Literally "three strings". If you've heard of the shamisen, then this is the granddad of it, somewhat like the upright double bass to the electric bass guitar.
Main differences:
It's the traditional baritone or high-bass instrument in traditional Chinese ensemble music, and sounds much like a tic-tac bass on a fretless banjo. Depending on the music genre, it can be tuned to anywhere from DAd to dad¹ or from DGd to dgd¹ (in Helmholtz notation, standard bass is E₁A₁DG while standard guitar is EAdgbe¹).
Tone-wise it can get lots of twang with nylon-wound steel strings, or can get warmer and more mellow with nylon or silk (currently on mine) strings. A classic example is the soundtrack of the TV series The Grand Mansion Gate (great show, too) and I encourage you to check it out!
Main differences:
- we use snake skin or paulownia wood tops and backs while the Japanese use cat or dog skin;
- we use fingerpicks or small flatpicks while the Japanese use very large, paddle-like picks (we used to use them on ancient pipas, too);
- the sanxian is entirely fretless, while some shamisens use a buzzing fret on the lowest string for a drone note effect.
It's the traditional baritone or high-bass instrument in traditional Chinese ensemble music, and sounds much like a tic-tac bass on a fretless banjo. Depending on the music genre, it can be tuned to anywhere from DAd to dad¹ or from DGd to dgd¹ (in Helmholtz notation, standard bass is E₁A₁DG while standard guitar is EAdgbe¹).
Tone-wise it can get lots of twang with nylon-wound steel strings, or can get warmer and more mellow with nylon or silk (currently on mine) strings. A classic example is the soundtrack of the TV series The Grand Mansion Gate (great show, too) and I encourage you to check it out!
