Japan Part 2

Bellwork: Define Terms

• Nokan: transverse bamboo flute

• Kakko: two-headed barrel-shaped drum

• San no tsuzumi: hourglass shaped drum

• Komuso: an order of Buddhist prosts, ronin (samaurai without masters), wandered-- playing flute and begging.

Announcements

• Test on Japan Tuesday March 18th

• Reading Outline #20 due Monday March 10th (5th Period class that day)

Outcomes

• Scholars Will:

• Grammar: Learn basic facts about Japanese music.

• Logic: Learn how to rite Kanji and Hirigana

Nokan-video

Kakko

San no tsuzumi

Komuso-video

Guided Kotos

• Gagaku is imperial court music which arrived from Korea.

 In the fuke sect of Buddhism practitioners believe that the pursuit of truth doesn’t require intellect.

The Geisha’s instrument is the shamisen. It accompanies her vocal music.

In Buddhism, the flute becomes a hoki, or spiritual tool.

• In Zen Buddhism, a Pine tree symbolizes beauty and longevity, while a clear pond symbolizes peace and stability.

Active Listening#1Three Etudes: Koto

• What Chinese instrument does the timbre remind you of?

• Are all three short songs variations of the same melodic fragment?

• How is the mood of the second variation different from the first?

Just the factsListening #1

Three Etudes: Koto

• This piece is composed of three 104 beat sections called Dan.

• Short melodic fragments are repeated with great variation.

CFU: Whiteboards

• Please answer the following questions:

Q1

•This instrument is a thirteen stringed zither

Q2

•What do you call a 104 beat section of music?

Q3

•Japanese music was heavily influenced by what Chinese dynasty?

Q4

•Japanese culture was heavily influenced by what Indian religion?

Guided Kotos• In the Meiji period, (1868-1911) western music was

influential.

• The two common Japanese scales are called “in” and “yo”.

• While the “in” scale contains semi-tones, the “yo” does not.

• Unpitched sounds are commonly heard in the instrumental melody. Sounds such as the breathy sound on the bamboo flute or the hard twang from the plectrum remind the listener of nature sounds such as water flowing, or trees whispering.

Melodies contain short motives which are repeated through the piece.

William Blake

• To see a World in a Grain of Sand

• And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

• Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

• And Eternity in an hour.

The Koan of Zen Buddhism:

Think, pair, share

Active Listening #2Gagaku Video

• Which instrument begins the piece?

• Describe the timbre of the reed and organ instruments—is it

• Fat or thin?

• Bent or straight?

• Raw or soft?

Just the facts #2Gagaku

• Gagaku is the oldest continuous documented orchestral music in the world.

• This music accompanies large scale religious ceremonies.

CFU: Writing Japanese

• There are two types of Japanese we’ll be learning today: Kanji which is picture-like, and hiragana which is letter-like.

• We will learn how to write and say sun, moon, tree and mountain in Kanji.

• We will learn to write the basic vowels Ah, ee, oo, eh, oh in Hiragana.

Kanji

• Take a look at the picture worksheet and try to find the shapes of the Kanji in the picture.

• Can you figure out what some of the Kanji mean by matching their shapes?

• Now look at the next worksheet and you can see the evolution of the pictures into written characters.

• You will notice that some Kanji have more than one meaning.

Kanji Practice

• Now let’s practice.

• The first boxes tell you the procedure for writing one character.

• Start by trying to draw sun (hee).

Hiragana Practice

• Follow the steps to write each vowel.

Speaking Japanese

• Good morning: Ohayo Gozaimas

• Good day: konnichiwa

• Good evening: kon ban wa

• Please: kudasai

• Thank You: Domo arigato

• My name is: Watashi _________ des