Japan

Japan’s Music

A group of musicians specializing in rock music is called a rock band or group. Many rock groups consist of an electric guitarist, lead <>bass guitarist>, and a >drummer>, forming a quartet. Some groups omit one or more of these roles or utilize a lead singer who plays an instrument.


• Vocals - Professional singers usually build their careers around one specific musical genre, such as Classical or rock, and they typically take voice training provided by a voice teacher or vocal coach throughout their career. The musicians doing backup vocals also play instruments, such as rhythm guitar, electric bass, or drums.

• Guitarist - An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. The signal that comes from the guitar is often electrically altered to achieve various tonal effects prior to being fed into an amplifier, which produces the final sound which can be either an electrical sound or an acoustic sound.

• Bassist - The bass is typically similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, and 4 strings tuned one octave lower in pitch than the bass strings of a guitar. Ties the guitars and drums together, in rhythm.


• Drummer - Drummers usually work with a bassist to make up a rhythm section. Drum beats vary in speed, volume and complexity depending on the genre of music, but are normally designed to lay down the rhythm and drive the music along.

• Synthesizer – A synthesizer is an electronic instrument that can produce various sounds. Its name comes from what it does: it “synthesizes” sound. It works by generating and combining different frequencies. It can produce thousands of different sounds and sound combinations/ A musical instrument [ keyboard ] that can imitate many other musical instruments

• Keyboards – Usually electric pianos are used, or else, a Synthesizer. It depends.



Rock Music: The sound of rock often revolves around the>electric guitara back beat laid down by a rhythm section of electric bass guitar and drums, and keyboard instruments such as Hammond organ, piano, or, since the 1970s, synthesizers.


An Electric Bass

an Electric guitar

A synthesizer

<

electric keyboard


Some Rock bands in Japan are scouted out from Rock Band competitions, etc… Also, most Rock Bands start out as a ‘juvenile’/ ‘novice’, playing in clubs/ cafes etc… Some bands even have a rife over who has the right to play on the show itself.

Some bands are started out from Anime, example, Lucifer and e.MU. Both were started out because of the Anime ‘Kaikan Phrase’, which means ‘Sensual Phrase’ in Eng. The Bands were started out to promote the anime and after the airing of the anime, it is up to them if they want to continue on as a Band. Most bands disband after a few years, some quitting and others joining other bands.

The top 10 Japan rock bands for now are:

-x japan
-gazette
-LÁrc~en~ciel
-Dir en grey
-asian kung fu generation
-janne da arc
-UVERworld
-Skin
-Nightmare
-Gacktjob

Here are 2 rock songs for your listening pleasure:


Datenshi Blue





and this is tokyo illusion:

The modern Japanese music scene includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern. The word for music in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining the kanji 音 ("on" sound) with the kanji 楽 ("gaku" fun, comfort).[1] Local music often appears at karaoke venues, which is on lease from the record labels.

Traditional Japanese music has no specific beat[clarification needed], and is calm. The music is improvised most of the time

Two of the oldest forms of traditional Japanese music are shōmyō (声明 or 聲明), Buddhist chanting, and gagaku (雅楽), orchestral court music, both of which date to the Nara and Heian periods.]

Gagaku is a type of classical music that has been performed at the Imperial court since the Heian period Kagurauta (神楽歌), Azumaasobi(東遊) and Yamatouta (大和歌) are relatively indigenous repertories. Tōgaku (唐楽) and komagaku originated from the Chinese Tang dynasty via the Korean peninsula.In addition, gagaku is divided into kangen (管弦) (instrumental music) and bugaku (舞楽) (dance accompanied by gagaku).

There are three types of traditional music in Japan: instrumental, theatrical, and court music.

Noh
Noh ( 能?) or nōgaku (能楽?) is a type of theatrical music. Noh music is played by the hayashi-kata (囃子方?). The instruments used are the taiko (太鼓?), ōtsuzumi (大鼓?), kotsuzumi (小鼓?), and fue (笛?).





Gagaku
: Gagaku
Gagaku (雅楽?) is court music, and is the oldest traditional music in Japan. Gagaku music includes songs, dances, and a mixture of other Asian music. Gagaku has two styles; these are instrumental music kigaku (器楽?) and vocal music seigaku (声楽?).



Instrumental Music
Kangen (管弦?) - basically, a Chinese form of music.
Bugaku (舞楽?) - influenced by Chinese and Korean music.
Vocal Music
Kumeuta (久米歌?)
Kagurauta (神楽歌?)
Azumaasobi (東遊び?)
Sailboat (催馬楽?)
Roue (朗詠?)



Pop music: A term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular". Understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented towards a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple love songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes. Pop music has absorbed influences from most other forms of popular music, but as a genre is particularly associated with the rock and roll and later rock style.
Although pop music is often seen as oriented towards the singles charts, as a genre it is not the sum of all chart music, which has always contained songs from a variety of sources, including classical, jazz, rock, and novelty songs, while pop music as a genre is usually seen as existing and developing separately. Thus "pop music" may be used to describe a distinct genre, aimed at a youth market, often characterized as a softer alternative to rock and roll.

1. Vocals

2. Electric guitar

3. Bass guitar

4. Drums

5. Keyboards

6. Acoustic guitar- a guitar that’s music is not electrically enhanced of modified.
7. Piano

8. Synthesizer

9. Drum machine- referred to as a drum pad, is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music. They are also a common necessity when session drummers are not available or desired. Though features vary from model to model, many modern drum machines can also produce unique sounds (though usually percussive in nature), and allow the user to compose unique drum beats.

10. Sampler- electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings (or "samples") of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or compose music.

11. Sequencer- an application or a device designed to play back musical notation. The original kind of sequencer is now known as a step sequencer to distinguish it from the modern kind, which records a musician playing notes.

These are 3 examples of pop songs:

Yume no Tsuduki by surface


Ai Ai Gasa by Tegomass


Kataomoi no chiisana by Tegomass