The most widely used equivalent of tab for the shamisen is bunkafu. Its three lines stand for the shamisen's three strings, and the numbers on them show where the left hand presses (the finger position, or kandokoro). The idea is close to guitar tab, but the meaning of the numbers and their relation to tuning differ, and it helps to know how. Bunkafu is the notation Shami works with.
What is shamisen tab?
Tablature writes pitch as "which string, where to press" instead of as staff notes. For the shamisen, bunkafu (nicknamed "red score"), devised in the Taishō era by Kineya Yashichi IV, is the leading example and is the most widely used notation. The top line is the third string (highest), the middle line the second string, and the bottom line the first string (lowest). 0 is an open string and larger numbers are higher.
Bunkafu vs. guitar tab
| Shamisen bunkafu | Guitar tab | |
|---|---|---|
| Lines | Three (one per string) | One per string (usually six) |
| Numbers | Finger-position numbers. 0 is open; half-step positions are also written with sharp and flat marks | Fret numbers |
| Rhythm | Note value is shown by underlines below the number (none = quarter, one = eighth, two = sixteenth) | Sometimes written separately, sometimes omitted |
| Tuning | Numbers only show positions; the actual pitch depends on the tuning (honchōshi, niagari, sansagari) | Often assumes standard tuning |
The biggest difference is in the last two rows. Bunkafu writes positions, not pitches, so the same number sounds different when the tuning changes. To turn numbers into note names, see bunkafu numbers and do-re-mi.
Other shamisen notations
Besides bunkafu there are the katei, kenseikai and Aoyagi notations, among others. Aoyagi notation has three horizontal lines like bunkafu, but its numbers stand for scale degrees rather than positions, so it is read differently. Telling them apart by the header and the presence of a 0 avoids misreading. See shamisen notation types for details.
How Shami handles tab (bunkafu)
What you can do
- Create and edit bunkafu from a blank page: strings and position numbers, note values, rests, ties, playing marks, fingering and lyrics.
- Play the score back to check it by ear, and slow the tempo down to practice.
- Import a paper bunkafu score from a photo; AI makes a draft that you fix in the editor.
- Convert a staff-notation MusicXML file (.xml / .musicxml / .mxl) into bunkafu (staff notation to bunkafu). Treat the result as a draft to check and correct.
What you cannot do
- Guitar tab files (such as Guitar Pro) cannot be opened directly. The import formats are photos or PDFs, and MusicXML.
- The editor does not display or edit staff notation; it is only an input format for import.
- Scores are entered and edited in bunkafu; you cannot enter them directly in other notations such as Aoyagi or kenseikai.
Shami runs in your browser with no install, and you can try the bunkafu editor before signing in. Play back what you make right away.
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