Japanese musical instruments by Ben H.

Traditional Japanese Music
Ben H

instruments
Please note that this is not a complete list.

strings are made of silk
symbol of music
standard size is about 1.9 meters

upper part of the body is called the "shishi kubi’
was a solo instrument
top part called the "kairobi” (shrimp’s tail)
almost no performers left

there are several different types of shamisen
the strings are made of silk
The most prized wood for the shamisen is koki
made of two wooden parts
three basic tunings

two basic kinds of fues
the transverse flute where the instrument is held to the side and the player blows into the side of the flute
gakubue, komabue, ryuteki, Noh kan and shinobue are all examples of transverse flute

it is made from a length of bamboo
there are seven finger holes
it is not usually wrapped with bark like other flutes, but has the bare surface of the bamboo

brought over from China
made from bamboo
some have seven finger holes

used in all forms of music aside from poetry recitation
the reed is called "shita" or "tongue"
the two parts of the reed are held together with a length of rattan cane

the shape of the instrument is supposed to suggest the mythical bird, the phoenix
the sound is said to express the feeling of light shining from the heavens
used in instrumental music and dances

it is an important part of Nagauta and other popular music forms
in the past the drum was held by one person while another played it, but now a wooden stand is used
played with relatively thick sticks

made with two skins tied with cords called "shirabe" to a wooden hourglass-shaped core
it is similar to the kakko drum used in Gagaku
the core is 28.2 cm. long and it is made of cherry, Chinese quince or chestnut

became a standard part of the Noh ensemble in the Muromachi period
the body of the instrument is made of cherry and is 25 to 27 cm. long
many of these instruments are very valuable as art objects

styles

Gagaku is a type of classical music that has been performed at the Imperial court since the Heian period

Musical theater also developed in Japan from an early age
Noh (能) or nō arose out of various more popular traditions

Another form of Japanese theater is the puppet theater, often known as bunraku

During the Edo period actors (after 1652 only male adults) performed the lively and popular kabuki theater
Kabuki, which could feature anything from historical plays to dance plays, was often accompanied by nagauta of singing and shamisen performance

Examples of music
http://www.japanya.co.uk/TraditionalMusic.aspx
http://daisyfield.com/music/japan.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chwADnoFDng&feature=related

Making a koto
materials
rectangular tissue box
five rubber bands
ten 1x2x2 Legos

put your box hole side down

put rubber bands on as shown in picture

place Legos as shown

virtual koto
http://www.kotoworld.com/kids.html

sites used
Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc. JAPANESE TRADITIONAL MUSIC. Web. 09 May 2010. <http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/index.html>.
"Music of Japan." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 8 May 2010. Web. 09 May 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_music>.
"Koto for Kids - Hands-on Projects, Play a Virtual Koto." Japanese Music, Acoustic Music, Japanese Lullabies, Koto Music, Shakuhachi Music, Meditation Music, Healing, Oyasumi. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.kotoworld.com/kids.html>.

Japanese musical instruments by Ben H.

by Jessica Barrington

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Japanese musical instruments by Ben H. Presentation Transcript