Sunday, May 04, 2003

>> Q and A from Friday’s yuntaku

[note: the Q & A for this entry are from my recent yuntaku at Hawaii’s Plantation Village.]

After allowing myself some time to think about which questions to post to this weblog, I’ve decided on the music-related ones of which I’m most familiar with. I’ll be more than happy to answer any other questions you may have so feel free to email me.

Q: What instruments are in an Okinawan ensemble?

A: For a koten ongaku (classical music) ensemble, a “full” cast would consist of at least one of each of these instruments:

Sanshin (banjo): The most essential instrument of Okinawan music. Called shamisen in Japanese, it has three strings or chiru (the word ‘sanshin’ means ‘3 strings’), and a body or chîga made from python skin.
Kutû (zither): This instrument called koto in Japanese, has thirteen strings and is the largest of the ensemble.
Têku (drum): This instrument is actually a pair of drums, called taiko in Japanese, with a large one placed vertically and a smaller one placed horizontally.
Kûchô (fiddle): This is basically a “mini-me” version of the sanshin although it may have an added fourth or fifth string to it. When played with the ensemble, the instrument (called kokyû in Japanese) in most cases will follow the main melody which is being sung by the uta-sanshin (voice or song with sanshin) player.
Fansô (bamboo flute): Called hanshou in Japanese, like the kûchô this instrument in most cases will follow the main melody that’s being sung by the uta-sanshin player.

In minyou, or folk music, it’s possible to have the above instruments as well as Western instruments like a violin, piano, or a guitar. For the most part, minyou is kept acoustic with the norm being a combo of sanshin and têku.

Q: What’s the difference between the Okinawan sanshin and the Japanese shamisen?

A: The Okinawan sanshin is the origin of the Japanese shamisen. The sanshin we see today is actually a modified version of the original instrument (called sanxian) which arrived in Okinawa from China in the 14th century. The major differences between the sanshin and the shamisen are:

The sanshin body is covered with snakeskin and is circular in shape, while the shamisen body is covered with cat skin and is rectangular in shape. The sanshin is smaller in length than the shamisen. The plectrum, or bachi, used for the sanshin resembles a comma-shape while the one used for the shamisen is shaped like a rice paddle.

To be continued…

posted by Richie at 12:20 AM