Music of Japan

Music, the best way to express our feelings

Music is always the best way to express our feelings, and Music in Japan is not the exception. The music of Japan has a very rich range of rhythms and styles. Music is used to express the Asian culture, religion and history. 

The oriental music

In general terms, the oriental music has some particular similarities such as:

• The relations with the religion. Most of the traditional songs are based on sacred books and the sound of music achieves spiritual levels.
• In oriental music, there is a lot of improvisation because the rhythms always have variations.
• The vocal sounds are the most different. They use many tones and techniques such as the falsetto, sharp nose, deep voice and guttural.

Japanese music

Japanese people combine sounds and silences with the typical instruments that are very similar to Chinese instruments. The most used instruments are, the Koto (National Japanese symbol), the Shamisen, the Shakuhachi, the biwa, the oboe, the Sho. All of these instruments are used to create a melody, harmony and rhythms. There are many Japanese Schools where you can learn the culture and the language.

Japanese music is classified according to time. The ancient music was called Gagaku which was performed by the aristocracy. The medieval music was the Shômyô which was performed by the Monks, and the Biwa and the Nohgaku performed by the Militaries. The modern music is the Sôkyoku, the Shamisén, the Shakuhachi and the Biwa, performed by anybody.

Japanese Dance

Music is also reflected in the Japanese Dance. There are two types of Japanese traditional dance, Mai that originated in western Japan and Odori, in the Edo period. Mai is performed in rooms and not in stages and Odori is oriented to male feelings.

The traditional Japanese music

The traditional Japanese music is known as Hougaku, and the term for the music in general is Ongaku. Nowadays, the Japanese music mixture with occidental music is known as J. Music.

In the early 20th century, Japan started to share more aspects of the Western culture, marking a decline of some traditions. The music becomes more urban and introduces rhythms, instruments, harmonies and melodic patterns in the Western Culture. However, the traditions and Japanese festivals are still alive in the population that has not forgotten its rich folklore.