, the basic one's softer tone provides great accompaniment to the higher one's more percussive sound
Even though the screen was black, I still closed my eyes every single time to listen.
I could tell the difference between the first 2, it was a little harder with the 2 cheaper ones, but I did guess right. The expensive ones - not so much. They sounded really similar.
This was a fun video, thanks Norm and Kiki ♥
Aww thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed it
See ya back over on discord lol
I actually heard a difference between the most and second most expensive, the most expensive one had a super clear sound whilst the second most expensive sounded a bit muffled. I never thought that it would be that much of a difference in sound!
Amazing, thank you Norm!😄🙏
good catch!! you nailed it for sure
Glad you enjoyed it that much~
Yeah, I've heard it too, but I think it might have been the recording to be honest. I find it really hard to believe that the difference could be so big, I mean, that a 10k shamisen could sound dim/clouded to me. Maybe the distance or some other factor could have affected it idk, she even seems to be slightly further away from the camera in B. Or maybe they just sound slightly different, and it's a matter of taste, but because we're ask to guess which is which, we are biased.
Also, I noticed that right after the recording transitions between A and B, a single note is ever so slightly off-pitch (at least to my ear, I may be completely wrong of course), which could make one perceive B to be worse.
And after B transitions to A again (once the video is already there) I think the very first note of the A track was played slightly more sharply, as if the string was plucked harder (again, right on the edge of being perceptible, it could just be self-suggestion on my part), which could make A perceived as better-sounding.
For me, I think this could have affected how I judged the quality - such stuff can definitely affect our judgements, cause humans are actually extremely terrible at being unbiased lol.
But yeah there definitely is a difference between all the other shamisen, I somehow got all of them right, cause the more expensive ones have a deeper sound, my guess is the resonance differs, so more harmonic components are audible. But in the 10k and 15k shamisen, they both sounded more or less the same when it comes to "depth", only the "clarity" was different, which is weird, cause for most instruments, even the cheap ones (but without manufacturing errors) should sound clear with the right skill, and the harmonics are the thing that changes most.
Or I'm just overthinking it lmao. I listened to it like 20 more times, and at first I heard and felt the difference clearly, but now I'm analysing it and re-listening, and they both sound really similar lmao.
I wonder how "All long the watchtower" would sound on the shamisen :D
I'm gonna go with EPIC, but maybe Norm could help us find out? *nudge nudge wink wink*
Just started listening, but I totally agree. I really like the sounds coming from the shamisen, and I’d love to see someone really take it to one in classic rock or classic rock styled music.
It would sound awesome
look up the battlestar galactica version of the song with the cylon intro
Oddly enough, yes I can say I can hear the differences between each one, but the cardboard Shamisen doesn't necessarily sound bad.
This was good, both ladies were putting in serious effort and concentration no matter which instrument they were playing. Great work ladies.
I can’t tell the difference but to me that just means the artists can make anything sound amazing.
truth!
Pay attention to the resonance. Actually is clear. As cheaper it is has less resonance and is less warm
The cheaper ones have a softer sound to my untrained ear. The skill of the players made even the cheapest one sound good.
I absolutely love this and love how you mentioned higher tiers of instruments come down to maker and materials not just “they’re better” like some people believe and the materials used in the two expensive models did have some bearing on the sound but both sounded much clearer and much more crisp coming through the mic than the lower models did
Wow that's perfect timing!
My shami-boy just arrived after 9 months waiting for it and I can finally get started properly with this class, this will keep my motivation up I hope! Learning on your own with a textbook can be quite difficult or frustrating sometimes... I am so excited!!
Telling the difference between the cheaper and more expensive was definitely easier than the top two!
The more I see these videos, the more I want to learn! 💖
It’s a worthwhile lifestyle for sure
But then again... I am somewhat biased lol
Norm, your analysis on the sound quality differences was spot on. It was amazing how synchronous the players were with each other, too! Very edifying.
