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#1 2006-06-14 03:57:01

Alex
Member
From: Barcelona - Spain
Registered: 2005-10-17
Posts: 138

Left vs. Right hemisphere

Hola a todos,

I read a very interesting first page of an article and I thought some of you may find it interesting. Here is goes:


"Symbolic techniques in Japanese Koto-Kumiuta by Gen’ichi Tsuge

One of the characteristic Japanese tendencies in music making is the inclusion of “non-musical” sounds. This is not necessarily an attempt to imitate natural sounds realistically, but rather to conjure in the mind of the listener the image of a certain aspect of nature. The role of the so-called “non-musical” or the “extra-musical” sounds is a truly significant one in the overall make-up of Japanese music. In fact, to the Japanese ear there is no differentiation between “musical” sounds and “non-musical” sounds, at least as far as traditional music and compositions are concerned. Musical sounds are often symbolic representations of the sounds of nature. Nature and music are to be appreciated together, for music is considered a subset of nature.

Recent studies (Tsunoda 1966, 1975, 1978) in the field of cerebro-physiology have pointed to a peculiar tendency of the Japanese brain towards sound. It is generally known that speech is a function primarily of the left cerebral hemisphere, and that song is primarily a function of the right cerebral hemisphere. We hear and appreciate music with the right hemisphere, whereas calculation and verbal thinking are activities of the left hemisphere. When the receptive mechanism of a Westerner’s brain is tested with the audio-meter, the result usually shows that the right hemisphere receives the sounds of musical instruments, various noises, bird calls, the barking of dogs, the sounds of insects humming, the vocal expression of human emotions, and the pronunciation of vowels. Thus the right hemisphere handles emotional and non-verbal information. The same text show that the left brain receives speech and the sound of consonants, handling logical and verbal activities.

However, the tests of Japanese brains show that the left hemisphere receives speech and the sounds of both vowels and consonants as well as humming, the expression of emotions, the sounds of birds and insects and even the sound of traditional musical instruments. At the same time, the Japanese right brain receives Western instrumental music and various noises, including machinery. [article continues]"


It's a shame it's not possible to read on but that's as far as I can get (if anybody has the full article and can share it would be great - providing we don't breach any Intelectual Property law or something!)

I find it raises interesting questions on how we should approach our understanding of Japanese music. I still have to think more about it but I would love to hear what you think. Maybe we can debate a bit around the topic. Hope you find it interesting.

Salud y alegría para todos

Alex


"An artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he's "at" somewhere. You always have to realise that you are constantly in the state of becoming. And as long as you can stay in that realm, you'll sort of be all right"
Bob Dylan

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#2 2006-06-14 13:53:39

rpowers
Member
From: San Francisco
Registered: 2005-10-09
Posts: 285

Re: Left vs. Right hemisphere

Alex wrote:

It's a shame it's not possible to read on but that's as far as I can get (if anybody has the full article and can share it would be great - providing we don't breach any Intelectual Property law or something!)


Alex

Where is the article published?


"Shut up 'n' play . . . " -- Frank Zappa
"Gonna blow some . . ." -- Junior Walker
"It's not the flute." -- Riley Lee

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#3 2006-06-14 14:13:02

dstone
Member
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: 2006-01-11
Posts: 552
Website

Re: Left vs. Right hemisphere

rpowers wrote:

Where is the article published?

Journal of the Society for Asian Music, Volume 12, Number 2, 1981.

http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/asian … v12n2.html

Public library, here I come...


When it is rainy, I am in the rain. When it is windy, I am in the wind.  - Mitsuo Aida

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#4 2006-06-14 17:44:45

rpowers
Member
From: San Francisco
Registered: 2005-10-09
Posts: 285

Re: Left vs. Right hemisphere

dstone wrote:

Journal of the Society for Asian Music, Volume 12, Number 2, 1981.

http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/asian … v12n2.html

Public library, here I come...

It may take a research library, but if you find one that subscribes, you can likely download a PDF of the article from JSTOR. I have seen it, but the terms of use don't permit redistribution.

