"It's not
the best time to stop someone when you stark naked and have just
climbed out of the cold pool at Wilber hot springs. But I ask
you, what would you have done if you had seen someone pass by
with a Shakuhachi tube strapped to his back. How many Shakuhachi
players do you bump into out in the wilds of California. Miss
an opportunity like that, never. The flute carrier was with a
woman and they were both fully clothed."
John Coltrane taking care of some important business. (Thanks Ralf Muhlberger)
Although Japan is obviously
the most Westernized country in all of Asia, Japanese people are
known as being great guardians of tradition. When it comes
to music and all other forms of art, traditions are firmly and
safely preserved, yet, as in all Asian countries, there is a decline;
the youth being more interested in pop and rock music then their
own traditions. Modernization is surely a threat; but the
sense of tradition in Japan is so strong that their traditional
music will continue to thrive and, to a small extent, with the
help of the West.
Japanese music is
extremely diverse: solo music, chamber music, court music, festival
and folk music, different types of theatre music, percussion music,
epic singing, and many more. This article presents a general
overview of Japanese traditional solo and how it evolved into
ensemble music.
Wearable instruments
that put chips in dancers' shoes, an orchestra on a sleeve and
wireless duets on city streets.
"Professional
musicians and performance artist are exploring interactive technologies
more seriously, not to fill awkward silences but to delve into
new areas of expression. Dr. Tomie Hahn, an ethnomusicology professor
at Tufts University, is using technology to experiment with Japanese
dance forms. In one of her dances, she personifies Pikapika, a
Japanese word that means "twinkling." For her performance,
Dr. Hahn wears an interface designed by Dr. Curtis Bahn, a researcher
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It consists of sensors worn
on the hands and feet, and small speakers strapped to the arms.
As Dr. Hahn dances, her body is guided by the music of its own
creation."
Tai Hei Shakuhachi
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