Japanese Music Theory I: Scales

Today we will talk about Fumio Koizumi and his work unraveling the Japanese melodic construction in music primarily from the Edo period. Fumio Koizumi was an ethnomusicologist who probably had to register for a few passports in his life time. He traveled to over 30 countries studying their music and culture. Koizumi’s most significant contribution was creating a system and explanation for Japanese traditional music and melodies.

#shakuhachi #Musictheory #Japan #Japanese

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[prarobinson]

But 'tetra' means 'four', so isn't it a tetrachord because it's based on the 4th?

[UmbraMonarch]

I've been looking deeply into japanese music theory of late and was suprised at how scarse videos on this topic was. This was super helpful! Thank you so much, I'm excited for the next installment!

[anejat]

7:52
"Now with the added B"
*Flight of the Bumblebee starts playing*

[ForgiaG]

Great great great video! Everytime I've looked up information about traditional Japanese music and scales it always felt confusing and I never was able to really grasp how things actually worked, but the way you've brought the knowledge through understandable communication and plausible sources has made me understand it, thank you! Already subscribed and I'll surely be browsing the rest of your content!

[wyvernx]

Great information i was looking up information on hirajoshi scale and i learned so much more! thank you!

[ShakuhachiSpirit]

Very interesting. Someone now needs to research pitches since it was not in 12 tone equal temperament until recently (12 TET was strived for in classical period with comma systems, then perfected around 1900 with tuners in Europe). There is more to the story in terms of intervals in the old music.

[pwdoconnor]

This is excellent! Thank you for this!

[joestatuto]

Wow, very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[oliversvensson]

Being very experienced in historical european musiv theory, I find it very fun to learn about historical japanese music theory!

[zadokallenpiano]

Hello, great video but I didn't quite understood the "jumping" and "connecting" process to create our scales
How do we know when we use the one or the other ?

[calvinleung]

Hello - really like your video and it's super useful - but just wanted to clarify something...
I've seen your pinned comment, but prarobinson is also wrong as it isn't a tetrachord - as a tetrachord needs to have four notes in it (regardless of whether it's based on the 4th)

[jul]

But I don’t get it, why is the added fourth sometimes a D and sometimes an E? Is it the fourth in relation to the tonal note or not??
Edit: ok I think I get it, all that matters in the end is that the lowest and highest notes of the scale form a perfect fourth together, as they "enclose" the shorter interval in between. And if the mode consists of a note BELOW the central note, then the fourth also gets added below (therefore become an E), and vice versa (giving us a D). Am I getting this right?

[Heretoday_y]

Appreciate this. Thought it was Anime music theory.

[eduardoblancas]

Hi. I came here for solving a questions for my Music History homework. I need to learn the pentatonic scale and compose a song on this in only 20 days for an exam.

I decided to compose a Japanese-inspired Mexican son called "Sones de Sumire" which I will dedicate to Natsuki Deguchi, my favourite actress.

Do you think that koto would adapt to the fast rythms of a mexican son composition like the "Son de la Negra"? I have fear of errors that would cost me my qualification and my status.

Please, help!

I will be very thankful.

Kano, from Mexico

[calvinleung]

Also the example you used for the folk song mode is supposed to include A C D E G - but the example had no E but F instead - please can you explain this

[gadtpmtj]

Hi, does these japanese mode have a colour note like those in the church mode? For example the #6 is what make dorian sounds like dorian.

[nigelhaywood]

Tetra means four and so a tetrachord, in the west, at least, has four note: C D E F, for example.

[Nokori_aki]

As a guitarist, I got bored. Now I have more ways to increase my scales instead of E minor pentatonic

[goldenultra]

Sakura pentatonic scale
Notes
E F A B c e

May try to play using Sakura piano vst. Also may try

Solsbury Hill
Song by Peter Gabriel ‧ 1977

There are 3 chords i think will work on that instrument.

Always wanted to play a melody on that instrument.

[Sklzky]

But Bach lived before the classicists formulated their funny rules :v
Anyway it's amazing to have someone on youtube tackling this topic, time to binge :)