What is Koto music called?
The term for koto chamber music, sankyoku, means music for three. The standard instrumentation today consists of a koto player who also sings, along with performers on a three-stringed plucked samisen lute and an end-blown shakuhachi flute.
Is the koto Chinese or Japanese?
It’s said that the koto was invented in China around the fifth to the third century BC. Originally it had only 5 strings, but this later increased to 12 strings and then to 13,and the 13-string koto was brought to Japan during the Nara period (710–794).
What is the rhythm of koto?
The koto has two types of patterns: metrical and non-metrical patterns.
What do you call to a 13 string zither instrument of Japan?
koto
koto, also called kin, long Japanese board zither having 13 silk strings and movable bridges. The body of the instrument is made of paulownia wood and is about 190 cm (74 inches) long.
Has the koto changed over time?
The conventional 13-string koto, a zither with moveable bridges, is one that has remained essentially unchanged over the centuries. It is also, however, one of the few Japanese instruments that has enough modified versions in use today to guarantee that they won’t go away.
How many strings does a koto have?
13 silk
Are the guqin and koto the same?
Names and types The character for koto is 箏, although 琴 is often used. However, 琴 usually refers to another instrument, the guqin (琴の琴; kin no koto). 箏, in certain contexts, is also read as sō (箏の琴; sō no koto). The term is used today, but usually only when differentiating the koto and other zithers.
How are the strings on a koto numbered?
The thirteen strings on the koto are numbered starting with string 1 furthest from the performer and going to string 13 which is the closest to the performer.
What is the standard tuning of a koto?
Each string on the koto can be tuned to any pitch, but typically strings are tuned from low to high order, except for string 1 which is usually higher in pitch than strings 2, 3 and 4. Hira-choshi(tranquil-tuning) is the standard tuning for solo koto performance.
What are the pitches in Koto?
The pitches for the voice are notated with koto string numbers, and can be encoded in a separate **koto spine. The rhythm of the vocal part is much more free than the accompanying koto music, and it usually has an incomplete rhythmic specification.
What is a free rhythm in Koto?
The rhythm of the vocal part is much more free than the accompanying koto music, and it usually has an incomplete rhythmic specification. When the vocal part is in a free rhythm, the tandem interpretation marker *freecan be used to indicate that the rhythmic durations are not precise.