Japanese erhu scores

[edcat7]

I noticed that on Eason's website there's some guy playing Japanese tunes on the erhu.

I know nothing about Japanese music; do they use jianpo? Are there books available of Japanese music for the erhu?

[Blue]

Boy, you make me work to hard on researching some of these answers.

Japanese musical notation for string and wind instruments is less consistent.

For wind instruments like the shinobue, something similar to the jianpu is used with the following idiosyncrasies:
1. The notation uses the traditional East Asian method to read characters from up to down and right to left.
2. Higher octave is given in Arabic numbers; lower octaves are given in Chinese number characters.

References:
www.asahi-net.or.jp/~dl1s-ymgc/fuku-e.htm
humanitythroughmusic.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/introduction-to-my-japanese-music-experience/

So here are examples of Shinobue sheet music:




Stringed music uses a very different notation.
The Japanese consider the erhu to be the Kokyū (胡弓)
See ameblo.jp/okatomotomo/entry-11150227286.html

Here is sheet music for the kokyu:


And there's the three stringed Shamisen:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamisen

[davidmdahl]

I don't know much about playing Japanese music on erhu. I have seen Japanese music books for erhu on Ebay, although I suspect that the tunes are a mixture of Japanese pop, folk, Chinese, and Western music. The Japanese term for erhu is "niko". Some appear to use the term "kokyu", but that is actually a much different instrument that looks more like a bowed shamisen. There is a notation for classical/traditional Japanese music, as Allen described, but I think that staff notation is more often used for tunes for niko.

[edcat7]

Thanks for the research guys. Learning the Japanese notation seems an unnecessary amount of work.

www.eason.com.sg/products/erhu/mmk3.jsp

One of SW's instructors playing a Japanese tune on the erhu. I'm assuming he learnt it by reading jianpo? SW will have to reply.

btw. Don't the Japanese do 'happy' tunes

[davidmdahl]

There are several Japanese music books on Ebay for erhu at the moment. Search on japanese erhu. My guess is that either jianpu or staff notation is used, but you could contact the seller for clarification.

Best wishes,

David

[Minh]

I do not know anything about japanese music notation, but that piece the guy is playing in the video is called Sakura (Cherry Blossoms (I think?)) and they are normally in the beginner erhu books. I have seen it twice in 2 different books.

F(6, 3)
6 6 7 - | 6 6 7 - | 6 7 1' 7 | 6 76 4 - | 3 1 3 4 | 3 31 7, - | 6 7 1' 7 | 6 76 4 - | 3 1 3 4 | 3 31 7, - | 6 6 7 - | 6 6 7 - | 3 4 76 4 | 3 - - - ||

replace ' by a little dot on top and , by little dot underneath
easier to play all the 4 with the inside string and fourth finger

It doesn't answer your question but now we can all play one japanese piece wohooo

[Blue]

No: the Japanese don't do happy tunes (ie Major scale). As once observed by Xindi, they do sad tunes (ie Minor scale). Was pretty spooky that Xindi asked me last spring about shinobue flutes through instant messaging the exact moment I was checking a shinobue to purchase at the Taiko Center of Kyoto website www.taiko-center.co.jp/english/shop_shinobue_and_ryuteki.html

If this was a forum completely dedicated to Japanese music, Jock would probably be advertising the rakuten website ;D global.rakuten.com/en/category/cd_dvd/musical_instruments/japanese_musical_instruments/

Yes, Sakura does appear in many Chinese music textbooks because of it is relatively easy to play as observed by this certain person playing it
www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1483270075068&set=vb.1033324886&type=3&theater

Here's another version of the sheet music:

[edcat7]

Hey that was really cool! The above jianpo, is that the lot? If not, could someone upload the full version please?

[Minh]

That's all I have from my book, you can repeat it hahaha Have fun!

[edcat7]

Thanks, it is easy to play, do you have any more japanese tunes?

