Music of Asia

Asian music encompasses numerous different musical styles originating from a large number of
Asian cultures. Asian music most often uses the pentatonic scale. Philippine music uses 8 notes
or the European way of music because Philippines was colonized by Spain.

The music of Asia is as vast and unique as the many cultures and peoples who inhabit the region.
Principal instrument types are two- or three-stringed lutes, the necks either fretted or fretless;
fiddles made of horsehair; flutes, mostly open at both ends and either end-blown or side-blown;
and Jews' harps, either metal or, often in Siberia, wooden. Percussion instruments include frame
drums, tambourines, and kettledrums. Instrumental polyphony is achieved primarily by lutes and
fiddles. On the other hand, vocal polyphony is achieved in different ways: Bashkirs hum a basic
pitch while playing solo flute.

A type of end-blown flute of varying lengths, with 4-5 holes made with reed or wood. Common
among Inner Asian pastoralists, this instrumehent is also known as tsuur (Mongolian), chuur
(Tuvan), sybyzghy (Kazakh) and kurai (Bashkir).

Chopo Choor

An ocarina made of clay with 3-6 holes, popular with children in Kyrgyzstan.

Daf

A small frame drum used as an accompanyoiment to popular and classical music in Azerbaijan.

Dayra

A frame drum with jingles played by men and women among sedentary populations in Central
Asia.

Dombra

A class of two-stringed, long-necked lutes, the best known of which is a fretted lute that is
considered Kazakhstan's national instrument. It is mostly used to play solo instrumental pieces
known as kui. The dombra also provides accompaniment to Kazakh jyrau (bards) and singers of
bel canto (lyrical song).

Dutar

Refers to a variety of two-stringed long-necked fretted lutes among Uzbeks, Uyghurs, Tajiks,
Turkmens, Karakalpaks, and other groups.

Garmon
A small accordion used in the Caucasus and among khalfa (female wedding entertainers) in the
Khorezm region of northwestern Uzbekistan.

Ghijak

A round-bodied spike fiddle with 3 or 4 metal strings and a short fretless neck used by Uyghurs,
Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmens and Karakalpaks. Also known as a Kemanche - an important
instrument in Iranian and Azeri classical music and popular music in Iran.

Jew's Harp

Called by a variety of names, Jew's harps are traditionally used by pastoralists throughout Inner
Asia. They are typically made out of wood or metal.

Komuz

A three-stringed, fretless long-neck lute typically made from apricot wood, nut wood or juniper.
It is the principal folk instrument of the Kyrgyz. Playing techniques include plucking,
strumming, and striking the strings with the fingernails, together with the use of stylised hand
and arm gestures to add narrative to the performance.

Kyl kyyak

The Kyrgyz name for an upright bowed fiddle with two horse hair strings. In Kazakhstan it is
known as qylqobyz. The deck is usually made from camel or cow hide, and the body is carved
from a single piece of wood, typically apricot. The instrument had a strong connection to both
shamanism and the recitation of oral poetry.

Rubab

A fretless lute with sympathetic strings played in southern Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Rawap

An Uyghur long-necked lute similar to the rubab, but without sympathetic strings.

Sato

A bowed tanbur, or long-necked lute, now rare, played by performers of Tajik-Uzbek classical
music.

Sybyzgy

A Kyrgyz sideblown flute traditionally played by shepherds and horse herders, made from
apricot wood or the wood of mountain bushes. The sybyzgy has its own repertory of solo pieces,
known as kuu, which are distinguished by their lyrical content.
Tanbur

A long-necked plucked lute with raised frets used in Uzbek, Tajik and Uyghur classical music
traditions. An Afghani variant has sympathetic strings.

Tar

A double-chested, skin-topped, plucked lute with multiple sympathetic strings used in urban
music from the Caucasus and Iran (the Iranian version does have sympathetic strings). The tar is
also popular in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Reference
1. ^ "Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia on the AKDN website". Retrieved on
2006-12-08.
Music of China
The music of China dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artefacts
providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC
– 256 BC). Today, the music continues a rich traditional heritage in one aspect, while emerging
into a more contemporary form at the same time. Music has become somewhat commercialized
in Hong Kong and Taiwan. while in mainland China music has been built more on tradition and
may be considered more sophisticated.

History
The legendary founder of music in Chinese
mythology was Ling Lun, who made bamboo
pipes tuned to the sounds of birds.

Music of China Dynasty era (1122 BC – 1911)

Timeline
Genre According to Mencius, a powerful ruler once
C-pop:(Cantopop/Mandopop) asked him whether it was moral if he
Modern Rock preferred popular music to the classics. The
Hip hop answer was that it only mattered that the ruler
Opera love his subjects. The Imperial Music
Traditional Yayue Bureau, first established in the Qin Dynasty
Instrumental (musicology) (221–207 BC), was greatly expanded under
Historical Anthems the Emperor Han Wu Di (140–87 BC) and
Patriotic / Revolutionary charged with supervising court music and
National PRC: "March of the Volunteers" military music and determining what folk
ROC: "Three Principles of the music would be officially recognized. In
People" subsequent dynasties, the development of
Taoist music Chinese music was strongly influenced by
Religious Buddhist music foreign music, especially Central Asia.
Islamic music
Media Radio stations The oldest known written music is Youlan or
Charts the Solitary Orchid, attributed to Confucius
Festivals Midi Modern Music Festival (see guqin article for a sample of tablature).
The first major well-documented flowering of Chinese music was for the qin during the Tang
Dynasty, though the qin is known to have been played since before the Han Dynasty.

In ancient China the position of musicians was much lower than that of painters, though music
was seen as central to the harmony and longevity of the state. Almost every emperor took folk
songs seriously, sending officers to collect songs to inspect the popular will. One of the
Confucianist Classics, Shi Jing (poets), contained many folk songs dating from 800 BC to about
300 BC.
The first European to reach China with a musical instrument was Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci who
presented a Harpsichord to the Ming imperial court in 1601, and trained four eunuchs to play it.[1]

The earliest form of the 1935 March of the Volunteers anthem still in
the pre-Communist traditional Chinese character in the Denton Gazette
newspaper

Republic of China era (1912 – 1949)

The New Culture Movement of the 1910s and 1920s evoked a great
deal of lasting interest in Western music. A number of Chinese
musicians returned from studying abroad to perform Western classical
music, composing work based on Western musical notation system.
The Kuomintang tried to sponsor modern music adoptions via the Shanghai Conservatory of
Music despite the ongoing political crisis. 20th-century cultural philosophers like Xiao Youmei,
Cai Yuanpei, Feng Zikai and Wang Guangqi wanted to see Chinese music adopted to the best
standard possible. There were many different opinions regarding the best standard.[1]

Symphony orchestras were formed in most major cities and performed to a wide audience in the
concert halls and on radio. Many of the performers added jazz influences to traditional music,
adding xylophones, saxophones and violins, among other instruments. Lü Wencheng, Li Jinhui,
Zhou Xuan, Qui Hechou, Yin Zizhong and He Dasha were among the most popular performers
and composers during this period.

After the 1942 Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, a large-scale campaign was launched in the
Communist controlled areas to adapt folk music to create revolutionary songs to educate the
largely illiterate rural population on party goals. Musical forms considered superstitious or anti-
revolutionary were repressed, and harmonies and bass lines were added to traditional songs. One
example is The East Is Red, a folksong from northern Shaanxi which was adapted into a
nationalist hymn. Of particular note is the composer, Xian Xinghai, who was active during this
period, and composed the Yellow River Cantata which is the most well-known of all of his
works.

People's Republic of China era (1949 – 1990s)

The golden age of shidaiqu and the Seven great singing stars would come to an end when the
Communist party denounced Chinese popular music as yellow music (pornography).[2] Maoists
considered pop music as a decline to the art form in the mainland. In 1949 the Kuomintang
relocated to Taiwan, and the People's Republic of China was established. Revolutionary songs
would become heavily promoted by the state. The Maoists, during the Cultural Revolution,
pushed revolutionary music as the only acceptable genre; because of oppression and propaganda,
this genre largely overshadowed all others and came almost to define Mainland music. This is
still, in some ways, an ongoing process, but some scholars and musicians (Chinese and
otherwise) are trying to retrieve what was lost and rebuild the musical heritage.