Listening to Kiki and The Yoshida Brothers on Spotify all the time has apparently taught me to identify the good instruments from the cheaper ones. The expensive ones sound crisp, and precise, where the cheaper ones are much more muted and sound very muddy.
Dual shamisens start playing
My neighbor: why do I hear boss music
😂😂😂😂😂😂
He probably went and armed himself
The more expensive ones had a clearer sound, but it also sounded kinda flat, also the 10k one sounded somewhat duller compared to the 20k one.
The cheap ones sounded hollow, but the sound was somewhat fuller and had some bassy qualities to it.
Saved me from making a comment, took the words out of my mouth.
Except for the fact that unfortunately the $300 one has a sound that will barely carry through a small room
While the more expensive ones have a sound that can compete with the engine of an aircraft
The volume, resonance, and ability for the sound to carry, is different on a level that is basically impossible to show through computers speakers
This is an instrument you can fall in love with real quickly
3:37 this sound a lot more special than 4:19. Of course, the quality of the latter Shamisen are clearly much much higher, but they're so similar and in tune it just sounds like a solo play. The first two were so insanely different from each other that in the hands of these two amazing players, it became an amazing duet.
Absolutely amazed at how easy it is to hear the difference in quality, the warmer more full sound you get as you go up the price brackets really showed that there was real value to the better models
The $15-20000 sounds definitelly better in every case, i guess it's a good investment if you are a professional player. For the rest of us mortals, a casual mid range should be fine 👌
would love to own one, however i live in Singapore. everything is expensive, even breathing is expensive lol!
One of my 5 favorite instruments in the world! Thanks a lot for closer look at some specifics of an art that deserves wider notoriety 😎
This was wonderful. ^‿^ Thank you to everyone involved!
The $100 cardboard kiddo is wonderful in its way; it perfectly fills the niche of an instrument that you can try to learn the basics on, and if you learn that it's not for you, you're not out much at all. On the other hand, if you go on to practice shamisen for the rest of your life? You can still keep that cute little cardboard shamisen as a memento of the humble beginnings of your craft.
That said, with my snoot-snoot audiophile headphones, I could clearly tell the difference between Kanami's $10k and Hikari's $20k shamisen.
What was most intriguing to me though was that as long as one instrument was high-end, the secondary instrument could easily be ANY OTHER shamisen and it would still sound harmonically complimentary to me.
The very fact that some of us long time viewers of this channel can make out the difference is a testament to Norm's efforts in popularizing the shamisen.
I come from Philippines, and I once tried to hold a shamisen when I went to a friends house who had it in her home near Yokohama. Absolutely difficult instrument to play, but super beautiful sound! I super appreciate it when I see street performers use this or any shamisen players!
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the comparisons. Thank you for sharing this video and for helping me learn about Shamisen and the wonderful Musicians who play them. :-)
*POSTING BEFORE I FINISH THE VIDEO*
I assume it's like using a cheap camera vs an expensive camera, in the right hands, a cheap camera can be pushed to produce nice pics and in the wrong hands an expensive camera won't snap a good pic if u don't know how to use it
i was mostly right! In skilled hands the cheap ones still sound good-ish? especially since i have very little Shamisen experience (only ever hear it here on your channel!!).
i guessed the first test right, but couldn't discern the difference in the second test, as i don't know what they sound like well enough in the first place!
Really glad you enjoyed it this much!!!
you’re making all of us shamisen masters at this point 😅🙌🙌
Haha welcome to the mastery!!!
Maybe not "Master" but at least basic knowledge
Shamisen's sound is so epic.
Couldnt agree more~
I always love your shamisen-related videos!!! One of the most fun and best sound comparison videos I’ve watched!
Really glad that you enjoyed that much
Thanks eh!!
This looks like so much fun! The differences in sound are so different, but they balance so nicely. The girls are so talented and make the adjustments seem effortless!
