Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:32 pm Post subject: Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments
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Whenever you want to study the culture, history and social views of a particular country, the best way to do it is by knowing the about the different visual and performing arts that are prevalent in the country. Music is one such element of performing art that offers us an insight about the social culture of a nation. In Japan, music is all about refinement and the most popular music forms in the Nara period were Gagaku and Shomyo, also known as court music. Gagaku itself means refined and polished music. Many traditional musical instruments of Japan are very much in use today and they form the basis of the history of Japanese music. String, wind and percussion instruments are predominant in traditional Japanese music. Here we will take a look at some of the musical instruments that are native to Japan.
Japanese Musical Instruments
Biwa
Biwa is a kind of short necked lute that was predominantly used in Gagaku. It is a string instrument and there are three different variations of the Biwa. One is the Gaku Biwa, and its main distinguishing feature is that the pegs for the strings are small and stuby. The second is known as the Chikuzen Biwa and these instruments have either four strings with five bridges or five strings with five bridges. The third type of Biwa is known as the Satsuma Biwa which is characterized by its large size with high bridges.
Shinobue
Shinobue is a flute that is made of bamboo and it is a wind instrument. Traditionally a Shinobue was used in Kabuki and Noh theater music as well as in Japanese folk songs. Unlike other flutes which are coated with bark, a Shinobue has a bare bamboo outer surface. Sometimes, the two ends of the Shinobue are enfolded with bark and the rest of the flute body is left as it is. To make the Shinobue look more attractive and to prevent the bamboo from splitting, it is sometimes lacquered. A Shinobue has seven finger holes although there are some Shinobues with six finger holes. Shinobue makes a very deep resonating and high pitched sound and it is generally used in Japanese theater and folk songs.
Taiko
The literal translation of Taiko is "big drum". Taiko is actually not any one instrument but a series of drums that are of varying sizes. A Taiko is mounted on a stand before they are played by a series of musicians. It is made out of cowhide and a Bachi is used to strike the surface of the Taiko. A Taiko drum has a deep rumbling sound and was supposedly used in the battlefield.
Koto
The Koto is perhaps one of the most recognized traditional Japanese musical instruments in the Western world. It is a stringed musical instrument which is about 1.9 meters in length with a width of 25 cm at the top portion of the instrument. The bottom portion of the instrument is a bit narrower than the top portion and is around 23.5 cm in width. There are 13 strings in a Koto which are attached along the length of the instrument. These strings are made of silk and these are strung on movable bridges. By varying the position of the movable bridges each string will produce a different pitch when played.
List of Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments
Here is a list of traditional Japanese musical instruments.
This was all about traditional Japanese musical instruments. Some of these instruments like the Koto, Shamisen and Shakuhachi are still played extensively in Japanese music. However, there are only a few musicians who still play Japanese musical instruments like Kokyū and Ikko. _________________ mrsamct
Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 5 Location: chicago, illinois, USA
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 8:20 am Post subject: Re:
There are several types of traditional, Japanese music (hogaku). Some of the most important ones are listed below:
Gagaku:
Ancient court music from China and Korea. It is the oldest type of Japanese, traditional music.
Biwagaku:
Music played with the Biwa, a kind of guitar with four strings.
Nohgaku:
Music played during Noh performances. It basically consists of a chorus, the Hayashi flute, the Tsuzumi drum, and other instruments.
Sokyoku:
Music played with the Koto, a type of zither with 13 strings. Later also accompanied by Shamisen and Shakuhachi.
Shakuhachi:
Music played with the Shakuhachi, a bamboo flute that is about 55 cm long. The name of the flute is its length expressed in shaku an old Japanese unit of length.
Shamisenongaku:
Music played with the Shamisen, a kind of guitar with only three strings. Kabuki and Bunraku performances are accompanied by the shamisen.
Minyo:
Japanese folk songs. _________________ Write My Paper
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