After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a new fast tempo Northwest Wind (xibeifeng, 西
北風) style was launched by the people to counter the government. The music would progress
into Chinese rock, which remained popular in the 1990s. However, music in China is very much
state-owned as the TV, media, and major concert halls are all controlled by the Communist party.
The government mainly chose not to support Chinese rock by limiting its exposure and airtime.
As a result, the genre never reached the mainstream in its entirety.

Current
China has a high piracy rate along with issues of intellectual properties.[3] As a result, most
albums are released in Taiwan or Hong Kong first. It is often one of the business decisions made
by record companies. Normally there is some delay before the products are released into the
mainland, with occasional exceptions, such as the work of Cui Jian who was released in Taiwan,
Hong Kong and the mainland simultaneously.[4] Consequently, a delay in release time is also the
biggest driver of piracy, since individuals would rather pirate from the outside. Modern market is
not only hindered by rights issues, as there are many other factors such as profit margin, income
and other economical questions.

Annual events such as the Midi Modern Music Festival in Beijing attracts tens of thousands of
visitors. There was also the "Snow Mountain Music Festival" in Yunnan province 2002. The
term "Chinese Woodstock" has been thrown around by Western media for these two events. Both
draw sizable crowds outdoor, but the term is not quite official. The Chinese rock movement
differed from its Western counterpart in that it never fully made it into mainstream culture due to
restrictions by the state.

Today, rock music is centered on almost exclusively in Beijing and Shanghai, and has very
limited influence over Chinese society. Wuhan and Sichuan are sometimes considered pockets of
rock music culture as well. It points to a significant cultural, political and social difference that
exist between China, the West, or even different parts within China. While rock has existed in
China for decades, the milestone that put the genre on the international map is when Cui Jian
played with The Rolling Stones in 2003, at the age of 42.

Traditional music

Chinese musicians at a restaurant in Shanghai

Instrumental

Traditional music in China is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and
bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. The scale is
pentatonic. Bamboo pipes and qin are among the oldest known musical instruments from China;
instruments are traditionally divided into categories based on their material of composition: skin,
gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal and stone. Chinese orchestras traditionally consist
of bowed strings, woodwinds, plucked strings and percussion.

Instruments

• Woodwind and percussion

dizi, sheng, paigu, gong, paixiao, guan, bells, cymbals

• Bowed strings

erhu, zhonghu, dahu, banhu, jinghu, gaohu, gehu, yehu, cizhonghu, diyingehu, leiqin

• Plucked and struck strings

guqin, sanxian, yangqin, guzheng, ruan, konghou, liuqin, pipa, zhu

Re-enactment of a traditional
music performance at Hubei
Provincial Museum in Wuhan.

Chinese vocal music has traditionally been sung in a thin, non-resonant voice or in falsetto and is
usually solo rather than choral. All traditional Chinese music is melodic rather than harmonic.
Chinese vocal music probably developed from sung poems and verses with music. Instrumental
pieces played on an erhu or dizi are popular, and are often available outside of China, but the
pipa and zheng music, which are more traditional, are more popular in China itself. The qin is
perhaps the most revered instrument in China, even though very few people know what it is or
seen and heard one being played. The zheng, a form of zither, is most popular in Henan,
Chaozhou, Hakka and Shandong. The pipa, a kind of lute, believed to have been introduced from
the Arabian Peninsula area during the 6th century and adopted to suit Chinese tastes, is most
popular in Shanghai and surrounding areas.
Ethnic Han music

Han Chinese make up 92% of the population of China. Ethnic Han music consists of
heterophonic music, in which the musicians play versions of a single melodic line. Percussion
accompanies most music, dance, and opera.

1800s Chinese Opera scene

Chinese opera

Chinese opera has been hugely popular for centuries,

especially Beijing opera. The music is often guttural
with high-pitched vocals, usually accompanied by suona, jinghu, other kinds of string
instruments, and percussion. Other types of opera include clapper opera, Pingju, Cantonese
opera, puppet opera, Kunqu, Sichuan opera, Qinqiang, ritual masked opera and Huangmei xi.

Folk music

Han folk music thrives at weddings and funerals and usually includes a form of oboe called a
suona and percussive ensembles called chuigushou. The music is diverse, sometimes jolly,
sometimes sad and often based on Western pop music and TV theme songs. Ensembles
consisting of mouth organs (sheng), shawms (suona), flutes (dizi) and percussion instruments
(especially yunluo gongs) are popular in northern villages; their music is descended from the
imperial temple music of Beijing, Xi'an, Wutai shan and Tianjin. Xi'an drum music consisting of
wind and percussive instruments is popular around Xi'an, and has received some popularity
outside China in a highly-commercialized form. Another important instrument is the sheng,
pipes, which is an ancient instrument that is an ancestor of all Western free reed instruments,
such as the accordion. Parades led by Western-type brass bands are common, often competing in
volume with a shawm/chuigushou band.

A half-section of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) version of the Night Revels of Han Xizai,
original by Gu Hongzhong;[5] ladies are seen dancing and one on the right plays a pipa to
entertain guests.
In southern Fujian and Taiwan, Nanyin or Nanguan is a genre of traditional ballads. They are
sung by a woman accompanied by a xiao and a pipa and other traditional instruments. The music
is generally sorrowful and mourning and typically deals with love-stricken women. Further
south, in Shantou, Hakka and Chaozhou, erxian and zheng ensembles are popular.

Sizhu ensembles use flutes and bowed or plucked string instruments to make harmonious and
melodious music that has become popular in the West among some listeners. These are popular
in Nanjing and Hangzhou, as well as elsewhere along the southern Yangtze area. Sizhu has been
secularized in cities but remains spiritual in rural areas.

Jiangnan Sizhu (silk and bamboo music from Jiangnan) is a style of instrumental music, often
played by amateur musicians in teahouses in Shanghai, that has become widely known outside of
its place of origin.

Guangdong Music or Cantonese Music is instrumental music from Guangzhou and surrounding
areas. It is based on Yueju (Cantonese Opera) music, together with new compositions from the
1920s onwards. Many pieces have influences from jazz and Western music, using syncopation
and triple time.

Regional music
China has many ethnic groups besides the Han, concentrated in the southeast and northwest.
These include Tibetans, Russians, Uyghurs, Manchus, Zhuang, Dai, Naxi, Miao, Wa, Yi, Lisu
and Mongolians.

Tibet

Music forms an integral part of Tibetan Buddhism. While chanting remains perhaps the best
known form of Tibetan Buddhist music, complex and lively forms are also widespread. Monks
use music to recite various sacred texts and to celebrate a variety of festivals during the year. The
most specialized form of chanting is called yang, which is without metrical timing and is
dominated by resonant drums and sustained, low syllables. Other forms of chanting are unique to
Tantra as well as the four main monastic schools: Gelugpa, Kagyupa, Nyingmapa and Sakyapa.
Of these schools, Gelugpa is considered a more a restrained, classical form, while Nyingmapa is
widely described as romantic and dramatic. Gelugpa is perhaps the most popular.

Secular Tibetan music survived the Cultural Revolution more intact than spiritual music,
especially due to the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, which was founded by the Dalai Lama
shortly after his self-imposed exile. TIPA originally specialized in the operatic lhamo form,
which has since been modernized with the addition of Western and other influences. Other
secular genres include nangma and toshe, which are often linked and are accompanied by a
variety of instruments designed for highly-rhythmic dance music. Nangma karaoke is popular in
modern Lhasa. A classical form called gar is very popular, and is distinguished by ornate, elegant
and ceremonial music honoring dignitaries or other respected persons.
Tibetan folk music includes a cappella lu songs, which are distinctively high in pitch with glottal
vibrations, as well as now rare epic bards who sing the tales of Gesar, Tibet's most popular hero.

Tibetan music has influenced the pioneering compositions of Philip Glass and, most
influentially, Henry Eichheim. Later artists made New Age fusions by pioneers Henry Wolff and
Nancy Hennings. These two collaborated on Tibetan Bells, perhaps the first fusion of New Age
and Tibetan influences, in 1971. Glass' Kundun soundtrack proved influential in the 1990s, while
the popularity of Western-adapted Buddhism (exemplified by Richard Gere, Yungchen Lhamo,
Steve Tibbetts, Choying Drolma, Lama Karta and Kitaro and Nawang Khechong) helped further
popularize Tibetan music.

