Japan - Japanese manufacturer Discovery Sound continues its series of Far East Asian musical samples with a CD-ROM dedicated to one of Japan's most treasured instruments, the shamisen.

The shamisen's lineage can be traced back to the biwa and other similar instruments that arrived to Japan from China, and there is likely no sound to which the Japanese ear is more accustomed. The shakuhachi has little intonation, and the koto, while gorgeous, has no lightness. A mere three strings spun of silken threads express the entire range of human emotion with rich feelings.

In period dramas, the shape of a shamisen can be readily discerned in many scenes, but even on such a modern, imaginary stage, it can serve as the ideal tool to communicate the Japanese heart of those times by proxy. However, it may be that modern people, whose identity is far from clear, have a special understanding of the sound of the shamisen. Recent recordings, like the ones by the Yoshida Brothers, that fused shamisen with modern sounds have become very popular in Japan and other countries.

For more info: http://www.discoverysound.com/en/title-j/0000106.php. Format: ACID/WAV/REX2. Price: 25.00 (free shipping).