Communication and Language Concepts Quiz

East Asian Music

East Asian music encompasses the diverse musical traditions of countries including China, Japan, and Korea.
The style and characteristics vary among these countries.

Japanese Music

Japanese music is often monophonic in nature, characterized by minute tones, free rhythm, and delicate timbre.
It's typically written in duple meter.
It's influenced by Chinese court music, specifically the five-tone or pentatonic scale.
Two common modes are Yo-sen (male scale) and In-sen (female scale), often used in koto and shamisen.
The third note in a pentatonic scale is crucial in many pieces.
Japanese vocal music differs from Western music, emphasizing the intervals of human breathing rather than mathematical timing.

Chinese Music

Traditionally, Chinese music aimed to calm passions and dispel unrest, rather than purely for entertainment.
The first emperor of each dynasty had the duty to establish a standard pitch for the empire.
This emphasis on harmony and the universe is evident in theoretical opposition to entertainment-driven music.
Chinese vocal music is generally sung in a thin, non-resonant voice, or falsetto, and is usually solo rather than choral.
Melody and tone color are dominant features. Music often uses the pentatonic scale .
Instruments are categorized by their materials (animal skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal, and stone).

Korean Music

Korean folk music often features brighter rhythms and melodies in contrast to classical styles.
It reflects the soul and sound of traditional Korean villages.
Styles include folk songs, instrumental pieces, pansori (a kind of narrative song), and shaman ritual music.
Chong-ak is a type of Korean music associated with the upper classes; it has a distinctive meaning of "right" or "correct" music.
Korean music, especially in South Korea, has a rich vocal tradition. Instruments and musical forms range extensively. These traditions express the soul and rich tales of Korean history.
Pansori is a style frequently used by skilled singers and drummers.

Musical Instruments

Odaiko: A large Japanese drum, integral to many Japanese festivals (matsuri).
Tsuzumit: An hourglass-shaped Japanese drum. Different styles include smaller kotsuzumi and larger otsuzumi.
Tsudidaiko: A large, hanging barrel drum.
Taiko: A Japanese drum used in many music genres, coming in various sizes.
Koto: A 13-stringed zither, crafted from Paulownia wood.
Shamisen: A plucked stringed instrument similar to guitar or banjo, with a fretless neck.
Biwa: A short-necked fretted lute, often used in narrative storytelling, associated with Japanese goddess of music.
Nokan: A parallel bamboo flute used specifically in Noh plays.
Sho: A free-reed musical instrument introduced from China during the Nara period.
Shakuhachi: A bamboo flute with 4 or 5 finger holes, imported to Japan from China.
Hichiriki: A double-reed bamboo flute, instrumental in Japanese Gagaku music.
Shinobue (Takebue): A transverse flute often associated with the high-pitched sound in Japanese traditional arts
Yueqin: A moon-shaped lute with a shorter neck and four strings that is used to accompany local Chinese operas.
Pipa: A four-stringed lute with 30 frets and a pear-shaped body; known for a wide dynamic range.
Erhu: A two-stringed fiddle that is commonly used as a solo instrument or in ensembles.
Yunluo: A set of ten small tuned gongs mounted in a wooden frame.
Zheng: An ancient Chinese instrument with an arched surface and elongated trapezoid shape. It has strings that run across individual bridges, offering three to four octaves of range.
Dizi: A Chinese flute, frequently featuring a membrane over an extra hole that creates a rattle effect while playing.
Pengling: A set of small bells used as a part of coloring instrument in some Chinese theatrical or ensemble music.
Piri: A Korean bamboo oboe, often used in both folk and classical Korean music.
Kayagum: A traditional Korean Zither, featuring a variety of strings, commonly between 12 and 21.
Geomungo: A Korean six-stringed zither.
Haegum: Korean two-stringed vertical fiddle.
Changgo: A widely used Korean hourglass-shaped drum with two heads made from animal skins.
Gagaku: Sophisticated court music in Japan.
Kagura: Ritual music dance associated with worship rites in Japan.

Additional Concepts

Form: An overall structure or plan in a piece of music. Some common forms include the strophic form (using the same tune on a series of verses).
Texture: The way melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a music piece, influencing the piece’s overall quality. Examples include monophony (single line), homophony (accompaniment of melodic parts), and heterophony (melody played with variations.)
Melody: A sequence of notes that form a musical line.
Rhythm: The timing and patterns of notes used in a musical piece.
Timbre: The quality of a tone that makes it recognizable, like the tone color of a voice or instrument.
Pentatonic Scale: A five-note musical scale commonly found in East Asian musics.
Heptatonic Scale: A seven-note musical scale.
Improvisation: Performance given without previous planning or preparation; frequently associated with musical passages or dramatic skits.
Vocal Timbre: Describes the specific qualities of the human voice found in musical recordings, often described as nasal or throaty
Pansori: Korean vocal art form (song) that depicts narratives through singing and drumming, often based on Korean folk tales.
Arirang: An important Korean folk song often used as a cultural symbol, and frequently imbued with sad stories and/or references to farewells.