With the arrival of Tibetan refugees in the Himalayas, Western music, often in unique Tibetan
forms, started to become popular among Tibetans everywhere. Rangzen Shonu quickly became
the most popular ethnically Tibetan performers of Western rock and pop. Other forms of
imported pop music include Indian ghazal and filmi, popular across the Himalayas and in
Tibetan communities worldwide. Tibetan-Western fusions have been long suppressed in China
itself, but have been widespread and innovative outside of the country. In the mid- to late 1980s,
a relaxation of governmental rules allowed a form of Tibetan pop music to emerge in Tibet
proper. Direct references to native religion is still forbidden, but commonly-understood
metaphors are widespread. Pure Tibetan pop is heavily influenced by light Chinese rock, and
includes best-sellers like Jampa Tsering and Yatong. Politically and socially aware songs are rare
in this form of pop, but commonplace in a second type of Tibetan pop. Nangma karaoke bars
appeared in 1998 and are common in Lhasa, in spite of threats from the Chinese government.

Guangxi

Guangxi is a region of China, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Its most famous
modern musician is Sister Liu, who was the subject of a 1960s film that introduced Guangxi's
cultures to the rest of the world.

The Gin people are known for their instrument called duxianqin (独弦琴, pinyin: dúxiánqín; lit.
"single string zither"), a string instrument with only one string, said to date back to the 8th
century.

Yunnan

Nakhi musicians

Yunnan is an ethnically diverse area in southeast China.

Perhaps best-known from the province is the lusheng, a
type of mouth organ, used by the Miao people of
Guizhou for pentatonic antiphonal courting songs.
The Hani of Honghe Prefecture are known for a unique kind of choral, micro-tonal rice-
transplanting songs.

The Nakhi of Lijiang play a type of song and dance suite called baisha xiyue, which was
supposedly brought by Kublai Khan in 1253. Nakhi Dongjing is a type of music related to
southern Chinese forms, and is popular today.

Sichuan

Sichuan is a province in southwest China. Its capital city, Chengdu, is home to the only musical
higher education institution in the region, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. The province has
a long history of Sichuan opera.

Manchuria

Manchuria is a region in northeast China, inhabited by ethnic groups like the Manchu. The most
prominent folk instrument is the octagonal drum, while the youyouzha lullaby is also well-
known.

Xinjiang

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is dominated by Uyghurs, a Turkic people related to

others from Central Asia. The Uyghurs' best-known musical form is the On Ikki Muqam, a
complex suite of twelve sections related to Uzbek and Tajik forms. These complex symphonies
vary wildly between suites in the same muqam, and are built on a seven-note scale. Instruments
typically include dap (a drum), dulcimers, fiddles and lutes; performers have some space for
personal embellishments, especially in the percussion. The most important performer is Turdi
Akhun, who recorded most of the muqams in the 1950s.

Hua'er

Hua'er unknown

Kuaiban

Kuaiban is a type of rhythmic talking and singing which is often performed with percussive
instruments such as hand clackers. The center of kuaiban tradition is Shandong province.
Kuaiban bears some resemblance to rap and other forms of rhythmic music found in other
cultures.
Modern music
These are genres that started after 1912 to coincide with the New China.

Pop music

C-pop originally began with the shidaiqu genre founded by Li Jinhui in the mainland, with
Western jazz influences from the likes of Buck Clayton. After the Communist Party
establishment, the Baak Doi record company ended up leaving Shanghai in 1952.[6] The 1970s
saw the rise of cantopop in Hong Kong, and later mandopop in Taiwan. The mainland remained
on the sideline for decades with minimal degree of participation. Only in recent years did the
youth in mainland resume as a consumer for the Taiwan mandopop market. Still, China is not yet
considered a major production hub despite having the largest population[7]. When Hong Kong's
icon Anita Mui performed the song "Bad Girl" during the 1990s in China, she was banned from
returning to the concert for showing a rebellious attitude. [8] By Western standards, the
performance was no more rebellious than, for example, Madonna since Mui based a lot of her
dance moves on Madonna's style. Many mainland artists often try to start their commercial
success in Hong Kong or Taiwan first, and then re-import into the mainland as part of the gangtai
culture.

Since the end of the 20th century, pop music in mainland China started to become more popular.
Especially at the start of the 21st century, Mainland Chinese artists have started producing a wide
range of mandarin pop songs along with many new albums.

Many mainland Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong artists performed for the promotion of the
2008 Beijing Olympics.

Hip hop and rap

Rock and heavy metal

The widely-acknowledged forefather of Chinese rock is Cui Jian.[4] In the late 1980s he played
the first Chinese rock song called: "I Have Nothing" ("Yi wu suo you"). It was the first time an
electric guitar was used in China. He became the most famous performer of the time, and by
1988 he performed at a concert broadcasted worldwide in conjunction with the Seoul Summer
Olympic Games.[4] His socially critical lyrics earned him the anger of the government and many
of his concerts were banned or cancelled. After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, he
played with a red blindfold around his head as an action against the government.

Following, two bands became famous Hei Bao (Black Panther) and Tang Dynasty. Both started
during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hei Bao is an old-school rock band whose first CD, Hei
Bao used the popular English song ("Don't Break My Heart"). Tang Dynasty was the first
Chinese heavy metal band. Its first CD "A Dream Return to Tang Dynasty" combines elements
of traditional Chinese opera and old school heavy metal. The album was a major breakthrough
releasing around 1991/1992. Unfortunately, one member of Tang Dynasty died shortly after the
release.

Around 1994–96: the first thrash metal band, Chao Zai (Overload), was formed. They released
three CDs, the last one in cooperation with pop singer Gao Chi of the split-up band The
Breathing. At the same time the first new metal bands were formed and inspired by Western
bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park. China would have their own with Yaksa,
Twisted Machine, AK-47, Overheal Tank.

Punk rock

Punk rock became famous in China around 1994–1996 with the first Chinese artist of the post
punk genre being He Yong and his debut record Garbage Dump. The first real wave of band
formations erupted in 1995 concentrating in Beijing, and the second generation of punk bands
followed around 1997.

National music

A typical PRC national music album branded to be sold outside

of the mainland. Songs include The Internationale, The East is
Red and many others

Patriotic / Revolutionary

Guoyue are basically music performed on some grand presentation to encourage national pride.
Since 1949, it has been by far the most government-promoted genre. Compared to other forms of
music, symphonic national music flourished throughout the country. In 1969 the cantata was
adapted to a piano concerto. The Yellow River Piano Concerto was performed by the pianist Yin
Chengzong, and is still performed today on global stages. During the height of the Cultural
Revolution, musical composition and performance were greatly restricted. A form of soft,
harmonic, generic, pan-Chinese music called guoyue was artificially created to be performed at
conservatories. After the Cultural Revolution, musical institutions were reinstated and musical
composition and performance revived. At the height of the Mao Zedong era, the music
accelerated at the political level into "Revolutionary Music" leaning toward cult status and
becoming mainstream under pro-Communist ideology.
References
• Jones, Steven. "The East Is Red... And White"". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and
Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2:
Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 34–43. Rough Guides
Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
• Lee, Joanna. "Cantopop and Protest Singers". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham,
Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin &
North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 49–59. Rough Guides Ltd,
Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
• Lee Yuan-Yuan and Shen, Sinyan. Chinese Musical Instruments (Chinese Music
Monograph Series). 1999. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. ISBN 1-
880464039
• Rees, Helen with Zingrong, Zhang and Wei, Li. "Sounds of the Frontiers". 2000. In
Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla
(Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific,
pp 44–48. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
• Shen, Sinyan. Chinese Music in the 20th Century (Chinese Music Monograph Series).
2001. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. ISBN 1880464047.
• Trewin, Mark. "Raising the Roof". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with
McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North
America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 254–261. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin
Books. ISBN 185828636025.
Music of Indonesia

Indonesia is culturally diverse, and every one of the 18,000 islands has its own cultural and
artistic history and character[1]. This results hundreds of different forms of music, which often
accompanies dance and theater. The musics of Java, Sumatra, Bali, Flores and other islands have
been documented and recorded, and research by Indonesian and international scholars is
ongoing.

