Changes

The body of the instrument is a rounded square wooden box, made of two sections of wood, and pierced through by the ''sao'', which extends a half-inch or so beyond the bottom of the instrument (''chii''<ref>O: ''chii'', J: ''chi'', lit. "earth"</ref>). Python skin is used for the skin of the body of the instrument, in contrast to the cat or dogskin used traditionally on Japanese shamisen. Though Okinawa is famous for the venomous ''[[habu]]'' snake, the ''habu'' is in fact too small for its skin to be used to make sanshin, and it is believed that the snakeskin for sanshin has always been imported from Southeast Asia. Though the pythons used to make sanshin skins today are not an endangered species, the difficulty of distinguishing one snakeskin from another makes transporting real-skin (J: ''hongawa'') sanshin internationally somewhat risky. However, cheaper sanshin with plastic skins are quite common today as well.

The body of the instrument is a rounded square wooden box, made of two sections of wood, and pierced through by the ''sao'', which extends a half-inch or so beyond the bottom of the instrument (''chii''<ref>O: ''chii'', J: ''chi'', lit. "earth"</ref>). Python skin is used for the skin of the body of the instrument, in contrast to the cat or dogskin used traditionally on Japanese shamisen. Though Okinawa is famous for the venomous ''[[habu]]'' snake, the ''habu'' is in fact too small for its skin to be used to make sanshin, and it is believed that the snakeskin for sanshin has always been imported from Southeast Asia. Though the pythons used to make sanshin skins today are not an endangered species, the difficulty of distinguishing one snakeskin from another makes transporting real-skin (J: ''hongawa'') sanshin internationally somewhat risky. However, cheaper sanshin with plastic skins are quite common today as well.

The sanshin's strings are played with a small claw-like piece called a ''chimi''<ref>O: ''chimi'', J: ''tsume'', lit. "claw"</ref>, made of water buffalo horn, lacquered wood, ivory, or another material, which is fitted over the index finger and held in place with the thumb and other fingers. Rather than plucking or picking at the strings, as is done with certain other instruments, the sanshin ''chimi'' is simply passed through the strings, coming to rest on the next string as each string is played.

The sanshin's strings are played with a small claw-like piece called a ''chimi''<ref>O: ''chimi'', J: ''tsume'', lit. "claw"</ref>, made of water buffalo horn, lacquered wood, ivory, or another material, which is fitted over the index finger and held in place with the thumb and other fingers. Rather than plucking or picking at the strings, as is done with certain other instruments, the sanshin ''chimi'' is simply passed through the strings, coming to rest on the next string as each string is played. The sanshin is a monophonic instrument, meaning it does not make extensive use of chords, but rather is played almost exclusively one note at a time.

In addition to noticeable differences in the size and shape of the instrument overall, its tuning, and the snakeskin, the shape of the ''chimi'' is one of the more noticeable differences between the Okinawan sanshin and the Japanese shamisen, which uses a larger, flatter plectrum, called a ''bachi'', which is held in the hand and often used to strike the strings or the body of the instrument in a percussive manner. The sanshin's delicate snakeskin could not long survive such strikes, and they are not used in Okinawan music.

In addition to noticeable differences in the size and shape of the instrument overall, its tuning, and the snakeskin, the shape of the ''chimi'' is one of the more noticeable differences between the Okinawan sanshin and the Japanese shamisen, which uses a larger, flatter plectrum, called a ''bachi'', which is held in the hand and often used to strike the strings or the body of the instrument in a percussive manner. The sanshin's delicate snakeskin could not long survive such strikes, and they are not used in Okinawan music.