Name:Nwushie,James EZekiel

Reg no;2018/24846

PRESENTATION TOPIC; CONTENT OF JAPANESE MUSIC

every country has it own traditional music,though in the modern age people tend to fold out of touch
with it.in Japan the number of people who are conversing with many different kinds of traditional music
is growing rapidly.modern Japanese music is heavily enfluence instrumentally and stylistically by
Western music.Today i am going to expose you to the content of Japanese music.

Gagaku

This is an orchestral music played in emperical court in Japan,it took it kind of forms, some one thousand
years ago.Gagaku is still performed in Japan as part of the emperial ceremonies.In Western music there
is always a conductor who conduct the orchestra. Gagaku has no conductor kokko drum set the tempo
for the orchestra to fit into. There different kinds of instrument in Japanese orchestra, i would like to
explain them one after the other so we get to know content of the music.

The koto is placed horizontally on the floor

Koto is a Japanese harp and has a long history. It was originally invented in China and later introduced in
Japan during the 7th or 8th century. A traditional koto consists of a long wooden main body with
thirteen strings attached to it.

The koto is played using your right hand’s thumb, index finger and middle finger, with the fingers
covered by ivory fingerpicks called tsume . These fingerpicks help you accurately pluck the strings to
produce a beautiful sound similar to western harps. The koto is typically placed horizontally on the floor,
and the koto player kneels down next to it, sitting in the so-called seiza position when playing. amisen
is probably one of the most famous traditional Japanese instruments. Some believe that the shamisen
was originally invented in China and called sangen .During the late 14th or early 15th century it was
introduced from China to Okinawa Prefecture, and local people started calling it sanshin.

Sanshin was played at special ceremonies held at the court of the Ryukyu Kingdom which independently
ruled Okinawa from the early 15th century to the 19th century. Even today, the sanshin is essential to
Okinawan culture and its folk music. In the 16th century sanshin became popular across Japan and
known as shamisen ).

While the sanshin and the shamisen share a similar shape and other features, there are slight
differences between them that are hard to recognize for the uninitiated. Sanshin are typically smaller
than shamisen, and the wooden body is often covered in snakeskin. Shamisen, on the other hand, have
a large body typically covered with dog or cat skin, or sometimes synthetic leather, instead of snakeskin.
When playing the sanshin, players use their fingers (sometimes with fingerpicks) to pluck the strings.
However, the shamisen is played using a wooden plectrum called bachi (バチ) to strike the strings.
biwa is popular in other parts of Asia too

Biwa is a Japanese short-necked lute which has been played for centuries, not only in Japan but in other
Asian countries as well. It is believed that the origin of the biwa can be found in ancient China and that it
spread through Asia, including Japan, during the Nara period (710 -794).

In the Heian period (794- 1192), biwa became popular among blind Buddhist monks wandering the
country. They were traveling performers called Biwa , and they made money by performing and
captivating people with their biwa skills.

Traditionally, the biwa is made up of four or five strings of different thicknesses. The strings are attached
to a wooden body, and players can produce different types of sound by plucking each string with a large
wooden plectrum. performances are a powerful and fun experience

Taiko is a traditional Japanese drum with a long history dating back to the Jomon period (14,000 – 300
B.C). Some historic records show that taiko were used not only as a musical instrument, but also as a
way of communication.

In ancient times, the Japanese used the taiko to communicate with each other as well as with their
ancestors at special rituals. Today, there are a variety of Japanese taiko in different sizes, shapes and
colors used for a wide range of purposes. You can enjoy amazing taiko performances at summer
festivals, seasonal events and religious rituals at temples and shrines across Japan.

Taiko drumming is traditionally performed with two wooden drum sticks called bachi used by the
musicians to hit the drums. The sound of taiko is very simple, yet powerful, and adds great rhythm to
any kind of music or song.Shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese flute made of bamboo. It derives from a
type of Chinese bamboo flute invented by a Buddhist monk and reached Japan in the late 7th century.
During that time, shakuhachi was used for gagaku , music that was traditionally performed at the
imperial court.