Music of Indonesia: Topics Contents

Gamelan • 1 Tembang sunda
• 2 Kecapi suling
Timeline and samples • 3 Gamelan
o 3.1 Central Java
 3.1.1 History
Classical- Kecak - Kecapi suling - Tembang
sunda - Pop - Dangdut - Hip hop - Kroncong o 3.2 West Java
- Gambang kromong - Gambus - Jaipongan -  3.2.1 Gamelan slendro
Genres Langgam jawa - Pop Batak - Pop Minang - o 3.3 East Java
Pop Sunda - Qasidah modern - Rock -  3.3.1 Osinger
Tapanuli ogong - Tembang jawa
• 4 Pop and folk music
o 4.1 Kroncong
Angklung - Beleganjur - Degung - Gambang
 4.1.1 Langgam jawa
- Gong gede - Gong kebyar - Jegog - Joged
Gamelan bumbung - Salendro - Selunding - Semar  4.1.2 Tembang jawa
pegulingan  4.1.3 Gambang kromong
o 4.2 Dangdut
o 4.3 Jaipongan
Tembang sunda o 4.4 Qasidah modern
o 4.5 Gambus
Tembang sunda, also called seni mamaos cianjuran, o 4.6 Tapanuli ogong
or just cianjuran, is a form of sung poetry which
• 5 Indonesian Music Legends
arose in the colonial-era kabupaten of Cianjur. It
• 6 See also
was first known as an aristocratic art; one cianjuran
• 7 References
composer was R.A.A. Kusumahningrat (Dalem
Pancaniti), ruler of Cianjur (1834 - 1862). The
• 8 External links
instruments of Cianjuran are kacapi Indung, kacapi
rincik and suling or bamboo flute, and rebab for salendro compositions. The lyrics are typically
sung in free verse, but a more modern version, panambih, is metrical.

Kecapi suling
Kecapi suling is a type of instrumental music that is highly improvisational and popular in parts
of Java. It is related to tembang sunda.
Gamelan
The most popular and famous form of Indonesian music is gamelan, an ensemble of tuned
percussion instruments that include metallophones,
drums, gongs and spike fiddles along with bamboo
flutes. Similar ensembles are prevalent throughout
Indonesia and Malaysia, but gamelan is from Java, Bali
and Lombok. There are rivalries between different
regions' variations of gamelan, especially Java and Bali.

Central Java

Central gamelan is inticate and meticulously laid out.

Metallophone
The central melody is played on a metallophone in the
center of the orchestra, while the front section plays
elaboration and ornamentation on the melody, and, at the
back, the gongs slowly punctuate the music. There are
two tuning systems - the 5-tone slendro scale and the 7-
tone pelog scale. Unlike Western music, there is no
standard tuning system. Each Gamelan is tuned to itself,
and the intervals between notes on the scale vary
between ensembles.
Gongs The metallophones cover four octaves, and include types
like the slenthem, demung, saron panerus and balungan.
The soul of the gamelan is believed to reside in the large
gong, or gong ageng. Other gongs are tuned to each note
of the scale and include ketuk, kenong and kempul. The
front section of the orchestra is diverse, and includes
rebab, suling, siter, bonang and gambang. Male choruses
(gerong) and female (pesindhen) solo vocalists are
common.

Player

History

Gamelan is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism, though the island of Java is almost entirely
Muslim today. Islam arrived in the 15th century, filtered through Hindustani Indians. With the
arrival of the Dutch colonizers, a number system called kepatihan was developed to record the
music. Music and dance at the time was divided into several styles based on the four main courts
in the area -- Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Pakualaman and Mangkunagaran. It is a universal
acknowledgment that gamelans are highly honoured citizens.

West Java
West Java, or Sunda, has a diverse brand of gamelan. Gamelan Degung, gamelan salendro and
tembang sunda are three primary types.

Gamelan slendro

Gamelan salendro is used primarily to accompany classical or more modern social dances, and is
considered a low-class form. The 20th century saw a rise in the popularity and importance of
female singers.

East Java

Gamelan from eastern Java is less well-known than central or western parts of the island.
Perhaps most distinctive of the area is the extremely large gamyak drum.

Osinger

The Osinger minority in Java are known for social music for weddings and other celebrations,
called gandrung, as well as angklung, played by young amateur boys, which is very similar to
Balinese gamelan.

Pop and folk music

Indonesian pop and folk is quite diverse, embracing rock, house, Indonesian hip hop and other
genres, as well as distinctly Indonesian forms. There are several kinds of "ethnic" pop music,
generally grouped together as Pop Daerah (regional pop). These include Pop Sunda, Pop
Minang, Pop Batak, and others. The regional pop musics mostly use local languages and a mix
of western and regional style music and instruments.

Kroncong

Kroncong (alternative spelling: Keroncong) has been evolving since the arrival of the
Portuguese, who brought with them European instruments. By the early 1900s, it was considered
a low-class urban music. This changed in the 1930s, when the rising Indonesian film industry
began incorporating kroncong, and then even more so in the mid- to late 1940s, when it became
associated with the struggle for independence.

Perhaps the most famous song in the kroncong style is Bengawan Solo, written in 1940 by
Gesang Martohartono, a Solonese musician. Written during the Japanese Imperial Army
occupation of the island in World War II, the song (about the Bengawan Solo River, Java's
longest and most important river) became widely popular among the Javanese, and then later
nationally when recordings were broadcast over the local radio stations. The song also became
quite popular with the Japanese soldiers, and when they returned to Japan at the end of the war
re-recordings of it (by Japanese artists) became best-sellers. Over the years it has been re-
released many times by notable artists, mainly within Asia but also beyond, and in some places it
is seen as typifying Indonesian music.
Gesang himself remains the most renowned exponent of the style, which although it is seen now
as a somewhat starchy and "dated" form is still popular among large segments of the population,
particularly the older generation.

Langgam jawa

There is a style of kroncong native to Surakarta (Solo) called langgam jawa, which fuses
kroncong with the gamelan seven-note scale.

Tembang jawa

Similar in style is tembang jawa. Perhaps its greatest current star is Didi Kempot.

Gambang kromong

Early in the 20th century, kroncong was used in a type of theater called komedi stanbul; adapted
for this purpose, the music was called gambang kromong.

Dangdut

Dangdut is a form of dance music that has been popular since the mid-1970s. Dangdut is based
around the singers, and stars include Rhoma Irama and Elvy Sukaesih (the log and Queen of
Dangdut), along with Inul Daratista, Evie Tamala, Mansyur S., A. Rafiq, and [[Fahmy
Shamnmnm.

Jaipongan

Jaipongan is a very complex rhythmic dance music from Sunda. The rhythm is liable to change
seemingly randomly, making dancing difficult for most listeners. Its instruments are entirely
from Sunda, completely without imported instruments from the West, China, Japan or elsewhere.
It was invented by artists like Gugum Gumbira after Sukarno prohibited rock and roll and other
western genres.

Qasidah modern

Qasidah is an ancient Arabic word for religious poetry accompanied by chanting and percussion.
Qasidah modern adapts this for pop audiences.

Gambus

Gambus literally means oud, referring to a type of lute. It is used to denote a type of orchestra
and the music it plays, believed to be introduced by Muslim settlers from Yemen. Though
popular among Arabs in Indonesia, it has gained little popularity elsewhere.

Tapanuli ogong
From Tapanuli, tapanuli ogong is a form of dance music played with a type of lute, trumpet and
flute.

Indonesian Music Legends

From Gesang, Koes Bersaudara/Koes Plus (Indonesian #1 Legend), Dara Puspita, Alfian, Titiek
Puspa, Guruh Gypsi, Gombloh and Lemontrees, Bing Slamet, Benyamin S, Godbless, Chrisye,
DARSO (Calung X), Harry Roesli (50's-70's) till Fariz RM, Iwan Fals,and many more.

References
1. ^ Indonesian Geography http://countrystudies.us/indonesia/28.htm

• Bass, Colin. "No Risk -- No Fun!"". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark
with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North
America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 131-142. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin
Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• Heaton, Jenny and Steptoe, Simon. "A Storm of Bronze". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and
Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2:
Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 117-130. Rough Guides
Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
Music of Japan
The modern Japanese music scene includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both
traditional and modern, ranging from rock, electro, punk, folk, metal, reggae, salsa, and tango to
country music and hip hop. Local music often appears at karaoke venues, which is on lease from
the record labels.

