All about the instrument koto

The koto, called the Japanese zither, is considered the national Japanese instrument.... It can often be heard in folk music ensembles with hayashi and shakuhachi flutes, tsuzumi drums and shamisen. Everything about the koto instrument, including its unusual structure, several varieties and a rich history, is worth getting to know in more detail.

For the manufacture of the instrument, valuable and expensive paulownia is used. Two decks are made from it. The lower one is flat and includes 2 holes for the resonator. The top is made from a single piece of wood. Its vaulted shape and parabolic circle define properties from an acoustical point of view. The length of the stringed plucked instrument is 180-190 centimeters, and the width parameters reach 24 centimeters.

There are 13 strings in a traditional Japanese musical instrument. Previously, they were made from silk. Now it has been replaced by nylon and polyester viscose. The old string naming system used the names of the eight Confucian virtues. They survived only in relation to the last three strings, and the remaining 10 began to be called by serial numbers.

Koto does not involve the use of jewelry. The value of a tool is determined by the quality of the wood and the skill of the carver. The only decorative elements are considered to be a Kasiwaba ornament on the right edge of the soundboard, a removable ogire fabric with an ornament, and ivory strips on the bars to fix the strings.

The history of a koto in Japan begins in 710-793 AD, when the first instrument was brought to the island from China... In the Middle Ages, the instrument was used in ensemble playing, and also as an accompaniment to singing. In the 9th-11th centuries, the koto was periodically used as a solo instrument. The tradition was fully formed by the 18th century thanks to the efforts of the talented musician Yatsuhashi Kengyo.

At the beginning of the 20th century, traditional Japanese genres gradually faded into the background due to more modern American and Western influences. Michio Miyagi gave new life to folk art, who introduced a new flavor to the process of playing on which, and also created new varieties of it. According to his project, the traditional number of strings could be increased to 80.

Today this plucked string instrument is featured not only in solo concerts and in folk ensembles.

Over the years, koto existed in different versions, among which the main ones are considered to be “kin” with a length of a meter and with seven strings, and “co”, reaching 2 meters in length with the number of strings from 13. The first option is used for solo. The second is more common in orchestras and ensembles. Among the koto that appeared in the last century, 3 types are most famous:

• 17-string;
• 80-string;
• short cat.

The 17-string koto was developed in the year 10 of the Taisho era. The instruments that existed at that time were devoid of bass notes, and the new creation was intended to enrich the music with new colors. The author of the new koto - Miyagi Michio - abandoned the idea of ​​increasing the thickness of the strings while weakening their tension. In order to lower the timbre and preserve the beauty of the sound, he took the path of increasing sizes.

The Chinese shitsu became a model, only the number of strings in it was reduced from 25 to 17. The disadvantages of the new creation were the difficulty with moving due to the impressive size and the complexity in the timbre combination with the traditional koto. Therefore, it was decided to make the deck smaller, the resulting instrument was called a small koto.

The 80-string koto was created in 1929 by the idea of ​​Miyagi Michio, who wanted to create an instrument capable of conveying all the colors of classical music, like a piano or a harp, while preserving the primitive timbre. The resulting version was striking in size, similar to the parameters of a grand piano. However, the timbre and expressive capabilities of such a cat remained unclaimed. The reasons were the lack of a concert repertoire, as well as the shortcomings discovered during use. As a result, the instrument is little used in Japanese musical practice.

The short koto appeared in 1933. Its creation was associated with the desire to give the instrument more convenience and practicality. As a result, its length has decreased to 138 centimeters. As a result, the tool became:

• convenient for transportation;
• compact in placement on a concert venue;
• more accessible to people by reducing the cost of wood;
• simple in terms of sound production, thanks to which women and men who do not have great physical strength could play on it.

The introduction of steel tuning pegs allowed the performer to independently tune the instrument. And the presence of four legs made it possible to sit on a chair during the concert, and not only on the floor. At the same time, the shortened length of the strings affected the sound quality and also decreased the tuning accuracy. Therefore, the shorter version is often required for rehearsals.

The technique of playing the koto differs depending on the school:

• sitting on your heels (Ikuta or Yamada);
• sitting with crossed legs (gagaku or kyogoku);
• sitting with a raised knee.

Performers belonging to these schools hold the body perpendicular to the instrument. When using the Ikuta-ryu style, a diagonal body position is required. Modern musicians put the instrument on a stand, and they themselves sit on a chair.

Music is produced by pinching. However, the impact on the strings is carried out with plectrum nails, which were made from bamboo, bone or elephant ivory. The attachments are worn on the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of the right hand.

The tuning of the fret and key in the koto is adjusted by means of string stands, also called bridges or kotoji. They are set up immediately before the performance. Originally, kotoji were made of ivory or wood. Now plastic has replaced these materials. Traditionally, the koto uses 2 frets: normal or kumoi, differing in the tuning of the six strings.

To summarize: which belongs to Japanese folk instruments with a rich history. It has analogues in other eastern countries, including China and Korea. Although the instrument is about 1000 years old, it can be heard not only at concerts of traditional music. This timbre goes well with modern musical trends. For the manufacture of the deck, a certain type of wood continues to be used. However, the size, number of strings, and their tuning have changed over time. This determined the timbre, scale and range of the sound. Today, there are several variants of koto in use, which differ in appearance, sound and scope of use.

See the sound of koto in the next video.