Hey Norm,
Loved the way you put this video together. It was really nice to hear all the differences.
I was able to spot the differences and got them all correct. But that might be because I play and make music. However that said I love the sound when a cheaper and more expensive shamisen is played together in harmony.
Thank you again for amazing video keep it up 😊
cheers eh~
Hope you are doing well!
The cheap ones are actually a lot better than I would expect.
Woooo shamisen content, I‘m so happy!! :D This was really interesting, I was even able to tell them apart a few times (definitely not everytime lol). I love how it’s not only nice to hear them play the instrument but also watch them, I really enjoy seeing how they play it
The harmony of the combined cheap and expensive have a real extra depth to the sound that you didn't get from 2 expensive ones at the same time, quite interesting.
To me it's like tasting wine. Definitely a different sound in each. I was right the 1st test but failed the other. I liked all of the sounds. 👍
Her face gets so serious when she’s playing I-
yeah same thing for guitarists and others lol
Y'all ALWAYS make me smile. 😁
This was seriously cool and fascinating. More please and thank you!
To be honest, they all sounded great with the gals playing them. As someone who plays a plethora of instruments, it was honestly hard for me to tell huge differences between the sounds. I have listened to a ton of videos of people playing the shamisen, and honestly, it is just a beautiful instrument that takes a lot to make it sound bad. So, at the end of the day, they all sounded great to me lol
Nice, guessed them all right. Though the 10k vs 20k was definitely a guess, even if I'd like to think that I heard a bit "better" sound from the 20k one.
Tough to tell right? 😊
the $20k one sound _slightly_ brighter.
Interesting! Besides the differences between the shamisens, I was amazed to hear Kiki's duet was in a perfect sync!
Kiki are amazing as always ❤️ ohoh the two shabo with their portrait on are super cute! 😍 Really interesting video, loved the comparison of the sound!
Nice unison on the “real soon”
Didn’t even practice! Lol
No matter the expenses, a instrument always sounds great when played by an professional.
I was actually easily able to tell the difference between them all, even the two high end ones, but that is likely owed to my extensive history with more different instruments than I have fingers and toes combined, and a bit of lutherie with guitars, ukuleles, and other random instruments. It's cool to see that even a cardboard shamisen sounds pretty decent.
Absolutely lovely video! I always loved the sound of the Shamisen
I'm surprised I could make the difference between all the sounds. Then again, I listen to a lot of classical and traditional music, so I guess my ear is more trained than expected. The cardboard shamisen has a surprisingly nice sound! Sure it doesn't have the same depth as the others, but it still does the job well!
Honestly kind of think the $300 one was my favourite..
love that simple taste~ #respect
@@TokyoLens No, no, the $300 one literally sounded better than the one it was directly compared to.
I really appreciate your love for a foreign culture and their music. We're kinda in the same boat, I'm a German, living in Ireland and I play Irish traditional music.
They are so talented! Thank you for sharing!
Wow, this was really interesting! I really can't believe that that cardboard one was worth $100.00.
I guess the lesson is that you get what you pay for. As you go up the scale, the sound get better and better.
For sure, the more expensive ones are also aesthetically more beautiful. They look like an instrument that you would want to take care of.
That being said, it's great that a Shamisen student has an affordable option that they can start with. If they decide to go forward with their studies, then they can move up.
Thank you for this and for introducing the two lovely and talented ladies. I am in awe of that kind of talent.
I could tell the difference between the cheaper ones and the pricier ones, but between the pricier ones, I had no hope lol. The sound sounds more... sharp? If that is a way to describe it. Very fun video and I learned that even a "cheap" shamisen can make a pleasant sound heh
Lol not as pleasant when I play it though hahaha
Girls got skills!
It's a matter of training the ear, much as the connoisseurs of wine, tea, coffee and so on can identify nuances more specifically than the untrained hoi polloi. First you have to learn the individual instrument's character, then you learn to recognize it. Just as you can learn to recognize the differences between Ferraris and Lamborghinis tearing up Aoyama-dori.