The word for music in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining the kanji 音 ("on" sound) with the
kanji 楽 ("gaku" Fun, comfort). [1]

Contents Traditional Japanese music

• 1 Traditional Japanese music There are countless types of traditional
• 2 Biwa hōshi, Heike biwa, mōsō, and goze music in Japan. Two of the oldest are
• 3 Taiko shōmyō, or Buddhist chanting, and gagaku,
• 4 Min'yō folk music or orchestral court music, both of which
• 5 Okinawan folk music date to the Nara and Heian periods.
• 6 Traditional instruments
• 7 Arrival of Western music Gagaku is a type of classical music that has
o 7.1 Western classical music been performed at the Imperial court since
o 7.2 Jazz the Heian period. Kagurauta ( 神 楽 歌 ),
o 7.3 Rock music Azumaasobi( 東 遊 ) and Yamatouta ( 大 和
 7.3.1 Punk rock / alternative 歌 ) are relatively indigenous repertories.
 7.3.2 Japanese Hip-Hop Tōgaku ( 唐 楽 ) and komagaku originated
 7.3.3 Roots music from the Chinese Tang dynasty via the
 7.3.4 Heavy metal Korean peninsula. In addition, gagaku is
o 7.4 Latin, Reggae and Ska music divided into kangen ( 管 弦 ) (instrumental
o 7.5 Electronic Music music) and bugaku ( 舞 楽 ) (dance
o 7.6 Game music accompanied by gagaku).
• 8 References
• 9 See also Originating as early as the 19th century are
honkyoku ("original pieces"). These are
• 10 External links solo shakuhachi pieces played by
mendicant Fuke sect priests of Zen
buddhism. These priests, called komusō ("emptiness monk"), played honkyoku for alms and
enlightenment. The Fuke sect ceased to exist in the 19th century, but a verbal and written lineage
of many honkyoku continues today, though this music is now often practiced in a concert or
performance setting.

The samurai often listened to and performed in these musical activities, in their practices of
enriching their lives and understanding.
 Noh is usually accompanied by music, uta (唄) and hayashi (囃
子)

Musical theater also developed in Japan from an early age. Noh

(能) or nō arose out of various more popular traditions and by the 14th century had developed
into a highly refined art. It was brought to its peak by Kan'ami (1333-1384) and Zeami (1363?-
1443). In particular Zeami provided the core of the Noh repertory and authored many treatises on
the secrets of the Noh tradition (until the modern era these were not widely read).

Another form of Japanese theater is the puppet theater, often known as bunraku ( 文 楽 ). This
traditional puppet theater also has roots in popular traditions and flourished especially during
Chonin in the Edo period (1600-1868). It is usually accompanied by recitation (various styles of
jōruri) accompanied by shamisen music.

During the Edo period actors (after 1652 only male adults) performed the lively and popular
kabuki theater. Kabuki, which could feature anything from historical plays to dance plays, was
often accompanied by nagauta style of singing and shamisen performance.

Biwa hōshi, Heike biwa, mōsō, and goze

The biwa, a form of short-necked lute, was played by a group of itinerant performers (biwa
hōshi) who used it to accompany stories. The most famous of these stories is The Tale of the
Heike, a 19th century history of the triumph of the Minamoto clan over the Taira. Biwa hōshi
began to organize themselves into a guild-like association (tōdō) for visually impaired men as
early as the thirteenth century. This guild eventually controlled a large portion of the musical
culture of Japan.

In addition, numerous smaller groups of itinerant blind musicians were formed especially in the
Kyushu area. These musicians, known as mōsō (blind monk) toured their local areas and
performed a variety of religious and semi-religious texts to purify households and bring about
good health and good luck. They also maintained a repertory of secular genres. The biwa that
they played was considerably smaller than the Heike biwa played by the biwa hōshi.

Lafcadio Hearn related in his book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things "Mimi-nashi
Hoichi" (Hoichi the Earless), a Japanese ghost story about a blind biwa hōshi who performs "The
Tale of the Heike"

Blind women, known as goze, also toured the land since the medieval era, singing songs and
playing accompanying music on a lap drum. From the seventeenth century they often played the
koto or the shamisen. Goze organizations sprung up throughout the land, and existed until
recently in what is today Niigata prefecture.
Taiko

Taiko performing

The taiko is a Japanese drum that comes in various sizes and is used to
play a variety of musical genres. It has become particularly popular in
recent years as the central instrument of percussion ensembles whose
repertory is based on a variety of folk and festival music of the past.
Such taiko music is played by large drum ensembles called kumi-daiko.
Its origins are uncertain, but can be sketched out as far back as the 6th
and 7th centuries, when a clay figure of a drummer indicates its existence. China influences
followed, but the instrument and its music remained uniquely Japanese.[2] Taiko drums during
this period were used during battle to intimidate the enemy and to communicate commands.
Taiko continue to be used in the religious music of Buddhism and Shintō. In the past players
were holy men, who played only at special occasions and in small groups, but in time secular
men (rarely women) also played the taiko in semi-religious festivals such as the bon dance.

Modern ensemble taiko is said to have been invented by Daihachi Oguchi in 1951. A jazz
drummer, Oguchi incorporated his musical background into large ensembles, which he had also
designed. His energetic style made his group popular throughout Japan, and made the Hokuriku
region a center for taiko music. Musicians to arise from this wave of popularity included
Sukeroku Daiko and his bandmate Seido Kobayashi. 1969 saw a group called Za Ondekoza
founded by Tagayasu Den; Za Ondekoza gathered together young performers who innovated a
new roots revival version of taiko, which was used as a way of life in communal lifestyles.
During the 1970s, the Japanese government allocated funds to preserve Japanese culture, and
many community taiko groups were formed. Later in the century, taiko groups spread across the
world, especially to the United States. The video game Taiko Drum Master is based around
taiko. One example of a modern Taiko band is GOCOO.

Min'yō folk music

Geisha with her shamisen, 1904

Japanese folk songs (min'yō) can be grouped and classified in many

ways but it is often convenient to think of four main categories:
work songs, religious songs (such as sato kagura, a form of Shintoist
music), songs used for gatherings such as weddings, funerals, and
festivals (matsuri, especially Obon), and children's songs (warabe
uta).
In min'yō, singers are typically accompanied by the three-stringed lute known as the shamisen,
taiko drums, and a bamboo flute called shakuhachi. Other instruments that could accompany are
a transverse flute known as the shinobue, a bell known as kane, a hand drum called the tsuzumi,
and/or a 13-stringed zither known as the koto. In Okinawa, the main instrument is the sanshin.
These are traditional Japanese instruments, but modern instrumentation, such as electric guitars
and synthesizers, is also used in this day and age, when enka singers cover traditional min'yō
songs (Enka being a Japanese music genre all its own).

Terms often heard when speaking about min'yō are ondo, bushi, bon uta, and komori uta. An
ondo generally describes any folk song with a distinctive swing that may be heard as 2/4 time
rhythm (though performers usually do not group beats). The typical folk song heard at Obon
festival dances will most likely be an ondo. A fushi is a song with a distinctive melody. Its very
name, which is pronounced "bushi" in compounds, means "melody" or "rhythm." The word is
rarely used on its own, but is usually prefixed by a term referring to occupation, location,
personal name or the like. Bon uta, as the name describes, are songs for Obon, the lantern
festival of the dead. Komori uta are children's lullabies. The names of min'yo songs often include
descriptive term, usually at the end. For example: Tokyo Ondo, Kushimoto Bushi, Hokkai Bon
Uta, and Itsuki no Komoriuta.

Many of these songs include extra stress on certain syllables as well as pitched shouts (kakegoe).
Kakegoe are generally shouts of cheer but in min'yō, they are often included as parts of choruses.
There are many kakegoe, though they vary from region to region. In Okinawa Min'yō, for
example, one will hear the common "ha iya sasa!" In mainland Japan, however, one will be more
likely to hear "a yoisho!," "sate!," or "a sore!" Others are "a donto koi!," and "dokoisho!"

Recently a guild-based system known as the iemoto system has been applied to some forms of
min'yō; it is called. This system was originally developed for transmitting classical genres such
as nagauta, shakuhachi, or koto music, but since it proved profitable to teachers and was
supported by students who wished to obtain certificates of proficiency and artist's names
continues to spread to genres such as min'yō, Tsugaru-jamisen and other forms of music that
were traditionally transmitted more informally. Today some min'yō are passed on in such
pseudo-family organizations and long apprenticeships are common.

Okinawan folk music

Umui, religious songs, shima uta, dance songs, and, especially katcharsee, lively celebratory
music, were all popular.

Okinawan folk music varies from mainland Japanese folk music in several ways.

First, Okinawan folk music is often accompanied by the sanshin whereas in mainland Japan, the
shamisen accompanies instead. Other Okinawan instruments include the Sanba (which produce a
clicking sound similar to that of castanets) and a sharp bird whistle.

