17-string koto

Musical instrument koto The 17-string ja koto 十七絃 or 十七弦 jūshichi-gen "seventeen strings" yes is a variant of the ja koto with 17 strings instead of the typical 13. The instrument is also known as 十七絃箏 jūshichi-gensō, "17 stringed ja koto", or "bass ja koto" (although ja koto with a greater number of strings also exist). The ja jūshichi-gen was invented in 1921 by Michio Miyagi, a musician who felt that the standard ja koto lacked the range he sought in a traditional instrument.Planas Ramiro 1966 Review of Nihon ongaku no rekishi, (History of Japanese Music) https://www.jstor.org/stable/2383392 Monumenta Nipponica 21 3/4 424–429 10.2307/2383392 2383392 0027-0741 subscription His 17 string creation, sometimes described as a "bass ja koto", has a deeper sound and requires specialized plectra; traditional ja koto plectra are worn attached to the player's fingers, with which the strings are plucked. Though his original ja jūshichi-gen was considerably larger than a normal ja koto, 17 stringed ja koto of a similar size to the average ja koto are more common today, though they do not have as deep a sound as the larger version.January 2021 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 ja poppukon (popcorn), finished in bright colours such as pink, yellow, or blue.Johnson Henry 2011-09-23 'Sounding Japan': traditional musical instruments, cultural nationalism and educational reform https://journal.equinoxpub.com/PB/article/view/16452 Perfect Beat en 12 1 11–32 10.1558/prbt.v12i1.11 1836-0343 subscription Construction The bass ja koto is similarly made from Paulownia tomentosa, known as ja kiri wood; however, the thickness of the body is approximately twice that of a regular ja koto. The wood is dried and treatedJanuary 2021 traditionally until it achieves the correct properties for construction. The strings used are typically silk threads that are yellow in colour and give the instrument a deep sound. These strings are tied at both ends of the instrument, held up by an ivory platform, before the strings are tied over small cylindrical holders with holes and tied very tightly to the downside, so that they can be moved during use, but not so much as to fall off. The bridges (ja jī) used in the construction of the bass ja koto are also larger than the average ja koto; the plectra are made from a specialist ivory-like material to aid in plucking the instrument. Advanced techniques of playing Musicians who play the bass ja koto have also invented new techniques for playing the instrument, utilising more of the left hand to produce a sound that more adequately displays the instrument's deeper sound, and allows for more pitches to be created on one string. The strings are also plucked over the cylindrical holder to create a sudden "shrill" sound. References Category:Japanese musical instruments