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The character for koto is 箏, although 琴 is often used. However, 琴 (koto) is the general term for all string instruments in the Japanese language, [2] [3] including instruments such as the kin no koto, sō no koto, yamato-goto, wagon, nanagen-kin, and so on. [3] When read as kin, it indicates the Chinese instrument guqin. [4]
The 17-string koto (Japanese: 十七絃 or 十七弦, Hepburn: jūshichi-gen, "seventeen strings") is a variant of the koto with 17 strings instead of the typical 13. The instrument is also known as jūshichi-gensō ( 十七絃箏 ) , "17 stringed koto ", or "bass koto " (although koto with a greater number of strings also exist).
More recent theory [2] emphasizes that it is more useful in interpreting Japanese melody to view scales on the basis of "nuclear tones" located a fourth apart and containing notes between them, as in the miyako-bushi scale used in koto and shamisen music and whose pitches are equivalent to the in scale: [3]
The heike shamisen compared with a medium-sized, or chuzao shamisen. The construction of the shamisen varies in shape and size, depending on the genre in which it is used. The bachi used will also be different according to genre, if it is used at all. Shamisen are classified according to size and genre.
In Japanese music, there is a buzzy sound quality that is often preferred called "sawari," and this effect is adjusted by a device often found built into the shamisen, that raises or lowers the 1st string at the nut. A drawback to using a shamisen with a capo in place of a heike shamisen is that it disables the use of an on-board sawari device.
The sanshin (三線, lit., "three strings") is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese shamisen . Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.
It is often tuned the same as a shamisen but an octave higher. In central Japan, the kokyū was formerly used as an integral part of the sankyoku ensemble, along with the koto and shamisen , but beginning in the 20th century the shakuhachi began to play the role previously filled by the kokyū .
Professional players can produce virtually any pitch they wish from the instrument, and play a wide repertoire of original Zen music, ensemble music with koto, biwa, and shamisen, folk music, jazz, and other modern pieces. Much of the shakuhachi 's subtlety (and player's skill) lies in its rich tone colouring, and the ability for its variation.