Second, tonality. A pentatonic scale, which coincides with the major pentatonic scale of Western
musical disciplines, is often heard in min'yō from the main islands of Japan. In this pentatonic
scale the subdominant and leading tone (scale degrees 4 and 7 of the Western major scale) are
omitted, resulting in a musical scale with no half-steps between each note. (Do, Re, Mi, So, La in
solfeggio, or scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) Okinawan min'yō, however, is characterized by
scales that include the half-steps omitted in the aforementioned pentatonic scale, when analyzed
in the Western discipline of music. In fact, the most common scale used in Okinawan min'yō
includes scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.

Traditional instruments
• Biwa (琵琶)
• Hichiriki (篳篥)　
• Hocchiku (法竹)
• Hyoshigi (拍子木)
• Kane (鐘)
• Kakko (鞨鼓)
• Kokyū (胡弓)
• Koto（琴）
• Niko （二胡）
• Okawa (AKA Ōtsuzumi) (大鼓)
• Ryūteki (竜笛)
• Sanshin (三線)
• Shakuhachi (bamboo flute) （尺八）
• Shamisen　（三味線）
• Shime-Daiko (締太鼓)
• Shinobue (篠笛)
• Shō (笙)
• Suikinkutsu (water zither) (水琴窟)
• Taiko (i.e. Wadaiko)太鼓～和太鼓
• Tsuzumi（鼓）(AKA Kotsuzumi)

Arrival of Western music

After the Meiji Restoration introduced Western musical instruction, a bureaucrat named Izawa
Shuji compiled songs like "Auld Lang Syne" and commissioned songs using a pentatonic
melody. Western music, especially military marches, soon became popular in Japan. Two major
forms of music that developed during this period were shoka, which was composed to bring
western music to schools, and gunka, which are military marches with some Japanese elements.

As Japan moved towards representative democracy in the late 19th century, leaders hired singers
to sell copies of songs that aired their messages, since the leaders themselves were usually
prohibited from speaking in public. This developed into a form of ballad called enka, which
became quite popular in the 20th century, though its popularity has waned since the 1970s and
enjoys little favour with contemporary youth. Famous enka singers include Misora Hibari and
Ikuzo Yoshi. Also at the end of the 19th century, an Osakan form of streetcorner singing became
popular; this was called ryūkōka. This included the first two Japanese stars, Yoshida Naramura
and Tochuken Kumoemon.

Westernized pop music is called kayōkyoku, which is said to have and first appeared in a
dramatization of Resurrection by Tolstoy, sung by Matsui Samako. The song became a hit
among enka singers, and was one of the first major best-selling records in Japan. Kayōkyoku
became a major industry, especially after the arrival of superstar Misora Hibari.

Later, in the 1950s, tango and other kinds of Latin music, especially Cuban music, became very
popular in Japan. A distinctively Japanese form of tango called dodompa also developed.
Kayōkyoku became associated entirely with traditional Japanese structures, while more Western-
style music was called Japanese pops. In the 1960s, Japanese bands imitated The Beatles, Bob
Dylan and the Rolling Stones, along with other Appalachian folk music, psychedelic rock, mod
and similar genres; this was called Group Sounds.

Since then, bubblegum pop and J-Pop have become some of the best-selling forms of music, and
are often used in films and television, especially in Japanese animation. The rise of disposable
pop has been linked with the popularity of karaoke, leading to much criticism that it is
consumerist and shallow. For example, Kazufumi Miyazawa of The Boom, claims "I hate that
buy, listen, and throw away and sing at a karaoke bar mentality."

Electronic pop music in Japan became a successful commodity with the Technopop craze of the
late 70s and 80s, beginning with Yellow Magic Orchestra and solo albums of Ryuichi Sakamoto
and Haruomi Hosono in 1978 before hitting popularity in 79/80. Influenced by disco,
impressionistic and 20th century classical composition, jazz/fusion pop, new wave and
technopop artists such as Kraftwerk and Telex, these artists were commercial yet
uncompromising; Ryuichi Sakamoto claims that "to me, making pop music is not a compromise
because I enjoy doing it". The artists that fall under the banner of technopop in Japan are as loose
as those that do so in the West, thus new wave bands such as P-Model and The Plastics fall under
the category alongside the symphonic techno arrangements of Yellow Magic Orchestra. The
popularity of this music meant that many popular artists of the 70s that previously were known
for acoustic music turned to techno production, such as Taeko Onuki and Akiko Yano, and idol
producers began employing electronic arrangements for new singers in the 80s. Today, newer
artists such as Polysics pay explicit homage to this era of Japanese popular (and in some cases
underground or difficult to obtain) music.

The late 90's brought the arrival of many new artists and groups, including Utada Hikaru, Every
Little Thing, Ayumi Hamasaki, and Morning Musume. Utada Hikaru's debut album, "First
Love", went on to be the highest-selling album in Japan with over 7 million copies sold, whereas
Ayumi Hamasaki became Japan's top selling female and solo artist, and Morning Musume
remains one of the most well-known girl groups in the Japanese pop music industry.
Western classical music

Western classical music has a strong presence in Japan and the country is one of the most
important markets for this music tradition, with Toru Takemitsu (famous as well for his avant-
garde works and movie scoring) being the best known. Also famous is the conductor Seiji
Ozawa. Since 1999 the pianist Fujiko Hemming, who plays Liszt and Chopin, has been famous
and her CDs have sold millions of copies. Japan is also home to the world's leading wind band,
the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, and the largest music competition of any kind, the All-Japan
Band Association national contest.

Jazz

From the 1930s on (except during World War II, when it was repressed as music of the enemy),
jazz has had a strong presence in Japan. The country is an important market for the music, and it
is common that recordings no longer available in the United States are available in Japan. A
number of Japanese jazz musicians have achieved popularity abroad as well as at home.
Musicians such as June (born in Japan) and Dan (third generation American born, of Hiroshima
fame), and Sadao Watanabe have a large fan base outside their native country.

Lately, club jazz or nu-jazz has become popular with a growing number of young Japanese.
Native DJs such as Ryota Nozaki (Jazztronik), the two brothers Okino Shuya and Okino
Yoshihiro of Kyoto Jazz Massive, Toshio Matsuura (former member of the United Future
Organization) and DJ Shundai Matsuo creator of the popular monthly DJ event, Creole in Beppu,
Japan as well as nu-jazz artists, Sleepwalker, GrooveLine, and Soil & "Pimp" Sessions have
brought great change to the traditional notions of jazz in Japan.

Today, some of the newer and very interesting bands include Ego-Wrappin' and Sakerock.

Rock music

Group Sounds (G.S.) is a genre of Japanese rock music that was popular in the mid to late 1960s.
The Tigers was the most popular G.S. bands in the era. Later, some of the members of The
Tigers, The Tempters and The Spiders formed the first Japanese supergroup Pyg. Homegrown
Japanese country rock had developed by the late 1960s. Artists like Happy End are considered to
have virtually developed the genre. During the 1970s, it grew more popular. The Okinawan band
Champloose, along with Carol, RC Succession and Shinji Harada were especially famous and
helped define the genre's sound.

In the 1980s, the Boøwy became the biggest band in Japanese rock's history, and inspired
alternative rock bands like Shonen Knife & the Boredoms and Tama & Little Creatures as well
as more meanstream bands as Glay. Most influentially, the 1980s spawned Yellow Magic
Orchestra, which was inspired by developing electronic music, led by Haruomi Hosono. In 1980,
Huruoma and Ry Cooder, an American musician, collaborated on a rock album with Shoukichi
Kina, driving force behind the aforementioned Okinawan band Champloose. They were followed
by Sandii & the Sunsetz, who further mixed Japanese and Okinawan influences. Also during the
80's, Japanese rock bands gave birth to the movement known as visual kei, represented during its
history by bands like Buck-Tick, X Japan, Luna Sea, , Malice Mizer and many others, some of
which experienced success in the recent years.

In the 90's rock bands such as Glay, Luna Sea and L'Arc~en~Ciel, which are often considered
visual kei or related to this genre, as well as bands like B'z and Mr. Children achieved great
commercial success, some of them establishing marks in Japanese music history. While B'z is the
#1 best selling act in Japanese music since Oricon started to count, followed by Mr. Children,
Glay was arguably the most massively popular band in the '90s.[3] In 1999 the band played for a
crowd of 200,000, the most attended single concert ever held in Japan.[4] Though the rock scene
in the 2000s is not as strong, newer bands as Bump of Chicken, Remioromen, UVERworld and
Orange Range, which are considered rock bands, although the latter also does hip hop, have
achieved success. Established bands as Glay, L'Ar~en~Ciel, B'z and Mr. Children, also continue
to top charts, though B'z and Mr. Children are the only bands to maintain a high standards of
their sales along the years.