@@TokyoLens never had any shamisen in my hands but still recognized 5000USD and the 15000-20000USD shamisen right maybe because I got good headphones and because of my young ears
Ohhhhh, I LOVE the sound of the Shamisen 😍😍😍 So beautiful! Thanks for this video. Such a beautiful instrument.
I am from Brazil, and I play shamisen (I have one close to the one of the 10.000 price, but when I got mine, it wasn't SO expensive, in the late 2004).
I love the sound of the instrument, and that's why I started learning.
I feel you!!
100-% love that sound and so happy you’re here for the ride!!
You should check out the girls online Shamisen lessons before the price goes up!!
those high end shamisen are so nice looking. reminds me of when harry potter got the firebolt broom.
"Can you tell the difference?"
Final round of most expesive ones starts-- option A almost done and --- PlayStation commercial interrupts.
Me "Yes, that is not the expensive shamisen!" 😂
This was awesome ! Thanks for this !
I really liked Kanami’s Shamisen and the basic Shabo! I also loved how the cardboard and basic Shabo sounded together! So talented!🙌🏼✨
I’ll probably start with the 300 one.
definitely a good starting place!
Today I learned a master musician can play cardboard and make you question reality. 😀
It’s great to watch you geek out over shamisen. I can see the excitement. Nothing like Norm on CZcams y’all!
lol shamisen geek 4evaz!
That’s a really cool comparison video I’m really impressed by the sound of the cheaper ones. It’s Definitely obvious between the cheaper ones but harder in the more expensive ones.
The difference to my ear between cheap and expensive was pretty obvious, as always, in the vibrato. The concert master shamisen are also likely easier to tune.
Stunning quality of instrument and virtuosity. Brava to the performers. Blown away.
Like any instrument, about 90% of the sound comes from the hands.
Love your content - thanks!
The $100 and $300 were surprisingly not that bad! The more expensive sounded a little muffled. But I guess hearing it in person will be different than in person.
I have a feeling .. a strong feeling, I'm going to be listening to this instrument whole month/week .. Time to add some to my playlist ..
Love these videos! :D
These two ladies ROCK!!!
As you pointed out, it was easier between the more expensive and basic/cheapest options. I couldn’t tell between the higher ends.
Awesome video! cool instruments played by even cooler musicians!
Wow Norm, I love these videos!! I surprised myself being able to tell the difference, but I listen to shamisen music almost every day. Just wish I could play!
then playyyy!! lol I support that~
Ahhhhh! I want to learn how to ply shamisen and not only are you recommending a beginner one but also the girls are teaching classes as well?? 😭 this makes me so happy and I am going to start saving NOW 💕
just found this video and i love how shamisen sound so much. i would love to learn and have one. and a bit more now with all social isolation thing could be a marvelous knowledge to attain. Thank you for such marvelous video!
good timing!
The lessons that are linked are available at early-bird pricing for literally just the next day!!
so if you jump in now, you can get lessons at a really low price!
Cheap shamisen are also linked in this vid!
Thanks for the video!
good content as always!
The sound is much more pronounced (I'm not sure but it's ranging around from mid to high ends) as the price range gets expensive, but for the common listener, as you said in the video, it's not too noticeable. Definitely sparked my interest in learning how to play a Shamisen.
This reminds me of the pro photographer cheap camera challenge. It's great to hear the difference between them all
Really cool comparison! I don’t know much about shamisen, so although I could hear the differences in the tone of the two, my ear couldn’t tell which qualities are desirable in a professional instrument. I play classical guitar and so which one sounds better is not obvious. I just wanted to hear the difference in the sound of the two and see if I can pick something out. I couldn’t tell which was more expensive lol
There was definitely a difference between the cheaper versions! These are such great instruments and I can’t wait to hear them live
Up until the last comparison I think I could tell the differences .. very neat to see(hear!)