pro musica nipponia biwa
DESCRIPTION
Pro Musica Nipponia BIWATRANSCRIPT
Pro Musica NipponiaPro Musica Nipponia3-17-1-#B1, Sasazuka,Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, JapanZip:151-0073 TEL 03-3378-4741FAX [email protected]
BIWABIWA
Biwa is a pear-shape musical instrument, has a curved backward neck, some
frets, and four strings. We play it with a larger plectrum than one for Samisen.
(Though the Biwa used in ensemble of us; Pro Musica Nipponia has five strings,
4th string and 5th string are tuned to the same tone and always played
together. So to speak, it is almost the same as four-strings one.)
[Tuning and the range of tone]
We often use the following tuning. Though we can chose other tunings, the
following one is very easy to play, and suitable for Biwa's mechanism. It's
impossible to change tuning in the middle of playing.
[Tuning]
The Biwa used in ensemble of us; Pro Musica Nipponia, has five frets.
We play a "whole note (not colored)" tone in above figure with open string , or
by pressing a string down between two frets. Biwa's 1st string is often played in
open string. Otherwise, we play a "black-colored note" tone in above figure by
more strongly pressing it down. It is difficult to play jumping from a "black-
colored note" tone to a "black-colored note" tone, because it takes a second to
prepare to press a string down strongly. We sometimes use multi-tones with
open strings, but we never use positions on two or much strings.
[Playing Techniques]
1.Sukui-----Picking a string up from the surface of body with a plectrum.
2. "8"-----Circle Playing all strings in a single stroke with a plectrum as we write
"8" character.
3.Tremolo-----Tremolo is easy to play and very useful in music.
4.Arpeggio-----Sliding a plectrum from the top string (1st) to the bottom string
(5th).
5.Hataki / Uchibachi-----Playing strings, while striking the surface of body with a
plectrum.
6.Suri
(1)Scraping strings at right angle (vertically) with the bottom of plectrum.
(2)Scraping strings parallel with the bottom of plectrum.
If we scrape from top to bottom of strings, it sounds from the lower tone to the
higher tone.
If we scrape from bottom to top of strings, it sounds from the higher tone to
the lower tone.
7.Osikomi (Oshikan) Pressing down a string for portamento.
8.Yuri Moving a finger on a string a little for vibrato after striking it with a
plectrum.
9.Glissando Moving a left-hands finger on a string quickly after striking it with a
plectrum.
10.Pizzicato Flipping a string with a right-hand finger without a plectrum. (It's
noted as "pizz.")
11.Hajiki Filliping a string with left-hand's fingers, without a plectrum.
12.Uchi Tapping on a string with left-hand's fingers after striking it with a
plectrum.
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