| Classification: | Double reed |
The is a double reed Japanese used as one of two main melodic instruments in music. It is one of the "sacred" instruments and is often heard at Shinto weddings in Japan. Its sound is often described as haunting.[1] [2]
The is derived from the Chinese guan, which was imported into Japan during the Tang dynasty. According to scholars, the emerged after the 12th century when the popularity of the Chinese melodies in Japan called waned.[3]
Although a double reed instrument like the oboe, the has a cylindrical bore and thus its sound is similar to that of a clarinet. It is difficult to play due in part to the double reed configuration. It is made of a piece of bamboo that measures with a flat double reed inserted which makes a loud sound.[4]
Pitch and ornamentation (most notably bending tones) are controlled largely with the embouchure. The instrument is particularly noted for the ("salted plum seasoning"), a kind of pitch-gliding technique.
The is the most widely used of all instruments in and it is used in all forms of music aside from poetry recitation. The is derived from the Chinese or, and is also related to the Korean . This is evident in the notations of the finger positioning, a tablature of signs derived from Chinese characters.
Notable Japanese musicians who play the include Hideki Togi and Hitomi Nakamura.
Non-Japanese musicians who have learned to play the include Alan Hovhaness, Richard Teitelbaum, Valerie Samson, Thomas Piercy and Joseph Celli.