I think it's a shamisen, but she's playing with fingers. Ever wonder what classical, blues, and bluegrass would sound like mixed up with some Okinawan black-belt mojo? Get to practicing boys... LOL.
my apologies, it's a chinese sanxian (longer necked predecessor to both the sanshin and the shamisen), but i think the skin is still python. sorry for the confusion. if you want to check out some great shamisen vids, look up kevin kmetz on youtube. he's a japanese born american player who has won numerous awards in japan for his playing and he likes to play anything from traditional japanese tunes to metal, baroque classical, hendrix, etc.
it's an okinawa sanshin. it's the okinawan predecessor of the shamisen and is played a bit differently. the skin is traditionally python, but they're often made of synthetics now (vs. the dog or cat skin typically used on a shamisen). the pick is a buffalo horn monstrosity that fits on the index finger as opposed to the large ginkgo-shaped bachi used to pick a shamisen.
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I kinda dig this clip myself........
Now dont that look fun? YEE HAW!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWD6RlfOazc
Enjoy, Keni Lee