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Japanese Music
• Three general types of instruments
– percussion instruments
– stringed instruments
– wind instruments
• Gagaku (Imperial court music).
• Taiko group Kodo
• Shamisen duo the Yoshida Brothers
Koto
• It is a 2 metre long, 13-string zither
• It is made of Paulownia wood.
• It is plucked using picks on the thumb and
first two fingers of the right hand.
• The left hand can modify pitch and tone.
• It is used in an ensemble in Gagaku or as a
solo instrument.
• A famous blind koto player and composer is
Miyagi Michio (1894-1956)
Shamisen
• It is a 3-string lute
• Made from one of a variety of
woods such as red sandalwood.
• The head is covered with cat or dog
skin.
• The pegs are traditionally made of
ivory.
• The strings are twisted silk.
Biwa
• Short-necked lute
• Used in Gagaku, to
accompany early puppet
plays
• It was also used by blind
monk entertainers
• Held almost vertical and
played with a large bachi
(plectrum).
Drums
• Large Japanese drums are called taikos.
• Most have two membranes which are
nailed or laced and are struck with sticks.
• The hourglass-shaped tsuzumi is from 7th
century Asia
• There are two varieties, the small
kotsuzumi and the large otsuzumi.
Flutes
• The Shakuhachi is a bamboo flute.
• It has 4 or 5 finger holes on the
front face and a thumb hole on
the back.
• It was used in Gagaku.
• In medieval times the shakuhachi
was played by wandering Buddhist
priests known as komuso or
'priests of nothingness'.
What can you
hear?
Scales
• Pentatonic
• The notes have Male and female characteristics
• They represent the five basic elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal
In Sen
semitones
Notes
C
1
4
2
3
2
Db
F
G
Bb
C
1
4
2
1
4
Db
F
G
Ab
C
Hirajoshi
semitones
Notes
C
Blue Cube
If it lands on:
• 1 – 5 you say the Japanese number
• 6 you say a keyword and its meaning
The Itchy Knee
Ichi Ni San Ni Ichi Ni Go
C D E D C D G
Ichi Ni San Ni Go San Ichi
C D E D G E C
Virtual instruments
• Virtual shamisen
• http://www.itchu.com/e/e_shamisen_sound.
html
• Virtual koto
• http://genkienglish.net/genkijapan/koto.htm
In Sen
In Sen
C
Db
F
G
Bb
1
2
3
4
5
Compositional Task:
• Using the pentatonic scale of In sen,
compose a piece of music in groups of 4.
• The piece must be inspired by an anime and it must have 3
sections.
Instrument
Voice numbers
Shamisen
116
217
Koto
117
218
Taiko Drum
227
Use
imaginative
timbres!
Spirited Away
Compositional Task:
• Using the pentatonic scale of In sen,
compose a piece of music in groups of 4.
• The piece must be inspired by an anime and it must have 3
sections.
Instrument
Voice numbers
Shamisen
116
217
Koto
117
218
Taiko Drum
227
Use
imaginative
timbres!
Match up the sentences
A) Japanese music...
1. ...is called Gagaku
B) The Shamisen...
2. ...is a flute
C) Imperial Court music...
3. ...uses a drone rather than chords
D) The Shakuhachi...
4. ...uses a pentatonic scale
E) Japanese Music often...
5. ...is like a banjo
The answers
A) Japanese music...
4. ...uses a pentatonic scale
B) The Shamisen...
5. ...is like a banjo
C) Imperial Court music...
1. ...is called Gagaku
D) The Shakuhachi...
2. ...is a flute
E) Japanese Music often...
3. ...uses a drone rather than chords
What can you
hear?
Homework
Task:
Create a postcard, include:
•
•
•
•
What instruments were playing it (Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi)
What the performance looked like (what did the instruments look like? What were they made of? Who was
playing them? Where were they playing them? Etc.)
What the music sounded like (describe the timbre of the instruments eg. Metallic, the general mood, sacred etc.)
Where you saw it (Japan)
Or
Create a leaflet clearly describing:
•
•
•
•
•
The features of Traditional Japanese music (what kind of scales does it use? What musical features does it
emphasise?)
Who played it (monks, Geishas etc.)
The instruments (their names, what they look like, how they sound, what they are made from) Due
Any famous pieces of music
April
You must Include a map of Japan
26th
Crossword
J
Clues
• The country of the music
we’re looking at
• 5 note scale
• 2 metre long Japanese
instrument
K
• Popular form of
drumming
• Like a banjo
S
H
A
P
A
N
S
E
E
T
N
A
T
I
A
K
T
O
T
O
N
A
M
I
C
N
What am I?
1. I was originally played by Kumusos.
2. I have 13 strings and I am played by using
picks on the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand.
3. I was used to accompany to early puppet plays and I am a
variation of a lute.
Falling Leaf
Ichi San Go San Ni Shi San
Ichi Ni San Ni Go Ichi Shi
Shi Ni San Ni Shi Go Shi
Shi Ni Go Ichi Shi
Task: In groups of colour
play and/or sing ‘Falling
Leaf’ as a class
Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will:
• Have finished your anime composition and
been recorded
• Have begun evaluating the composition and
performance process
Blue Cube
1 - a musical feature you included in your piece
2 – an instrument you included in your piece
3 – the type of scale you used
4 – A problem with your piece that you overcame
5 – A musical feature you used in your piece
6 – A problem with your piece that you overcame
Evaluations
• Describe and evaluate the process of composing your
piece, include any difficulties you experienced and how
you overcame them as a group.
• Evaluate the process of performing your piece. Was it
a good performance? What could you have done to
improve it?
• Look at the levels. Write down the level you think you
have achieved and explain why you think you have
achieved it.
Task
1.
Write your part into Sibelius 6, your group must use one computer as
the parts should be all together in one file.
2.
Whilst group members are writing their parts into Sibelius 6, write your
evaluation. Everyone in your group must write an evaluation.
You are evaluating the composition and performance process, mention
how your group worked together to compose the piece, focus on how
you wrote your part, how it fitted with other parts and how you
overcame any difficulties, what you could have done to improve the
piece. Include your level and why you think you achieved it.
3. If you finish putting your part into Sibelius 6 and writing your evaluation
see me
By the end of the lesson you will:
• Have finished writing all the parts of your group
into Sibelius 6
• Have finished evaluating the composition and
performance process
• Have looked at how some of your pieces relate
to the film, ‘Spirited Away’
1.
Finish writing your part into Sibelius 6, your group must use one
computer as the parts should be all together in one file.
2.
Whilst group members are writing their parts into Sibelius 6, write your
evaluation. Everyone in your group must write an evaluation.
You are evaluating the composition and performance process, mention
how your group worked together to compose the piece, focus on how
you wrote your part, how it fitted with other parts and how you
overcame any difficulties, what you could have done to improve the
piece. Include your level and why you think you achieved it.
3. If you finish putting your part into Sibelius 6 and writing your evaluation
see me.