The guitar’s construction is similar to that of a banjo or a guitar, with a neck and strings stretched across a resonating body. The shamisen is a stringed instrument made of plucked strings. Kucho, a round instrument, is one type of kucho that is found in Okinawa. The shamisen is 28 inches long and 14 inches wide, and it is extremely graceful. Because it is the only string instrument in Japanese culture that requires a bow, the kokyu differs from other string instruments in that it does not require a bow. In the 1970s, the Sanshin became extinct, but it has since appeared more frequently. The instrument’s sound is described in the manner of an onomatopoeic description. The Sanshin’s body is covered in snakeskin, with three strings on each side, and its long neck is just as beautiful. Historically, street musicians have used the gottan as their instrument of choice. The tonkori, which has two bridges and five strings, is made up of only two frets. Pipa is a Chinese fruit tree that grows in China. Biwa, which means “big plectrum” in Japanese, is a plucked instrument with strings that requires a bachi (small plectrum). The neck of the guitar or banjo is thinner and fretless than that of the guitar or banjo. The shamisen has three silk strings and tuning pegs on a wood body that is covered in silk. A Vietnamese dan tranh, Korean gayageum, and Mongolian yatga are all familiar names. The Koto, like the Guzheng (a Chinese stringed instrument), is a descendant of this instrument. The shamisen has a distinctive sound that is instantly recognizable, and it is an important part of the Japanese musical landscape. The shamisen is an important part of Japanese culture, and has been used in a wide variety of settings, from traditional folk music to modern pop. The strings are plucked with a plectrum, and the shamisen can be played solo or in a group. The shamisen is traditionally made of wood, with a body that is similar to a lute or a mandolin. In their art, as in their lives, Okinawans keep saying that things will all work out in the end.The Japanese guitar, also known as the shamisen, is a three- stringed instrument that has been played in Japan for centuries. This strikes many outsiders as ironic, given the former independent kingdom's turbulent and tragic history. Repeatedly subject to foreign occupation, most Okinawans, remarkably, don't sing the blues, but have maintained a sunny outlook on life - an attitude that colors their music. Sanshin has also been blended with Western instruments to create a hybrid, like in the song "Haisai Ojisan," by local legend Shoukichi Kina. About seven years ago, he was made a 'living national treasure' by the Japanese government." "So he became a professional musician anyway. "The sanshin had this image of rather undesirable characters who drank too much and messed around with women," Gillan says. He recalls an elderly sanshin musician who was warned early in his life to find a different career. You won't find a big sanshin solo in the middle of the song - it's simply used to accompany the words and make the words stand out more."Įthnomusicologist Matt Gillan says this music - once the culture of a scorned Japanese underclass - has been dramatically rehabilitated in recent decades. "So it's used in a kind of different way to maybe a guitar accompaniment. "The sanshin comes in between the words it fleshes out the words, fills in the spaces in between the words rather than playing melodies," Potter says. Okinawan music, which dates back centuries, features the call-and-response phrasing also common in African cultures. It's also about life lessons and hopes for a good harvest." "Since this is music by the common folk, the themes are love, romantic problems, or someone got drunk and in hot water," Oshiro says. Music here is so ubiquitous, Potter says, it even follows Okinawans long after they're gone - it's played at grave sites, when families pay respects to their ancestors.Īt the Shimaumui pub in downtown Naha, 41-year-old musician Taku Oshiro says his lyrics, sung in the vanishing Okinawan dialect, cover the full range of human drama. That's kept traditional music front and center as native music grew irrelevant in the rest of modern Japan. Okinawans are renowned for their longevity, strong community ties and laid-back attitude. "Even though younger people might be more interested in modern pop music and hip-hop and things like that, they would also - even if they didn't have a tremendous interest in Okinawan music - they would also know about it. "More than anywhere else in Japan, Okinawan music still plays a big part in people's lives," Potter says. "Unlike the guitar, you pluck the strings one at a time and the music is written not as notes, but as Chinese characters," Oyama says.īritish writer John Potter was so besotted with the Okinawan vibe, he moved to the city three years ago.
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