Tōryanse

Get the notation for the classic song “Tōryanse” on shamisen – including play-along files in two speed versions to help you learn and practice!

“Tōryanse” (通りゃんせ) is one of Japan’s most well-known folk songs, often heard at pedestrian crossings throughout the country. Its hauntingly beautiful melody carries a mysterious atmosphere, making it a fascinating piece to play on the shamisen.

This arrangement focuses on the shamisen carrying the melody and comes with and without lyrics. It’s in niagari tuning (C-G-C) and features key shamisen techniques such as hajiki (pull-off), sukui (upstroke), uchi (hammer-on), and oshibachi (sliding string change). The song has a small range of positions but some rhythmical challenges, making it a great choice for beginners who already have a couple of songs under their belts.

The mp3 play-along files come in two different speed versions: 90bpm and 100bpm.

How to get your files:

After purchase, you can download the files from your customer account page – a link will also be provided in the order confirmation email.

Want to hear a sample before you buy?

Here’s a snippet of the beginning of Tōryanse:

A General Note on Tuning:

In every tuning, the strings are tuned in a certain relation to each other. For folk songs, there’s no fixed rigid tuning to a definite pitch (in contrast, the A-string on the violin is always tuned to 440 or 442hz) but what’s most important is how the strings are tuned in relation to each other.

A good rule of thumb is to tune your instrument over the base of C. This means, the big string will be tuned to C and the other strings according to the tuning of the song:

Honchōshi: C-F-C

Niagari: C-G-C

Sansagari: C-F-Bb

Access to the pdf and mp3:

Please note that this item is downloadable once only – just as receiving a physical copy of the scores would be. Consider it a “direct delivery” 🙂

After the purchase, you can download the file from your account page under “downloads” or via the link in your order confirmation email.

Make sure you save your file in an easy to locate directory. Please don’t hesitate to contact us via email if you need further assistance.