[Blue]

[Blue]

Try looking at this, which contains links to several other songs
www.zhaogepu.com/jianpu/113394.html

[Blue]

Here's another famous Japanese song:

| 3 3 6 7 | 1' 7 6 - | 4 4 3 2 | 3 - - 0|

| 3 3 6 7 | 1' 7 6 - | 4 2 3. 3| 6, - - 0|

| 1 1 7,6,| 4 4 3 - | 2 3 4. 4 | 3 - - 0|

| 3 3 6 7 | 1' 7 6 -| 4 2 3. 3 | 6 - - 0|

Where ' represents going an octave higher
Where , represents going an octave lower
And . represents 1.5 beats

[edcat7]

Thanks Allen I'll try them when I have the time. If you could play it on the dizi so I know how it sounds like, then even better.

[kaze]

‚±‚Ì“¹(this road)

[Blue]

*Sigh* . . . . . . . . when Xindi forgives me for not accepting Francois-made quenacho as a gift, I'll visit you again and you're be more than welcome to record everything I play for several days if necessary.

[edcat7]

Ah! Kaze (in Tokyo)

can you recommend any beginner's Japanese erhu books? Xindi is in HK at the moment

[Blue]

Not a very helpful comment when I'm going to Australia next week to visit several national parks to escape from my stressful life and will have a 2-hr transit in Hong Kong. You could have simply messaged Kaze privately.

[Blue]

Then see a melancholy Allen playing the tune

| 3 3 6 7 | 1' 7 6 - | 4 4 3 2 | 3 - - 0|

| 3 3 6 7 | 1' 7 6 - | 4 2 3. 3| 6, - - 0|

| 1 1 7,6,| 4 4 3 - | 2 3 4. 4 | 3 - - 0|

| 3 3 6 7 | 1' 7 6 -| 4 2 3. 3 | 6 - - 0|

with a xiao then without reading the sheet music. Expect errors in tempo. Additionally, there is a Taiwanese indigenous song included in that album.

picasaweb.google.com/116012681068034827655/November242012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

That xiao has traveled to Spain, Hong Kong, London, Turkey, and Greece. It will likely travel with me to Australia. One South African, one Russian living in London, one Australian, one British born Chinese, and primarily one American born Chinese have played with the xiao before.

[Blue]

Yep, sounds like I got the 1.5 beat wrong . . . . . . .

[ziman]

This song is Kojo no Tsuki (荒城の月). The title means "Moon Over the Ruined Castle". It's a Japanese folksong composed (if I remember rightly) in the early 20th century.

Wensong/Donsiau recorded a much slowed-down version of this tune once: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQTJlWla3FU
(The first 1+ minute is entirely his own improvised intro, it seems. The main melody starts at 1:20.)

A contemporary version accompanied by guitar and Tsugaru-shamisen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlrxDY_BH4o

[Blue]

Not too surprised that Wensong/Donsiau recorded this as well.
Very sad song (ie minor scale).

Sakura is also considered as relatively modern Japanese song, and does have a sense of mortality with respect to the falling down petals.

[Blue]

Additionally Edcat, you can also consider

Rabbit Days and Dumplings, which contains music from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Okinawa.

www.amazon.co.uk/Rabbit-Days-Dumplings-Elena-Friends/dp/B008SVRZYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353815101&sr=8-1

[ziman]

One of my favorite recent Japanese compositions for the erhu (accompanied by piano) is "The Streets Where Wind Resides" (风の住む街), composed by Yukiko Isomura (矶村由纪子): www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbV32SkXT-M&feature=BFa&list=PL3344211C7B4C8A58

I have the staff notation of the song, which is attached.

Another erhu/piano duet from that composer that I also like is "Sakura" (not the same Sakura as the folksong posted earlier on this board): www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5mi8Sv5TjQ&feature=BFa&list=PL3344211C7B4C8A58

Attachments:

[poppy]

do you know where I can find the erhu jianpu??