Japanese rock has a vibrant underground rock scene, best known internationally for noise rock
bands such as Boredoms and Melt Banana, as well as stoner rock bands such as Boris. More
conventional indie rock artists such as Eastern Youth, The Band Apart and Number Girl have
found some mainstream success in Japan, but relatively little recognition outside of their home
country.

Punk rock / alternative

Early examples of punk rock / no wave in Japan include The SS, The Star Club, The Stalin, INU,
Gaseneta, Lizard (who were produced by the Stranglers) and Friction (whose guitarist Reck had
previously played with Teenage Jesus and the Jerks before returning to Tokyo). The early punk
scene was immortalised on film by Sogo Ishii, who directed the 1982 film Burst City featuring a
cast of punk bands/musicians and also filmed videos for The Stalin. In the 80s, hardcore bands
such as G.I.S.M, Gauze, Confuse, Lip Cream and Systematic Death began appearing, some
incorporating crossover elements. The independent scene also included a diverse number of
alternative / post-punk / new wave artists such as Aburadako, P-Model, Uchoten, Auto-Mod,
Buck-Tick, La-ppisch, Guernica and Yapoos (both of which featured Jun Togawa), G-Schmitt,
Totsuzen Danball and Jagatara, along with noise/industrial bands such as Hijokaidan and
Hanatarashi.

During the late nineties and early 2000s bands like Hi-Standard, Hawaiian6, Snail Ramp, Garlic
Boys, Husking Bee, Nicotine and Going Steady brought Japanese punk to new heights.

Later examples of Japanese alternative bands are Ellegarden, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The
Blue Hearts, Shonen Knife, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and Maximum the Hormone.

Another subgenre is characterized by highly technical, yet dissonant, instrumentals. The vocal
style runs the gamut from J-Pop style, to incoherent screeching, to traditional Japanese style
singing. Lyrics may be generally nonsensical and random. Their visual style also reflects this and
may run to the extremes in Visual Kei bands. This style seems to be a conscious rejection of the
old Japanese proverb, "The nail that sticks out will be hammered down." When their culture
prides itself on conformity and harmony, these artists strive to create dissonance and attract the
wrong kind of attention. This is relatively new genre, starting in the late 1990s and just now
getting its voice heard. Notable bands in this subgenre include: Antic Cafe, Limited Express (has
gone?), Miyavi, Dir en grey, Alice Nine, GazettE, Peaches55, Hyde, Musyaburui and Peelander-
Z.

Japanese Hip-Hop

Hip-hop is a newer form of music on the Japanese music scene. Many felt it was a trend that
would immediately pass. However, the genre has lasted for many years and is still thriving. In
fact, rappers in Japan did not achieve the success of hip-hop artists in other countries until the
late 1980s. This was mainly due to the music world's belief that "Japanese sentences were not
capable of forming the rhyming effect that was contained in American rappers' songs." [5] There
is a certain, well-defined structure to the music industry called "The Pyramid Structure of a
Music Scene". As Ian Condry notes, "viewing a music scene in terms of a pyramid provides a
more nuanced understanding of how to interpret the significance of different levels and kinds of
success." [6] The levels are as follows (from lowest to highest): fans and potential artists,
performing artists, recording artists (indies), major label artists, and mega-hit stars. These
different levels can be clearly seen at a genba, or nightclub. Different "families" of rappers
perform on stage. A family is essentially a collection of rap groups that are usually headed by
one of the more famous Tokyo acts, which also include a number of proteges. [7] They are
important because they are "the key to understanding stylistic differences between groups." [8]
Hip-hop fans in the audience are the ones in control of the night club. They are the judges who
determine the winners in rap battles on stage. An example of this can be seen with the battle
between rap artists Dabo (a major label artist) and Kan (an indie artist). Kan challenged Dabo to
a battle on stage while Dabo was mid-performance. Another important part of night clubs was
displayed at this time. It showed "the openness of the scene and the fluidity of boundaries in
clubs." [9] Both artists did a cappella freestyle, but in the end, the audience showed their approval
for Dabo.

Roots music

In the late 1980s, roots bands like Shang Shang Typhoon and The Boom became popular.
Okinawan roots bands like Nenes and Kina were also commercially and critically successful.
This led to the second wave of Okinawan music, led by the sudden success of Rinkenband. A
new wave of bands followed, including the comebacks of Champluse and Kina, as led by
Kikusuimaru Kawachiya; very similar to kawachi ondo is Tadamaru Sakuragawa's goshu ondo.

Heavy metal

Japan is known for being a successful area for metal bands touring around the world and as a
result, many live albums are recorded in Japan. Some notable examples are Deep Purple's Made
In Japan, Blind Guardian's Tokyo Tales, Children Of Bodom's Tokyo Warhearts and Ozzy
Osbourne's Live At Budokan.
The most popular metal genre in Japan is Neo-classical metal and Power metal. Bands such as
Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Skylark, Angra, Firewind, and Sinergy have had major success in
Japan. Japanese Neo-classical bands also had success among international Neo-classical fans
with Concerto Moon and Ark Storm being the leading bands.

Speed metal, Melodic death metal and Doom metal also have followings. Many of the older
Japanese metal bands (1980's to 1990's) are speed metal due to the success of X Japan. Extreme
metal is usually treated as an underground form of music in Japan. Notable bands are Blood
Stain Child, Church Of Misery and Sigh.

Loudness is the most successful Japanese heavy metal band outside Japan. Their 6th album
Lightning Strikes peaked at #64 on the Billboard 200.

Latin, Reggae and Ska music

See J-ska Other forms of music, from Indonesia, Jamaica and elsewhere, were assimilated.
African soukous and Latin music was popular as was Jamaican reggae and ska, exemplified by
Mute Beat, Home Grown and Ska Flames, Determinations, and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.

Electronic Music

In 2004,an independent music producer from south America released an electronic album called
The Kyoto Connection (a fusion of hypnotic ambient textures with traditional Japanese sounds);
under a Creative Commons License. Two years later, "The Second Voyage" was released to the
public. Both albums are still available for download from the Web.

Game music

When the first electronic games were sold, they only had rudimentary sound chips with which to
produce music. As the technology advanced. the quality of sound and music these game
machines could produce increased dramatically. The first game to take credit for its music was
Xevious, also noteworthy for its deeply (at that time) constructed stories. Though many games
have had beautiful music to accompany their gameplay, one of the most important games in the
history of the video game music is Dragon Quest. Koichi Sugiyama, a composer who was
known for his music for various anime and TV shows, including Cyborg 009 and a feature film
of Godzilla vs. Biollante, got involved in the project out of the pure curiosity and proved that
games can have serious soundtracks. Until his involvement, music and sounds were often
neglected in the development of video games and programmers with little musical knowledge
were forced to write the soundtracks as well. Undaunted by technological limits, Sugiyama
worked with only 8 part polyphony to create a soundtrack that would not tire the player despite
hours and hours of gameplay.

Another well-known author of video game music is Nobuo Uematsu of Mistwalker. Even
Uematsu's earlier compositions for the game series, Final Fantasy, on Famicom (Nintendo
Entertainment System in America) are being arranged for full orchestral score. In 2003, he even
took his rock-based tunes from their original MIDI format and created The Black Mages.
Yasunori Mitsuda is a highly known composer of such games as Xenogears, Xenosaga Episode
I, Chrono Cross, and Chrono Trigger.

Koji Kondo, the main composer for Nintendo, is also prominent on the Japanese game music
scene. He is best-known for the Zelda and Mario themes.

The techno/trance music production group I've Sound has made a name for themselves first by
making themes for eroge computer games, and then by breaking into the anime scene by
composing themes for them. Unlike others, this group was able to find fans in other parts of the
world through their eroge and anime themes.

Today, game soundtracks are sold on CD. Famous singers like Utada Hikaru sometimes sing
songs for games as well, and this is also seen as a way for singers to make a names for
themselves.

