The document provides information about the traditional music of East Asia, including Japan, China, and Korea. It describes the main musical instruments used in each country, such as the koto, shamisen, and taiko in Japan; the erhu, pipa, and sheng in China; and the gayageum, geomungo, and changgo in Korea. It also gives overview of the musical styles, noting that Japanese music focuses on breath, Chinese music is melodic rather than harmonic, and Korean music has a slow, peaceful tempo. The document concludes with reflection questions about the similarities and differences between the musical traditions.

1. EAST ASIAN MUSIC
JAPAN, CHINA, AND KOREA

2. JAPANESE MUSIC
JAPANESE VOCAL MUSIC IS BASED ON THE INTERVALS OF HUMAN
BREATHING.
JAPANESE MUSICIANS FOCUS ON MASTERING THEIR INSTRUMENTS
RATHER THAN PERFECTING A TECHNIQUE.
TRADITIONAL MUSIC IS MEDITATIVE IN CHARACTER.

3. JAPANESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
PERCUSSION ISTRUMENTS
(MEMBRANOPHONE)
ODAIKO (BIG DRUM)

4. TSUZUMI (HOURGLASS-SHAPE)
TWO VARIETIES: KOTSUZUMI (SMALLER/HELD ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER)
OTSUZUMI (LARGER/PLACED ON TH ELEFT THIGH)
- THEY ARE USED IN BOTH NOH AND KABUKI PERFORMANCES.

5. TSURIDAIKO (A LARGE HANGING BARREL DRUM)
TAIKO (IT HAS VARIOUS SIZES AND USED TO PLAY A VARIETY OF
MUSICAL GENRES)

6. STRING INSTRUMENTS (CHORDOPHONE)
 KOTO – A 13-STRING ZITHER, ABOUT 2 METERS LONG AND MADE OF PAULOWNIA WOOD. IT IS PLUCKED USING PICKS ON
THE THUMB AND FIRST 2 FINGERS OF THE RIGHT HAND. USED IN AN ENSEMBLE IN GAGAKU OR AS A SOLO INSTRUMENT.
 SHAMISEN – A PLUCKED STRING INSTRUMENT. THE NECK IS FRETLESS.
 BIWA – SHORT NECKED FRETED LUTE, OFTEN USED IN NARRATIVE STORYTELLING.

7. WIND INSTRUMENTS (AEROPHONE)
•SHAKUHACHI – THE MOST FAMOUS FLUTE FROM BAMBOO. IT HAS 4 OR 5 FINGER HOLES ON THE
FRONT FACE AND A THUMBHOLE IN THE REAR FACE.
•NOKAN – A BAMBOO FLUTE WITH ONLY 1 MELODIC TONE.
•HICHIRIKI – A DOUBLE REED JAPANESE FLUTE USED AS ONE OF TWO MAIN MELODIC
INSTRUMENTS IN JAPANESE GAGAKU MUSIC THE OTHER ONE IS RYUTEKI.
•SHO – FREE REED INSTRUMENT THAT WAS INTRODUCED FROM CHINA DURING THE NARA PERIOD.
•SHINOBUE – OR TAKEBUE, IT HAS A HIGH PITCHED SOUND.
•RYUTEKI – DRAGON FLUTE.

10. CHINESE MUSIC
CHINESE VOCAL MUSIC HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN SUNG IN A THIN, NON
RESONANT VOICE, OR IN FALSETTO. IT IS SUNG IN SOLO RATHER CHORAL.
ALL TRADITIONAL CHINESE MUSIC IS MELODIC RATHER THAN HARMONIC.
XIAODIAO, OR SHORT TUNES, ARE POPULAR MUSIC IN CHINESE URBAN
AREAS.

11. STRING INSTRUMENTS
•YUEQIN – A MOON-SHAPED LUTE WITH SHORTER NECK AND FOUR STRINGS, PLAYED
WITH A SPECTRUM, USED FOR ACCOMPANYING LOCAL OPERAS.
•PIPA – A 4-STRINGED LUTE WITH 30 FRETS AND A PEAR-SHAPED BODY.
•ERHU- A 2-STRINGED FIDDLE AND ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CHINESE INSTRUMENTS.
•ZHENG – ANCIENT CHINESE INSTRUMENT. WITH 13 – 21 STRINGS STRECTHED OVER
INDIVIDUAL BRIDGES.

14. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
• YUNLUO – CLOUD GONGS OR CLOUD OF GONGS. A SET OF 10 GONGS IN A WOODEN FRAME.
• PENGLING – TWO SMALL BELLS MADE HIGH-TIN BRONZE. IT BRINGS AN EFFECT OF PEACEFUL DREAMS.

16. WIND INSTRUMENTS
• SHENG – ALSO CALLED CHINESE MOUTH ORGAN WITH 12 – 36 BAMBOO PIPES. IT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST
CHINESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
• DIZI – TRADITIONAL FLUTE. IT HAS SIX HOLES FOUND IN THE ROD.

17. KOREAN MUSIC
• KOREAN MUSIC HAS A SLOW TEMPO, GIVING IT A VERY PEACEFUL AND PENSIVE CHARACTER.
• CHONG AK – MUSIC FOR THE NOBLE CLASSES.
• SOG-AK OR MINSOGAK – MUSIC FOR THE LOWER CLASSES.
• PANSORI – A KIND OF MUSIC PRESENTED TO AUDIENCES BY SKILLED VOCAL SINGERS AND DRUMMERS.
• ARIRANG – A KOREAN FOLK SONG USED AS A SYMBOL OF KOREA AND KOREAN CULTURE. IT EVOKES THE
FEELING OF THE TEARS SHED BY KOREANS AND THE REMEMBRANCE OF SAD STORIES SPECIFICALLY
PARTINGS.

18. STRING INSTRUMENTS
• KAYAGUM (GAYAGEUM) – A TRADITIONAL KOREAN ZITHER-LIKE STRING INSTRUMENT, WITH 12 STRINGS. THE BEST KNOWN
TRADITIONAL KOREAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.
• GEOMUNGGO – 6-STRING PLUCKED ZITHER. KNOWN AS BLACK CRANE ZITHER.
• HAEGUM (2-STRINGED VERTICAL FIDDLE)

19. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
•CHANGGO – THE MOST WIDELY USED DRUM IN THE TRADITIONAL MUSIC
OF KOREA. HOURGLASS-SHAPED.

20. WIND INSTRUMENTS
•PIRI – USED IN BOTH FOLK AND CLASSICAL (COURT) MUSIC OF KOREA. IT
IS MADE OF BAMBOO.

21. REFLECTIONS:
1. WHAT ARE THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF CHINA, JAPAN, AND KOREA?
2. HOW IS CHINESE MUSIC DESCRIBED?
3. HOW WILL YOU DESCRIBE KOREAN MUSIC?
4. WHAT MAKES JAPANESE MUSIC DIFFERENT FROM JAPAN AND KOREA?

22. QUIZ NO. 1
1 2

23. 3 4

24. 5 6

25. 7 8

26. 9 10

27. ASSIGNMENT:
• ACTIVITY NOTEBOOK.
• DEFINE THE FOLLOWING MUSICAL TERMS:
1.TIMBRE
2.RHYTHM
3.MELODY
4.TEXTURE
5.FORM

28. THAT’S ALL…
SEE YOU TOMORROW!