However, in the scores of classical music, there existed sounds lower than the lowest sound that can be produced with a three-stringed Kucho. ![]() The number of strings was originally three as that in Sanshin. The trunk is made in the shape of a bowl, being different from that of Kokyu in the main islands of Japan (in olden times, the trunk was made by splitting the nut of coconut palms into halves), and the leather of a python is used for covering the trunk as those for Sanshin (Okinawan traditional three-stringed instrument). The main body is made of blackwood (ebony) or Distylium racemosum. Its feature is that the player rotates the main body to change the string on the main body to be played, instead of rotating the bow.Ī stringed instrument in Okinawa "Kucho" is written as the same Chinese characters for different pronunciation. In addition, it is also played for folk entertainment in various areas, and in some religions. Kokyu is used for Japanese ballads of the areas from the Hokuriku region to the Kansai region. Kokyu is one of 'Sangyoku,' or one of the instruments that are used for Sangyoku three instrument ensemble. Kokyu is played in Kokyu-gaku (music played with Kokyu alone), for the accompaniment to Jiuta songs (traditional Japanese shamisen music), and for the accompaniment to Gidayu-bushi (musical narrative of the puppet theatre). It is unusual in the world that, for the same instruments, such a big difference exists for the bows depending upon the music genre where they are used. On the other hand, for Kokyu used in ballads, a quite short bow with a thin wood part is used. Some Kokyu schools use bows with a big tassel at the side of the hand. ![]() In addition, a large amount of hair is used, and it is a feature of the bows of this type to have the hair string attached at a moderate tension. Most of the bows of Kokyu that are used in the genre of Sangyoku (played in combination with Kokyu and two other Japanese instruments) are long, and bows with a hair length of seventy centimeters and a total length exceeding one meter are common. This hair is detachable a cord is attached to the tip of the hair on the side of the hand and the cord is tied to a small metallic ring attached to the wood part of the bow. Horse tail hair is bound to make the hair for the bow. The specifications of details depend on the Kokyu school or the person who uses Kokyu. Most of the bows are made so as to be separated into two parts at the central portion. This is for increasing the resilience of a bow, as for violins at present. ![]() The central portion of the wood part of the bow is bent slightly towards the hair side, or warped slightly inwards in the most cases. The bow is made of Shitan, quince or bamboo, and it is sometimes lacquered. The bridges of Kokyu are quite different from those of the Shamisen the places where they are placed are completely different, and their shapes and materials are also considerably different. Almost the same materials for Shamisen are used nowadays, for the neck part, koki (literally, red wood) or Shitan (rosewood) is used or quince (Fabaceae) for popular versions, and for the main body, Chinese quince is used, with leather of cat or dog and silk strings utilized as well. This subject is described in summary 3.īeing a Japanese instrument, Kokyu is mostly provided with three strings (although some have four strings), and its shape is roughly a smaller version of the Shamisen - a three-stringed Japanese banjo. In particular, Kokyu is sometimes indicate all the Asian stringed instruments. In a broad sense, Kokyu is a generic name covering all the stringed instruments. ![]() Kucho is an Okinawan stringed instrument. Summary 1 and its history are described below.
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