Continuing with the sanshin-related posts…
Driving your family or neighbors (or both – yikes!) nutty with your late night sanshin practicing? There’s a uma (the free-standing bridge for the sanshin) that greatly mutes your playing no matter how heavy your picking style is and can be purchased for around ¥800. As pictured above, the uma practically runs the length of your chiiga (the body of the sanshin).
The heavy-duty uma pictured above was made to withstand Okinawa’s typhoons (of course, I think I’m kidding) so you can bet that it’ll never slip (I’m already cringing as I can just hear that snapping sound from an improperly set uma as it slaps against the chiiga) on you — ever. A regular uma costs around ¥100 and this one, the “dark one”, costs around ¥300.
(Note that I use the word “around” for costs because it’s possible to find them for cheaper or at a higher price than the amount I paid for them. And if you do [find them at a cheaper price], let me know. 😀 )
You can also take a pair of foam earplugs and insert them between the strings and the bridge to dampen the sound.