4. Shamisen is a very popular Japanese instrument. It has a
hollow body with 3 silk string streched over a long
unfretted neck. the face may covered with dogskin and the
back with catskin.
THREE MAIN TUNINGS;
a.hon-chosi
b.ni-agari
c.san-sagari
5. Koto is the Japanese zither for which most Japanese
chamber TRIOS was originally composed. It has 13 silk-
starched string of equal thichness streched over 13
movable bridges.
6. 3.
Biwa is a pear-shaped lute. It has four string and plays Both
the melody and marks time with the interval
7.
8. HIchiriki is a short oboe. it is made of bamboo with six
finger holes. it is the favorite instrument of the clarinet type.
9. 2.
Sho is the japanese mouth organ. It has 17 small bamboo
pipe set in a wind chest. 15 of the pipes are fitted with small
reeds. the reeds vibrate when the holes are covered while
the player blows through the wind chest producing chords
of fives or six tones.
10. Shakuhachi is the flute of the recorder or falageolot type.
this is one of the most difficult wind instrument to master.
12. O-daiko is a big drum suspended at the tower of the
building in front of the theatre where the performance is
going on. it is also utilize to provide sentimental effects to
the drama
13. Kakko is a barrel shaped drum with the drumhead covered
with skin. to produce sound, both hands strike the
drumhead with a piece of stick.
14. Shoko is a small gong used to mark various temporal
divisions and cadence points.
16. While Japan is nationalistic in general, Japanese music
uses also forms of Western music, from jazz to chamber
music. There is little improvisation but performance is exact
classical music.