Sounds of the Orient

Nov 30

Sounds of the Orient

Theory, Beginner, World Music, Solo, Technique, Skill Level, Guitar, Articles Add comments |

An article by: Kenny Robertson

Hey there! In this lesson we’re going to be looking at emulating the tones and sounds of other instruments on the guitar, focusing on 3 instruments from the Far East, the Pipa, the Koto and the Shackuhachi (Japanese Flute). Being brought up on a diet of old Kung Fu movies and Manga, the distinctive music of the Orient has always been of great interest to me so here I have presented what is the tip of a very large iceberg and one that is definitely worth looking into futher. As usual I`ve presented technique, theory and audio examples to accompany the lesson. Have Fun!

Pipa

The Pipa is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument that has a very distinctive sound; the most obvious example of a Pipa being used in mainstream Western music is on the Incubus track “Aqueous Transmission” off the album Morning View.

What You’ll Need

Electric Guitar
A touch of reverb

Method

First select your bridge pick up then to give the guitar the sharp thin tone of the Pipa you’ll need to pick the strings as close to the bridge as possible (see Photo). To give the guitar a more authentic tone try pre-bending some notes slightly then releasing the note as you pick them, as well as this try putting a very quick subtle vibrato on some of the notes and use tremolo picking to pick out melody lines.

Pipa Audio

Although the melody on Example A may have very Oriental sound all the notes are actually derived from the scale of choice for country guitarists everywhere, the major pentatonic scale (see Figure A), which is also the basic scale of Chinese music. The scale is written in the key of G major but you can apply the scale to any key you want by using the scale formula.

Root, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th, 6th

Figure A -Major Pentatonic Scale in the key of G

Koto

The Koto is a traditional Japanese instrument that belongs to the zither family of instruments; it has a very distinctive sound that no martial arts movie would sound the same without!

What You`ll Need

· Electric Guitar

· A touch of Reverb

Method The Koto has a thinner slightly more subtle tone than the Pipa, to achieve the tone for this pick the notes as close to the fret as possible (see Photo), Eric Johnson is well known for using this technique and calls it the “Koto Efect”. Again use subtle pre-bends and vibrato to give the tone a more auhtentic feel.

One of the main reasons that the audio example has such a Japanese flavour to it is all the notes that is uses are derived from a Japanese minor pentatonic scale known as the Hirajoshi Scale (Figure B). The scale is written in the key of E, but you can apply the scale to any key required just by using the scale formula,

Root, Flat 2, 4^th, 5^th , Flat 6

Figure B - The Hirajoshi Scale in the key of E

Koto Musical Example

Shackuhachi-Japanese Flute

The shackuhachi is a type of Japanese flute made from bamboo, unlike the western flute it has a very shrill sound and is instantly recognisable. What You`ll Need

Electric Guitar
E-Bow*
Reverb

*Unfortunatley an E-Bow is essential to recreating this sound, if you don`t have one and can`t afford one new, try an internet auction site such as E-bay, I`ve seen them going for nearly a third of the original price and the E-bow is great addition to any effects collection!

Method

First off the E-Bow takes a little while to get used to, practice finding the “sweet spot” (the positon in which your most easily able to keep a constant sustain). To get the most authentic sound for the shackuhachi, select your neck pick-up and roll your tone control all the way off so that you have the roundest sound possible, now find the sweet spot on your guitar with the E-Bow making sure you are easily able to maintain a constant sustain. Part of what gives the shackuhachi its distintive sound is the shrill sound that sometimes occurs when a new note is played, to acheieve this you will have to quickly push the E-Bow down onto the string, this will cause the string to vibrate against the E-Bow and mimick this shrill sound. This may require abit of practice to make sure that once you lift the E-Bow back up again the string will contiue to sustain effectively.

You may also notice that in the musical example there are number of quick trills and legato ideas, if you are not able to execute these at full speed, pactise them slowly to a metronome and slowly build up the pace until you are comfortable playing them at full tempo.

Flute Musical Example