It seems just abour everyone here plays some sort of western instrument...The only one I play is the Piano...

But I also play the japanese Shamisen, the Koto, and the Shakuhachi. I actually have been using sheet music from Ichigo's sheet music for YEARS and making them playable by those intstruments.

Anyone else play them? or want to....or even know what they are?

Just curious ^^

If people don't know what they are, and wants to know, then i can describe/post links to pictures and videos or whatnot....

Also, if you play any other non-western instruments, say so! ^^

I saw a koto recital a month or two ago, performed by a professional koto player and it was hosted by the Japanese society in Birmingham. It was really beautiful to listen to ~ At first it seemed a bit simple, but then it became really flowing and elegant. Also, the way the music is written for the instrument is just bizarre, lol. They use tables with kanji numbers and such (at least that was what the performer's book was like).

I don't play any Japanese instruments, but I can play the Chinese flute (if the bit of paper doesn't stop peeling off) and I've had a go at an er'hu, not that I'm any good at it!

I've wanted to learn for sometime. Yoshida brothers are still popular. Love Kotos in the red and white. Twelve girl band also kind of made it popular. Okey dokey, but back to the matter at hand.

Now that you're talking about ethnic instruments...

Sometimes I do realize that people tend to mix up the Japanese koto with its other counterparts, and especially with the Chinese counterpart (or rather, its ancestor, since koto's origin was the 'qin' and 'zheng' from China). But I guess you can pretty much say koto and 'zheng' are pretty much the same since the two instruments are based on the same principles and uses relatively same theories.

Asides from that, my experience with the koto (or zheng, rather) was like from... a while ago. Yeah. I actually found a teacher who taught me it, but I quit after a while due to the fact that tremoli are too tiring for me to execute (not to mention the vibrato and mordents kill fingers). Especially if you want your tremoli to be even... >.< I also bought an instrument (it wasn't crazy expensive like a grand piano or anything), so yeah, it's pretty cool, but the horrible part about it is that the tuning changes almost everyday. It's exactly like tuning a harp: it's never in tune.

Oh yeah ~ I forgot to say that I learnt how to play the Budongo (a "thumb piano" instrument from Uganda) as part of my ethnomusicology module. Was really fun! Although when I practised, some people thought it sounded like those pull-along toys that young kids have, lol.

uhh I dont know anu japanese instrument may someone plays post a picture of them. That would be great thanx

Well, Chestnutviolin, here is a Koto for you http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00717/images/instrument_pics/koto.jpg
and a shamisen
http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia22/images/topic/24_1.jpg

@Spoonpuppet: The sheet music is actually in japanese/chinese number symbols (since japan borrowed the number system from japan). There are 13 strings and depending on what not the string is tuned to, and what note you want to play, the music correlates to the sheet music. ^^ The Koto is indeed a much more complex sounding isntrument than it is to play. Do you know what the chinese flutes name is? And Budongo's are freakin awesome xDD

@Toshihiko:Yoshida brothers are one of my favorite shamisen groups.

@Sir_Dotdotdot: Yeah, i find it funny that people get them confused, because even though the koto origonated from the zheng, it is much smaller, and somewhat easier to play and carry around. Shamisen tuning changes with the weather or climate, and with use...about every song :P. I got tired of retuning Shamisen in the middle of a performance, so I switched to Koto, the tuning dosn't change unless you change it, and you take the bridges out after every perfomance.

I'm not that lucky, I don't have the access to foregin instruments.

The closest thing I've got are three Indian (from India) drums, fingercymbals, and misc. percussion equipment from when my mom went to india.

@Spoonpuppet: The sheet music is actually in japanese/chinese number symbols (since japan borrowed the number system from japan). There are 13 strings and depending on what not the string is tuned to, and what note you want to play, the music correlates to the sheet music. ^^ The Koto is indeed a much more complex sounding isntrument than it is to play. Do you know what the chinese flutes name is? And Budongo's are freakin awesome xDD

Yeah, that's what I meant by "kanji".... And I think the flute I play is called the Dizi. I'm pretty sure that's it anyway, we just call it "bamboo flute" (but in Chinese, lol). The most annoying thing about it is this bit of paper-like stuff that you have to stick on the flute... with garlic?? Haha.

Kanji isnt chinese letters...its borrowed and modified, but the numbers arent considered kanji.

But yeah. i've been looking into more flute type instruments....maybe i will look into it.

Kanji isnt chinese letters...its borrowed and modified, but the numbers arent considered kanji.

Actually, I think you'll find that "kanji" are the Chinese characters that were adapted into the Japanese language, along with hiragana and katakana which were created by the Japanese people.

Anyway.. off topic! If you want more info about that, you can check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji

o.o Thanks, but i don't need info...im half japanese...and Wikipedia is an unreliable source. ^^;;;

And I'm half Chinese, and I know that they're Chinese characters... lol... never mind.

Im jsut saying that they arent completely Chinese, that most have been modified ^^;; Oh well...Anyway xDD

Anyone wanna see an uber horrable first performance by me on Shamisen? xDD