Shakuhachi music was originally used by Zen Buddhists as a spiritual tool for meditation practices known as ‘suizen’, ra-ther than public performances.
Sometimes called a ‘five-holed bamboo flute’ in English, it has four holes on the front, and one on the back, and is characterised by its distinctively poignant tone. The shakuhachi is a flute made of bamboo that’s played by blowing on one end. The resonance hits you directly it’s able to deliver a lot of energy to the listener.' Traditional Japanese wind instruments Shakuhachi It’s partly to do with the leather they’re made from it’s very durable. It’s said that taiko or wadaiko were used by feudal lords during war times to command troops and raise morale – the drums create an incredibly powerful sound.Ĭontemporary composer and taiko drummer Joji Hirota says that, ‘I love the range of the sound dynamics of the taiko drums – it goes from very delicate to really loud! There aren’t many comparable instruments. The most dramatic are the oo-daiko, which are the large drums positioned at the back of a taiko ensemble. Taiko drums are seen at many summer festivals in Japan, and come in a variety of sizes.
Made with snakeskin and originating in Okinawa, the sanshin is often played at graduations or other special ceremonies there. The sanshin is often compared to the banjo, but it’s a plucked instrument. ‘Sanshin’ translates as ‘three strings’ and the instrument’s ‘male’ string, middle string and ‘female’ string produce the lowest, middle and highest notes respectively. It’s played with a large triangular plectrum that’s used to strike the strings. It has three strings, with the pitch adjusted by tuning pegs on the head, like a guitar or violin, but without frets. The shamisen resembles a guitar, with a long, thin neck and a small rectangular body covered with skin.
During the New Year holidays Haru no Umi, a duet with the shakuhachi, is often piped in as background music, and during the cherry blossom ( sakura) season, the popular tune Sakura, Sakura is performed on the koto. Of these traditional instruments, the koto is probably the most familiar and the most popular in Japan – it’s regarded as the country’s national instrument. This large, wooden instrument is played with picks worn on the fingers, and uses movable bridges placed under each string to change the pitch. Historians think the koto was invented around the fifth to the third century BC in China, with the 13-stringed version coming to Japan during the Nara period (710-794). The most popular Japanese stringed instruments are the koto, the biwa and the shamisen. Traditional Japanese stringed instruments Three of today’s best-known traditional Japanese instruments date back to that time – the biwa, the koto and the shakuhachi. There are three main stringed instruments, the wagon, a 7-stringed table zither, the gaku-biwa, a 4-stringed lute, and the gaku-so, a 13-stringed table zither that’s a precursor to the koto. The wind section includes the sho (a mouth organ), three different transverse flutes and the hichirikai, a short, double-reed instrument like an oboe. The percussion section features different sized drums, together with gongs and cymbals. But since then, the repertoire and the style of performance are almost exactly the same today as they were a thousand years ago.Ī Gagaku ensemble has three types of instruments – percussion, wind and string. Up until the 10th century, the music was adapted to Japanese tastes, and new pieces were composed. Gagaku – meaning elegant or refined music – entered Japan around 589 (the term was first recorded in 701) and became popular in the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Japan’s earliest classical music style was imported via monks who had been sent to China to study. Many popular Japanese musical instruments also originated in China and were then adapted to meet local needs. Historically, Japanese folk music was strongly influenced by music from China, with some of its forms being imported from China more than a thousand years ago. Traditional Japanese music includes everything from solo music to chamber, court, festival and folk music, together with a variety of theatre music. Discover Sounds of Japan Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments
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