Asian Music

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Asian Music What is it? What instruments are used
in it?
2
Asian Music
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Where is Japan?
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Japan

• Koto- a string instrument with 13 strings and 13
  bridges played with finger picks
• Finger picks are placed on thumb, index finger
  and middle finger
• National instrument of Japan

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v75uAD-XYs6U
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Japan

• Taiko Drums Taiko means drum in Japanese
• Drums are typically made of wood and played with
  sticks
• They are typically very large instruments.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v_n-6KC2RdGQ
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Where is China?
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China

• Qin or Guqin stringed instrument that is
  plucked
• Soft Dynamic instrument
• Range of about four octaves

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vc2Zf_RrEqx4
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China

• Dizi instrument made out of bamboo or wood
• Played like a flute

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vTxsOks4V35w
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China

• In America, we have four instrument families
  (brass, woodwind, percussion and string).
• In China, they have three instrument families
  (woodwind, percussion and string).
• String family is MOST IMPORTANT!!!
• In America, we have a conductor typically.
• In China, there is usually NO conductor.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?ve4VEuTM_gBIfeature
related
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Where is Indonesia?
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Indonesia

• Gamelan Ensemble from Indonesia that uses
  percussion instruments
• The word gamelan comes from the word GAMELS
  which means to hammer.
• Metallophones, Xylophones, Drums and Gongs are
  used.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v55_ngjs8prU
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Pentatonic Scale

• Pentatonic Scale- scale commonly used in Asian
  music
• Built on five notes (Do, Re, Mi, Sol and La)
• Penta five Tonic Notes

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Why does Asian music sound different?

• Government - Communism
• Government control of the spread of Western ideas
  (including music) into Asian culture kept Asian
  music from developing and modernizing.
• Government isolated/shielded Asian culture from
  the influence of Western cultures/arts.
• Instruments and techniques did not develop like
  in the Western cultures. Instruments used today
  are the same as instruments used in ancient Asia.
  
• Today, China is more open (still Communist), and
  Japan is democratic therefore, some more modern
  ideas/techniques are coming into Asian culture.