The Music of Japan
Videos of the Music of Japan
General Characteristics of Japanese Traditional Music
The Shakuhachi
The Kouta (short song) and Shamisen (lute)
Folk Song
Pitch/Scales
Diversity in scale systems, but most based on Pythagorian scales.
Exact pitch intervals between notes differs according to genre, the pieces of music itself, or the performer.
No single set of pitches is used by all musicians.
Two pentatonic (5 tone) scales - the in and yo
Melodies tend to emphasize the interval of a fourth (do-fa)
Timbre - Unpitched sounds commonly heard in instrumentals melodies
Breath sounds of the shakuhachi bamboo flute
Hard twang of the shamisen lute
Melody/Harmony
Melodies of folk songs differ greatly from the shakuhachi music
Often short bits of melody repeated and varied
Complete repetition of phrases at beginning and end commonly heard
Changes in timbre more significant that changes in pitch or tempo in instrumental music
Vocal music may include ornamentation
Heterophonic texture - both or all parts basically play the same melody, but in slightly different versions.
Rhythm
Flexible pulse, beatless or free rhythm (not tied to a steady beat)
Powerful expression of feelings
When beat is present it is in groups of 2, 4, or 8.
Wide variety of tempos from very slow to very fast.
Often music is associated with theater with the tempo accelerating as excitement and drama build up.
Musical Form - Most common - jo-ha-kyû (tripartite structure)
Based on rhythmic changes rather than melody
Jo - introduction or slow beginning section
Ha - "breaking apart" where tempo builds
Kyû - "rushing" tempo reaches peak then slows to the end.
Great PBS Resource for Japanese Cultural History
Check out the PBS Site on Japan History: Welcome to Edo - http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo.html
Listen to the Interactive Instruments - http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/instruments.html
The Shakuhachi - The Bamboo Flute
Shaku (30 centimeters) and hachi (54 centimeters)
Versatility in pitch and tone production possible by changing the angle of the lips to the mouthpiece
Produces microtonal pitches
Meri - when pitch lowered
Kari - when pitch raised
Solo shakuhachi flourished during the Tokugawa period (1600-1867) with the Shogun living in Tokyo
Priests called komusô (emptiness monks) traveled the countryside spreading Zen Buddhism
Not called a musical instrument - but a hôki (spiritual tool)
The spiritual approach to playing the shakuhachi is called suizen (blowing Zen)
Enlightenment in a single note - ichôon jôbutsu
Spiritual and meditative
Free rhythm - no regular beat
Ma (space or interval) linked to the rhythm and timing of the piece (the pauses and rests and the relationship between sound and silence)
Emphasis on silence conforms with Zen ideas concerning the importance of emptiness and space
"Good ma" and "bad ma" refer to the quality of the sounds and silences and their proportion to one another.
Natural breathing pattern is crucial with intake and release of breath
Dynamics achieved by shading tones or exploding the air
Shaku Design - Shakuhachi Index
Shakuhachi Index - http://www.navaching.com/shaku/shakuindex.html
Tuning the Shakuhachi - http://www.navaching.com/shaku/tuning.html
Shakuhachi Acoustics - http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/shakuhachiresults.html
Shakuhachi Fingering Chart - http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/shaku/
Additional Web Resources on the Shakuhachi
Shakuhachi Flute Resource Page - http://www.shakuhachi.com
Shakuhachi Main Menu - http://www.shakuhachi.com/TOC-MM.html
Flute and Playing Guides - http://www.shakuhachi.com/TOC-PG.html
Japanese Flutes - Making Flutes, Fingering, Audio Clips - http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~dl1s-ymgc/index-e.htm
International Shakuhachi Website - http://www.komuso.com/
Clouds Hand Music - http://www.cloudhandsmusic.com/about/
Mujitsu Shakuhachi - http://www.mujitsu.com/
Shakuhachi Master - http://lawsview.com/jamesschlefer/
Shakuhachi Master - John Singer - http://www.zenflute.com/kinko.html
The Koto - Popular Traditional Japanese Instrument
The thirteen strings of the koto are stretched along a soundboard of nearly two meters
Soundboard made of hollowed-out paulownia timber
Strings were traditionally made of silk, nowadays synthetic.
Tuned for different songs by movable bridges of ivory or plastic.
Play the virtual koto at Virtual O-Koto - http://www.genkienglish.net/genkijapan/koto.htm. Listen to the tuning (requires Shockwave plugin)
Websites
Koto - http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/koto.html
Koto World for Kids - http://www.kotoworld.com/kids.html (another virtual koto)
Koto no Koto - http://koto.home.att.net/
Japanese Music for String Instruments - http://www.japanesestrings.com/
The Kouta (short song) and the Shamisen (lute)
Folk Songs
Farming class or poorer merchants in cities
Called minyô
Originally accompanied many daily activities to relieve boredom
Provided a steady beat
Associated with simpler times, romanticizing rural life for city dwellers
Minyô - currently one of the most popular forms of music in Japan today.
Japanese Folk Songs - http://web-japan.org/factsheet/music/folk.html
Kouta - Short Song
Song form - Short, 1-3 minute song evoking images and allusions
Earliest participation of women in music
Linked to the geisha of the city of Edo (now Tokyo)
Edo - the seat of government where the Shogun held state.
PBS Site on Japan History: Welcome to Edo - http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo.html
Welcome to Edo - http://www.us-japan.org/edomatsu/
Edo History - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html
Iemoto guild system devoted to different forms of music, dance, flower arranging, the tea cermoney, etc.
Guilds transmit knowledge and control quality by setting standards for teachers and students
Guilds helped maintain the artistic level in traditional Japanese music.
Shamisen
3-string long-necked lute
Used to convey outpouring of emotion and drama
Considered excellent instrument for the theater
Bunraku puppet theater
Kabuki - Japanese Traditional Theater
Used to accompany folksongs
Body is made of a wooden box roughly square in shape covered on both sides with skin or plastic
Long piece of wood forms unfretted neck that is inserted in the box
Pegs hold the strings which are of different thickness
Sometimes use plectrum to pluck the string
In Kouta, use bare fingers or fingernails for lighter, less percussive sound.
A special buzz or hum called sawari (touch) is added to the instrument and provides an unpitched sound
Lowest string resonates against a special cavity at the top of the instrument that sets noise in motion as other strings contribute sympathetic vibrations.
Enka
Barbara's Enka Website - http://www.technogirls.org/enka/index.htm
Japan Guide: Enka - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2114.html
Taiko Drumming
Post WWII era
Drums played in Shinto and Buddhist festivals
Emphasize samurai values: discipline, hard physical and mental training, group coordination, and perfectionism
Taiko means drum and stands for all kinds, sizes, styles of drums
Osaka World Exposition in 1970 drew large audiences
Interactive Instruments - PBS - http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/instruments.html
Taiko Drum Lessons - http://users.lmi.net/taikousa/lesson.html
Taiko Shop - http://www.asano.jp/
Rolling Thunder - http://www.taiko.com/
Rolling Thunder Music and Sounds - http://www.taiko.com/taiko_resource/musicarchive.html