The is a
double reed Japanese used as one of two main melodic instruments in Japanese music. It is one of the "sacred" instruments and is often heard at
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...
weddings in Japan. Its sound is often described as haunting.
[ ]
According to scholars, the emerged after the 12th century when the popularity of the Chinese melodies in Japan called waned.
Description
Although a double reed instrument like the
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
...
, the has a cylindrical
bore and thus its sound is similar to that of a clarinet. It is difficult to play due in part to the double reed configuration. It is made of a piece of bamboo that measures with a flat double reed inserted which makes a loud sound.
Pitch and ornamentation (most notably bending tones) are controlled largely with the
embouchure. The instrument is particularly noted for the ("salted plum seasoning"), a kind of pitch-gliding technique.
The is the most widely used of all instruments in and it is used in all forms of music aside from poetry recitation. The is derived from the Chinese or , and is also related to the Korean . This is evident in the notations of the finger positioning, a tablature of signs derived from Chinese characters.
Notable Japanese musicians who play the include
Hideki Togi and
Hitomi Nakamura.
Non-Japanese musicians who have learned to play the include
Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...
,
Richard Teitelbaum,
Thomas Piercy and
Joseph Celli.
References
External links
- Traditional Japanese Music
Gagaku
Japanese musical instruments
Single oboes with cylindrical bore
Kagura
Sacred musical instruments
Japanese words and phrases
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