The shamisen is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument, sanxian. The construction of the shamisen varies in shape, depending on the genre in which it is used. The instrument used in kabuki theater (the classical Japanese dance-drama) has a thin neck, facilitating the agile and virtuosic requirements of that genre. The one used to accompany puppet plays and folk songs has a longer and thicker neck to match the more robust music of those genres.
In most genres, the shamisen strings are plucked with a bachi. The sound of a shamisen is in some respects similar to the American banjo, in that the drum-like dō, amplifies the sound of the strings. As in the clawhammer style of American banjo playing, the bachi is often used to strike both string and skin, creating a highly percussive sound. In kouta (小唄, literally "small song") style shamisen, and occasionally in other genres, the shamisen is plucked with the fingers.
