bianyin
Chinese changing tones
anhemitonic
without semitones
diao
Chinese anhemitonic pentatonic modes
guqin
7 string, fretless, ancient Chinese zither
zheng
curved board zither
pipa
4 string pear shaped fretted lute
erhu
two stringed bowed spike fiddle
ruan
four string fretted lute
yangqin
trapezoidal hammered box zither
paixiao
set of end blown bamboo panpipes
dizi
transverse bamboo flute w/ six fingerholes
xun
globular flute made of clay
xiao
bamboo notch flute w/ six finger holes
suona (laba)
loud double reed w/ conical bore and trumpet like flared bell
sheng
multiple pipes, each with reed connected to air chamber, played like harmonica,  single melodies
bianzhong
collection of bronze bells suspended from wooden stands

 xiaogu

 

small horizontal drum on stand; serves as the conductor in many forms of Chinese opera
ban
small wooden slats tied together on a string
fan yin
technique of playing harmonics on the guqin
luogu
small gong-and-drum ensembles
guchui
gong-and-drum ensemble w/ suona double reeds added
sizhu
ensembles for teahouses and people’s homes
guqu
drum song; singer who also plays clapper and dagu
kunqu
classical dramatic form of opera known for its ornate sophistication
jingxi (Beijing Opera)
opera consisting of a series of unconnected episodes from various operas, culminating in an acrobatic battle scene
Xipi
similar to gongdiao mode (12356), considered bright and happy
erhuang
serious and introspective mode (1,2,4,5,7)
dan
a man who plays a female role in a jingxi performance
shakuhachi
traditional vertical bamboo flute of Japan
ma
principle in Japanese art which encourages space as an integral part
shinto
Japanese religion consisting of prayer and ritual associated with an ancient body of music, connected to Buddhism
kagura
Shinto music
satokagura
festival performances, popular in rural areas
shishi-mai
popular satokagura dance (lion dance)
hayashi
small folk ensemble which accompanies dances
takebue
transverse flute
taiko
small, shallow drums
o-daiko
large barrel drum w/ riveted heads
mikagura
ancient music for imperial court rituals
shomyo
buddhist chants
densho
giant cylindrical bell used to announce a service
choshi
Japanese modes
ryo
Japanese mode (1,2,3,5,6)
ritsu
Japanese mode (1,2,4,5,6)
hennon
Japanese auxilary pitches between scale tones
in
distinctive Japanese mode
ryukyu
Okinawa pentatonic mode
gagaku
ancient orchestral court music of Japan
togaku
Japanese “music of the left”, old melodies, includes Indian influences
komagaku
Japanese “music of the right”, includes Manchurian influences
bugaku
controlled dances that accompany gagaku
sho
Japanese seventeen single-reed pipes connected to an air chamber
hichiriki
Japanese cylindrical bore double reed
ryuteki
Japanese transverse bamboo flute
Biwa
Japanese four string fretted pear shaped lute
kakko
Japanese small double headed cylindrical drum
tsuri-daiko
Japanese large vertically suspended bass drum
shoko
Japanese small metal disc hung vertically from a stand
jo
gagaku intro
ha
gagaku exposition
kyu
gagaku ending
netori
gagaku prelude
shamisen
fretless long-necked lute
katarimono
Japanese narrative songs
bunraku
Japanese puppet theater
utaimono/jiuta
lyrical songs accompanied by shamisen lute
sankyoku
Japanese chamber ensemble
shakuhachi
vertical bamboo flute
honkyoku
longer melodic fragments that monks adopted as classical repertoire
koto
Japanese zither
Noh
classical theater of Japan
hayashi
musical ensemble that accompanies “noh”
kakegoe
shouts and exclamations from the drummers
kotoba
free recitative in speech song
fushi
kotaba song melodies
kabuki
word which meant strange, associated with middle class classical theater
debayashi
core of kabuki music, ensemble included 4-8 shamisen players, chorus of male singers
shitakata
uses standard “noh” ensemble, sits on lower platform in front of debayashi
gidayu
narrator-shamisen pair from bunraku
geza
hidden from audience, is a group of musicians who provide sound effects
shoka
Japanese school songs
enka
newer type of sentimental song
gongdiao
Chinese mode (1,2,3,5,6)
zidiao
chinese mode (1,2,4,5,6)