China and Japan Intro to World Musics © 2000 Will Schmid

The Music of China

Chinese pentatonic scale Derivation of the tones –Acoustically derived from generator tone called the yellow bell –3:2 ratio (perfect 5th) w/bamboo used –F C G D A (F G A C D) form the Chinese pentatonic without half steps

8 classes of Chinese instruments Earth Stone Metal Skin –Think about the importance of locally available materials (such as bamboo) for making instruments Wood Bamboo Gourds Silk

Chinese musical philosophy Music is both the cause and the effect of universal harmony. – Confucius –Music therefore plays an important part in the governing of individual and collective living. –Yellow bell changed with dynasty change Music has almost magical powers. Music frequently has symbolic meaning. –Chinese opera: melody types

Features of Chinese Music Vocal music is the basis for all music Solo, chamber, and large ensembles exist Melody is supreme with heterophony as the most important structure –Embellishment is highly cultivated No harmony in traditional music –Chinese/Western hybrids often use harmony Gong/chime culture of sound

Chinese instruments - 1 Idiophones –Stones and rock gongs –Metal gongs –Metal bells –Rattles –Scraped sticks Membranophones –Large ceremonial drums –Small frame drums

Chinese instruments - 2 Chordophones –Bowed (Hu chin) »Erhu family - 2-string spike fiddles –Plucked or Hammered »Pipa - pear-shaped lute »Ruan - moon-shaped lute or guitar »San hsien (Sanxian) - 3-string banjo-like instr. »Zheng - 13 to 17-stringed zither which is the ancestor of the Japanese koto »Yanquin - hammered dulcimer Chinese Musical Instruments 4 Chinese Instruments: RealAudio examples Chinese Orchestra: Quicktime video examples

Notation for Nanhu/pipa Idiographic music notation is read down the page in columns starting in the upper right- hand corner.

Chinese instruments - 3 Aerophones »Di (Dizi or Dizhu) - flute »Sheng - a mouth organ gourd with 12 to 17 vertical bamboo pipes »Sona (Suona) - an oboe-like double reed »Chinese Musical InstrumentsChinese Musical Instruments

Chinese Art Nature themes common in art and music –Classic Chinese PaintingsClassic Chinese Paintings –Ask Asia drawings and explanationsAsk Asia drawings and explanations

Music of Japan

Japanese pentatonic scales Japanese – Chinese derived scales Without half steps (anhemitonic pentatonic) –Ryo scale (do re mi sol la) –Ritsu scale (sol la do re mi) –Yo scale (la do re mi sol) Japanese pentatonic scale –In scale (E F A B C) With half steps (hemitonic pentatonic)

Principal Japanese Instruments Shakuhachi - –end-blown flute Shakuhachi Links

Koto –The koto is a plucked string instrument that is a member of the zither family, and has 13 strings suspended lengthwise across moveable bridges on a rectangular wooden box. Moving the bridges along the strings allows the koto to have different tunings. The koto player affixes picks, or plectra, to the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand to pluck the strings. The koto is very popular in Japan. Besides being featured in Japanese court music, or gagaku, the koto accompanies singers and performs solos. Koto Homepage (includes “how to play”)

Shamisen –3-stringed plucked banjo-like instrument Shamisen maker

Taiko Drumming Rolling Thunder Homepage

Features of Japanese Music “Maximum effectiveness from minimal resources” – W. Malm Classical music = chamber music concept Heterophony – main principle Embellishment is where the art is Foreign music – “adapted not adopted” Theatre music –Noh, Kabuki Nature themes