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17-string Koto
The is a variant of the with 17 strings instead of the typical 13. The instrument is also known as , "17 stringed ", or "bass " (although with a greater number of strings also exist). The was invented in 1921 by Michio Miyagi, a musician who felt that the standard lacked the range he sought in a traditional instrument. His 17 string creation, sometimes described as a "bass ", has a deeper sound and requires specialized plectra; traditional plectra are worn attached to the player's fingers, with which the strings are plucked. Though his original was considerably larger than a normal , 17 stringed of a similar size to the average are more common today, though they do not have as deep a sound as the larger version. In 2000, the musician Naito Masako, a member of the Seiha faction of the Ikuta school, constructed a new version of the 17-string koto called (popcorn), finished in bright colours such as pink, yellow, or blue. Construction The bass is similarly made from Pau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bass Koto
The is a variant of the with 17 strings instead of the typical 13. The instrument is also known as , "17 stringed ", or "bass " (although with a greater number of strings also exist). The was invented in 1921 by Michio Miyagi, a musician who felt that the standard lacked the range he sought in a traditional instrument. His 17 string creation, sometimes described as a "bass ", has a deeper sound and requires specialized plectra; traditional plectra are worn attached to the player's fingers, with which the strings are plucked. Though his original was considerably larger than a normal , 17 stringed of a similar size to the average are more common today, though they do not have as deep a sound as the larger version. In 2000, the musician Naito Masako, a member of the Seiha faction of the Ikuta school, constructed a new version of the 17-string koto called (popcorn), finished in bright colours such as pink, yellow, or blue. Construction The bass is similarly made from Pau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koto (musical Instrument)
The is a Japanese plucked half-tube zither instrument, and the national instrument of Japan. It is derived from the Chinese and , and similar to the Mongolian , the Korean and , the Vietnamese , the Sundanese and the Kazakhstan . Koto are roughly in length, and made from Paulownia wood ('' Paulownia tomentosa'', known as ). The most common type uses 13 strings strung over movable bridges used for tuning, different pieces possibly requiring different tuning. 17-string koto are also common, and act as bass in ensembles. Koto strings are generally plucked using three fingerpicks (), worn on the first three fingers of the right hand. Names and types The character for ''koto'' is , although is often used. However, (''koto'') is the general term for all string instruments in the Japanese language,(jaKotobank koto/ref> including instruments such as the , , , , , and so on. When read as , it indicates the Chinese instrument . The term is used today in the same way. The term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michio Miyagi
was a Japanese musician, famous for his '' koto'' playing. He was born in Kobe. He lost his sight in 1902, when he was 8 years old, and started his study in koto under the guidance of Nakajima Kengyo II, dedicating the rest of his life to the instrument. In 1907 he moved with his family to Incheon, in southern Korea. When he was 14 years old, in 1909 he finished his first composition, '' Mizu no Hentai''. At 18 he reached the rank of kengyo, the highest rank for a koto performer. Miyagi moved to Tokyo in 1917, and in 1919 he did his first recital of his own compositions. In 1920, he took part in the Great Recital of the New Japanese Music with Seifu Yoshida and Nagayo Motoori. He was reckoned as an authority in the new Japanese music, achieving notability in the early Shōwa period. In 1925 he participated in one of the first radio presentations in Japan, and in 1929 he signed an exclusive contract with Victor Record Company, current JVC. He composed his most famous piece, '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsichords, the plectra are attached to the jack mechanism. Plectra wielded by hand Guitars and similar instruments A plectrum for electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars and mandolins is typically a thin piece of plastic or other material most commonly shaped like a pointed teardrop or triangle, though the size, gauge, shape and width may vary considerably. Banjo and guitar players may wear a metal or plastic thumb pick mounted on a ring, and bluegrass banjo players often wear metal or plastic fingerpicks on their fingertips. Many guitarists use fingerpicks as well. Guitar picks are made of a variety of materials, including celluloid, metal, and rarely other exotic materials such as turtle shell, but today delrin (a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paulownia Tomentosa
''Paulownia tomentosa'', common names princess tree, empress tree, or foxglove-tree, is a deciduous hardwood tree in the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and western China. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse readily, and is a persistent exotic invasive species in North America, where it has undergone naturalisation in large areas of the Eastern US. ''P. tomentosa'' has also been introduced to Western and Central Europe, and is establishing itself as a naturalised species there as well. Etymology The generic name ''Paulownia'' honours Anna Pavlovna of Russia, who was Queen Consort of the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. The specific epithet ''tomentosa'' is a Latin word meaning ‘covered in hairs’. Description This tree grows tall, with large heart-shaped to five-lobed leaves across, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. On young growth, the leaves may be in whorls of three and be much bigger than the leaves on more mature growth. The l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm '' Bombyx mori'' reared in captivity ( sericulture). The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors. Silk is produced by several insects; but, generally, only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacturing. There has been some research into other types of silk, which differ at the molecular level. Silk is mainly produced by the larvae of insects undergoing complete metamorphosis, but some insects, such as webspinners and raspy crickets, produce silk throughout their lives. Silk production also occurs in hymenopte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