Shakuhachi has five finger holes (four holes on the front and one on the back), and players cover the
holes with their fingers to produce different sounds. Unlike the western flute, the shakuhachi is held
vertically when played. Shinobue is another type of bamboo flute which is very similar to shakuhachi.
Shinobue has more finger holes (typically seven) and is played horizontally like a western flute. sing
a bow

Kokyu is a traditional Japanese string instrument which is played using a bow, and the shape looks very
much like the shamisen. The kokyu is known as the only traditional Japanese musical instrument which
is played using a bow rather than fingers, fingerpicks or plectrum.

Horse hair is traditionally used to make the bow, and performers hold the small shamisen-like
instrument upright on their knees to play. In order to make a clear and beautiful sound, it’s important to
move the bow across the three strings vertically in a quick movement, similar to playing the violin.
similar to playing the violin.

7. Naruko

Naruko are fun and easy for everyone to play!

While some musical instruments require professional skill and much practice to play, there are others
that are easy to play even for beginners! Naruko is a traditional Japanese percussion instrument which is
often seen at festivals. Historically, it was used by farmers to scare birds away from the crops of their
fields and farms.

Today, naruko is known as the iconic instrument used in the Yosakoi Dance Festival, a festival held in
Kochi Prefecture in mid-August every year, and is basically a small clapping tool made from wood.
People participating in the festival hold a naruko in each hand and swing them back and forth to make a
clapping sound.

8. Kane sound

The kane is a small percussion instrument which has been played in Japan and other Asian countries
from ancient times. This disc-shaped brass bell originated in China and has been used for a wide range of
events in Japan, including gagaku,Buddhist ceremonies, traditional festivals and ritual events.

Like other percussion instruments, the kane is generally played by striking it with a mallet made from
wood or horn. You can make distinctively different sounds by hitting different parts of the instrument
with the mallet. At Awa Odori Festival, which is held annually in Tokushima Prefecture, the kane plays an
important role alongside other traditional musical instruments such as taiko drums and shamisen to
create rhythmic background music.

From ancient times, traditional Japanese musical instruments have played a big part in Japanese culture,
and they produce beautiful sounds completely different from those of the west .

Governing principle in Japanese music

For Japanese, the basic principle governing the universe is not God or man, but time - a time which is a
primordial flowing energy, through which everything evolves and becomes . The concept of naru,
meaning becoming, is very important in Japanese traditional music and all other Japanese forms of art.
It is even considered a natural law. All art evolves through its own temporal movement and flow. This
includes as well the movement of the painter or the sculptor in creating their works, the musician
performing a piece of music, a poet reciting a poem or an actor performing in a play.
One of the most important aesthetic principle in Japanese music follows from this concept of naru. This
principle is called jo-ha-kyû, which means roughly introduction, development and conclusion. It is a
temporal aesthetic principle on which music is based, from a single note to entire pieces. It regulates
the flow of time in a piece of music so that all notes, words and parts flow flawlessly between each
other. Jo-ha-kyû manifests the flow of nature in temporal arts.

There is another principle which is very important in Japanese arts: the ma, which is generally translated
as space ; but it is not a physical space but it is more a sensory space, which involves physical space as
well as the space of time. In music, it is felt through the silences between musical phrases or single
notes, or through the jo-ha-kyû while playing a single note or a phrase. In a flower arrangement, it is felt
through the arrangement of the different flowers, branches or leafs. Or, in a Japanese tea room, one
might see a beautiful kimono hung on a corner. The ma is felt not through its physical place in the room,
but through what a kimono evokes in one's mind when notices it: the beauty of wearing such a beautiful
kimono. The ma is sensory in relation to what is evoked in a person's mind when experiencing
something.

Rhthm and Melody

in Western music rhythm and Melody are Paramount but in Japanese music the emphasis is not on
steady beat measurelly but rather,from sounds from nature like the wind,insect or rushing of water are
emphasize.Japanese emulate the sound in musical form,what gagaku does have in common with
Western orchestra.

Conclusion

we can see that every culture in the world has it own music peculiar to it, music is an integral part of
many cultures of the world.Japanes music has always been appreciated,Japanese music also share
things in common with Western music,we can see that in gagaku music which is an orchestral music of
Japan.