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Traditional Japanese Music  2 reactions, last updated 227 days ago

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There are several types of traditional, Japanese music (hogaku). Some of the most important ones are listed below: Gagaku: Ancient court music from China and Korea. It is the oldest type of Japanese, traditional music. Biwagaku: Music played with the Biwa, a kind of guitar with four strings. Nohgaku: Music played during Noh performances. It basically consists of a chorus, the Hayashi flute, the Tsuzumi drum, and other instruments. Sokyoku: Music played with the Koto, a type of zither with 13 strings. Later also accompanied by Shamisen and Shakuhachi. Shakuhachi: Music played with the Shakuhachi, a bamboo flute that is about 55 cm long. The name of the flute is its length expressed in shaku an old Japanese unit of length. Shamisenongaku: Music played with the Shamisen, a kind of guitar with only three strings. Kabuki and Bunraku performances are accompanied by the shamisen. Minyo: Japanese folk songs.

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English Links

Japanese Music (University of Texas: International) General information. Rolling Thunder About Japanese Taiko drums. Shammy's Page Everything about the Shamisen. Japanese flutes About Japanese flutes. Koto (Yasue&Toru Homepage) Everything about Koto.

Product Links

Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments Book by William P. Malm Tsugaru Shamisen Audio CD by Chikuzan Takahashi Shamisen Audio CD by Various Artists Koto Music of Japan Audio CD by Various Artists Lullaby For The Moon: Japanese Music For Koto And Shakuhachi Audio CD by Various Artists Shakuhachi Meditation Music Audio CD by Stan Richardson Gagaku & Beyond Audio CD by Tokyo Gakuso and Tadaaki Ohno

Japanese Links

Gagaku Home Page Everything about Gagaku. Japanese flutes About Japanese flutes. Shammy's Page Everything about the Shamisen. Koto (Yasue&Toru Homepage) Everything about Koto.