Japanese Music

Japanese music in ancient times heavily influenced the development of music daridaratan China and the Korean Peninsula, but over time has the nature and character of its own. Variety music is widely used in temples, to worship the gods, in the palace, and for social entertainment.

Japanese music called ongaku, which when directly translated can be taken to mean as sound for comfort. Although today largely recognized by the outside world to pop, bubblegum kind of song, Japanese music is basically a combination of eclectic musical influences from around the world. As big as it is steeped in local tradition and history, with the scale, but the styles and instruments borrowed and loosely adapted from neighboring countries such as China, Korea and Indonesia, and has evolved to integrate the style of Western music such as jazz, rock, ska and reggae.

There are two types in traditional Japanese music: art music and the music that is applied to the drama. Art music has several different styles, each of which is established separately in each period of Japanese history. In general, the Japanese prefer the vocal music than on its instrument. In addition, traditional Japanese music often developed as part of the drama such as Noh, Kabukl, and Bunraku.

Gagaku

Orchestra gagaku (Japanese music of the past) has been around since the 8th century. Gagaku orchestra consists of 17 musicians who play woodwind instruments, stringed and percussion. Instrument inflatable includes flute (ryuteki), oboe (hichiriki), and harmonica mouth (sho). Harp stringed instrument consists of a bent (shoko) and a large drum (taiko). Around the 15th century a single musical instrument, the shamisen and koto became popular particularly to provide musical accompaniment of songs and drama. Development of music drama reached its golden in the 17th century, with a kabuki format of traditional Japanese theater music. The existence of the Meiji Restoration in the mid 18th century the influence of the West began to enter into the development of Japanese music. Many traditional Japanese music format developed by western music formats, so that Japan has entered the development of modern music.

Noh-Noh

At the end of the 14th century developed the art of Noh drama with its own called Nohgaku music and dance known as Shimai. Noh highly stylized symbolic and drama, and usually performed by several musicians and male actors. Nohgaku has two elements in it: vocal and instrumental. Utai named vocal parts performed by two actors and a chorus of eight men and tell the story. Used to tell kish struggle antiquity.

Japanese music can be grouped into two categories, namely:

Japanese Traditional Music

Japanese traditional music is generally shaped the religious festival of music, singing work, and a dance. Folk performances, such as the masked dances, folk theater and folk dances are an integral part in traditional music.

Japanese Modern Music

Japanese modern music began in 1867, after Matsuhito Meiji emperor of Japan. One teacher who is responsible for introducing European music style is Suzuki Shin'Ichi. He found a method of teaching violin to children adopted from music schools in the United States.

Japanese musical instrument:

Biwa (Japanese traditional musical instrument)

Fue (Flute)

Hichiriki

Hocchiku

Hyoshigi

kane

Kakko

Kokyu

Koto

Niko

Okawa (AKA Ōtsuzumi)

Ryuteki

Sanshin

Shakuhachi (bamboo flute)

shamisen

Shime-Daiko

Shinobue

Shō

Suikinkutsu (water zither)

Taiko (Japanese drum)

Tsuzumi (AKA Kotsuzumi)

J-pop (Japan Popular Music)

J-pop (Japan Popular Music) is a part of Japanese culture. J-Pop are always found in the anime, commercials, movies, TV shows, video games and other entertainment forms of the entertainment industry, Japan. Even some Japanese TV news program aired J-Pop song at the end of the event. In Anime and Drama, an opening and closing songs are always replaced four times over one year, thus allowing for a single event can only use 8 songs for the one season.

Anime and game development today is already very popular around the world, more and more J-Pop songs are known and loved by the fans of the anime and games. Throughout the world (Asia, America, Europe and others) a lot of anime and gaming convention is held, in the event the organizers even guest stars singer or group or band of Japan as a part of the convention. One example UppCon 2011 in Switzerland and FanimeCon 2011 in California

Whatever Japanese music that we like, whether rock, hip hop, pop, visual kei, dance and others or a good band, group (idol and not the idol), soloist, it was named J-Pop, because J-Pop is music that is popular in Japan.

So if we say J-Pop, then it's the same as we said all kinds of music genres in Japan.

See also the other Traditional Music here : Korean Music 

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