I haven't read the article very carefully, but here is my impression. If your interest is the psychology and neurology of sound, you have seen just about everything there is in the article. The article is primarily about playing techniques (for koto) that produce sound effects--either literal or atmospheric--to support the text of the songs.

The author does cite the shakuhachi to contrast its natural tones to the standardized, ideal tones of the western flute.


"Shut up 'n' play . . . " -- Frank Zappa
"Gonna blow some . . ." -- Junior Walker
"It's not the flute." -- Riley Lee

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#5 2006-06-15 03:47:41

Alex
Member
From: Barcelona - Spain
Registered: 2005-10-17
Posts: 138

Re: Left vs. Right hemisphere

Hi there,

Thanks for the brief summary Rich, it looks realy interesting even if it is for koto, I'm sure there must be something we can apply to Shakuhachi, not specific techniques but certainly some sort of understanding of the music and its context. Afterall, Shakuhachi, in Sankyoku of course, is supposed to support the text as well, doesn't it?

It would also be interesting to read what he has to say about Shakuhachi vs Western Flute.

Anyway, I'll keep looking for it


"An artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he's "at" somewhere. You always have to realise that you are constantly in the state of becoming. And as long as you can stay in that realm, you'll sort of be all right"
Bob Dylan

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#6 2006-06-15 19:22:38

dstone
Member
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: 2006-01-11
Posts: 552
Website

Re: Left vs. Right hemisphere

I found the article.  Online, via JSTOR.  This limits me from passing it on, but here's an excerpt at the core of what the author's argument is -- that not only are the musical sounds, timbre, and meter of koto technique designed to suggest nature, but there are many technique designed for significant non-musical noise to also suggests nature...

(Scanned from a print after I closed the PDF -- blame my scanner on typos!)

The Sokyoku taiisho, an eighteenth century treatise and notation of the zokusa music written by iamada Shokoku describes 25 techniques (eight for the left hand, and seventeen for the right hand). Among those traditional playing techniques, many are used, of course, to produce "musical" sound with clear pitches. At the same time, however, at least eight involve non­musical sound or "noise." These eight techniques are as follows:
1. San (literally "scattering"): This technique is played by flicking the specified string with the right side of the middle fingerpick to produce a light squeaking tone.
2. Reo (literally "endless succession"): This technique is-played by skiimng over the strings with all the three fingerpicks from the near side of the koto to the far side.
3. Namigaeshi (literally "returning wave"): This technique consists of three strokes with the index and middle fingers, somewhat like the movement of a wave. It begins with a drawing stroke across the two lowest strings using the front side of the picks. This is followed by a second stroke with the back side of the picks brushing over all the strings in a movement away from the performer. Finally there is a repeat of the first stroke.
4. Waren (literally "circular ren"): This technique is pIayed by scraping severar-lower strings lightly with the right edge of the index and middle finger­picks in an arc-like motion from the far side to the near side.
5. Nagashi-zume (literally "flowing stroke"): This technique is played by skimming all the strings with the thumb from the near side to the far side like "flowing" water.
6. Suri-zume (literally "scraping stroke"): This technique is played by horizontally scraping two strings with the right edge of the index and middle fingerpicks twice--first to the left and then to the right.
7. Hikiren (literally "drawing ren"): This technique is played by brushing over arr-the strings with the middle fingerpick, the index finger pressed up against it, from the far to the near side.
8. Han-hikiren (literally "half hikiren"): This technique is the same as the above one, but the player begins brushing from the "halfway," around the fifth (go) and sixth (roku) strings.

This is followed by 20 or so examples from notable koto pieces.

Shakuhachi clearly suggests nature in some of its techniques and timbres, but maybe it doesn't have the breadth of non-musical "nature-implying" noise that koto does.  (Koto allows a percussive element greater than shakuhachi, so there's one advantage.)  Thoughts?

-Darren.


When it is rainy, I am in the rain. When it is windy, I am in the wind.  - Mitsuo Aida

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