Topmusicanswers
- How does the pipa make sound?
- What is the form of the East Asian vocal music?
- How the musical elements reflect in the East Asian culture?
- What is the sound of shamisen?
How does the pipa make sound?
Performance technique for the pipa is quite sophisticated and may include glissandos, tremolos, and harmonics. The right hand plucks the strings to produce sound, while the left hand is engaged in pressing, bending, and otherwise acting on the strings to produce the desired tonality.
What is the form of the East Asian vocal music?
The music of East Asia, the region including Japan, China, and the Koreas, is amongst the oldest artistic traditions in the world. The music is generally based on a pentatonic scale, in which five notes create an octave. That's different than the Western scale, which uses seven notes.
How the musical elements reflect in the East Asian culture?
In traditional East Asian music, as well as in most other non-Western traditions, all melodic instruments play the same basic melody. No one fills in the texture with chords. If harmonic texture is used, its function is to provide colour rather than to generate tension or release by chord progression.
What is the sound of shamisen?
Sawari – the lifeblood of shamisen
Sawari is comprised of overtones that create shamisen's unique “buzzing” sound and is one of the most important aspects of shamisen music. The word also refers to the instrument's structure that produces these sounds.