References
1. ^ Clewley, pg. 143
2. ^ History of Taiko [1] "鼓と太鼓のながれ" - 中国の唐からわが国に入ってきたいろ
んな太鼓が、時代と共にどのように変遷してきたかを各種の資料からまとめる
と、次のようになる。
3. ^ "The Day the Phones Died". Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
4. ^ "Barks" (in Japanese). Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
5. ^ Kinney, Caleb. "Hip-hop influences Japanese Culture.
http://www.lightonline.org/articles/chiphopjapan.html
6. ^ Condry, Ian. "Hip-Hop Japan". Durham and London, Duke University Press, 102.
7. ^ Condry, Ian. "A History of Japanese Hip-Hop: Street Dance, Club Scene, Pop Market."
In Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, 237, Middletown: Wesleyan
University Press, 2001.
8. ^ Condry, Ian . "A History of Japanese Hip-Hop: Street Dance, Club Scene, Pop
Market." In Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, 237. Middletown:
Wesleyan University Press, 2001.
9. ^ Condry, Ian. "Hip-Hop Japan". Durham and London, Duke University Press, 144.
Music of Korea

Traditional Korean music includes both the folk and court

music styles of the Korean people.

Contents Introduction
• 1 Introduction Korean music is based on Buddhist and native
• 2 Folk Music shamanistic beliefs. Buddhist and shamanistic dancing,
o 2.1 Pansori and shamanistic drum music, are extant, as is a melodic,
o 2.2 Nong-ak dance music called sinawi.
o 2.3 Sanjo
• 3 Court music Traditional Korean music can be divided into at least four
o 3.1 Aak types: courtly, aristocratic, scholarly, and religious.
o 3.2 Dang-ak
o 3.3 Hyang-ak Folk Music
• 4 Aristocratic chamber music
• 5 Traditional instruments Korean folk music is varied and complex, but all forms
• 6 References maintain a set of rhythms (called Jangdan) and a loosely
• 7 See also defined set of melodic modes.
• 8 External links Because the folk songs of various areas are categorized
under Dongbu folk songs, their vocal styles and modes are diverse. Therefore, currently scholars
are attempting to categorize the Dongbu folk songs further based on different musical features.
These songs are mostly simple and bright. Namdo folk songs are those of Jeolla Province and a
part of Chungcheong Province. While the folk songs of other regions are mostly musically
simple, the folk songs of the Namdo region, where the famous musical genres pansori and sanjo
were created, are rich and dramatic. Some Namdo folk songs are used in pansori or developed by
professional singers and are included as part of their repertories. Jeju folk songs are sung on the
Jeju Island. They are more abundant in number than any other regional folk songs, and
approximately 1600 songs are transmitted today. Jeju folk songs are characterized by their
simple and unique melodic lines and rich texts.

Pansori

Pansori is a one-man operatic form accompanied by a barrel headed drum. The singer executes
dialogue and narration, acting and singing. The performance of a complete Pansori takes 4-8
hours. It requires a heavy hoarse vocal timbre like that used for any other Korean vocal Music. It
is obtained through long training including shouting in remote areas until one develops a hoarse
throat condition. The Pansori singer usually stands on performing area holding a fan and a
handkerchief in each hand as symbolic props. The drummer provides the required rhythmic
patterns and also inspires the singer by providing exclamations in such a way that there is a link
between the music of the singer and the drummer.

Nong-ak

Nongak

Nongak is a rural form of percussion music, typically played

by twenty to thirty performers. A smaller band version of
nongak became very popular in Korea in the late 1970s, and
some bands, like Samul Nori, even found some international
success.

Sanjo

Sanjo is played without a pause in faster tempos. The tempos increases in each movement. The
general style of the sanjo is marked by slides in slow movements and rhythmic complexity in
faster movements. Sanjo is entirely instrumental music that shifts rhythms and melodic modes
during the song. Instruments include the changgo drum set against a melodic instrument, such as
the gayageum or ajaeng. Famous practitioners include Kim Chukp'a, Yi Saenggang and Hwang
Byungki.

Court music
Korean court music preserved to date can be traced to the beginning of the Choson Dynasty in
1392. It is now rare, except for government sponsored organizations like the The National Center
for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.

There are three types of court music.

One is called Aak, and is an imported form of Chinese ritual music, and another is a pure Korean
form called Hyang-ak; the last is a combination of Chinese and Korean influences, and is called
Dang-ak.

Aak

Aak was brought to Korea in 1116, and very popular for a time before dying out. It was revived
in 1430, based on a reconstruction of older melodies. The music is now highly specialized, and
uses just two different surviving melodies, and is played only at certain very rare concerts, such
as the Sacrifice to Confucius in Seoul.

Dang-ak

Modern dangak, like aak, is rarely practiced. Only two short pieces are known; they are
Springtime in Luoyang and Pacing the Void.

Hyang-ak

By far the most extant form of Korean court music today, hyangak includes a sort of oboe called
a piri and various kinds of stringed instruments.

Aristocratic chamber music

Originally designed for upper-class rulers, to be enjoyed informally, chongak is often entirely
instrumental, usually an ensemble playing one of nine suites that are collectively called Yongsan
Hwesang. Vocals are mainly sung in a style called kagok, which is for mixed male and female
singers and is accompanied by a variety of instruments.

Traditional instruments

Bells and Piri.

Traditional Korean instruments can be broadly divided into

three groups: string, wind and percussion instruments.

The 12-string zither (gayageum) and geomungo (six-string plucked zither) are part of the string
fold instruments. The haegum (two-string vertical fiddle) and the ajaeng (seven-string zither) is
part of the string T'ang. Court string music also included use of the seven-string zither and the
25-string zither.

The daegeum (large transverse flute), piri (cylindrical oboe) and grass flute are all called wind
folk. Wind T'ang includes the Chinese oboe, vertical flute and hojok or taepyongso (shawm).
The saenghwang (mouth organ), panpipes, hun (ocarina), flute with mouthpiece, danso (small-
notch vertical flute), and flute are wind court instruments.

Percussion folk instruments include jing (large hanging gong), kkwaenggwari (hand-held gong),
buk (barrel drum), janggu (hourglass drum). The bak (clapper) and the janggu (hourglass drum)
are the percussion T'ang instruments. Percussion court includes the pyeongjong (bronze bells),
pyeongyeong (stone chimes), chuk (square wooden box with mallet)and eo (tiger-shaped
scraper).

References
• Provine, Rob, Okon Hwang, and Andy Kershaw (2000). "Our Life Is Precisely a Song".
In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla
(Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific,
pp 160-169. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
• Korean Cultural Insights. "Traditional Arts". Republic of Korea. p 27. Korea Tourism
Organization, 2007.
Music of Malaysia
Malaysian music is influenced by neighboring Indonesian and Thai forms, as well as
Portuguese, Filipino and Chinese styles (Munan, 175).

Contents
• 1 Traditional music
• 2 Pop music
o 2.1 Pop Yeh-yeh
o 2.2 Changes in musical tastes
o 2.3 Islam-influenced pop
o 2.4 Underground music scene
o 2.5 1990s-present
• 3 Underground music
o 3.1 Terengganu Punk: The Origins of Malaysian Punk Rock
• 4 Chinese music
• 5 Indian Music
• 6 Jazz, classical, and world music
• 7 Contemporary music
• 8 See also
• 9 External links

• 10 References

Traditional music
The Malays of Kelantan and Terengganu are culturally linked to peoples from the South China
Sea area, and are quite different from the West Coast of Malaya. The martial art of silat which is
original from Indonesia is also popular in Malaysia, while essentially still important as a branch
of the self defence form. Similar to tai chi, though of independent origin, it is a mix of martial
arts, dance and music typically accompanied by gongs, drums and Indian oboes.

The natives of the Malay Peninsula played in small ensembles called kertok, which is swift and
rhythmic xylophone music. Ghazals from Arabia are popular in the markets and malls of Kuala
Lumpur and Johor, and stars like Kamariah Noor are very successful.

In Malacca, ronggeng is the dominant form of folk music. It played with a violin, drums, button
accordion and a gong instrument from Indonesia.

Arabic-derived zapin music and dance is popular throughout Malaysia, and is usually
accompanied by a gambus and some drums. Another style, Dondang Sayang is slow and intense;
it mixes influences from China, India, Arabs and Portugal with traditional elements.
Pop music
Malaysia's pop music scene developed from traditional asli (pure) music popularized in the
1920s and 1930s by Bangsawan troupes. These troupes are in fact a type of Malaysia opera
influenced by Indian opera at first known as Wayang Pasir (Persia) which was started by rich
Persians residing in India. They portrayed stories from diverse groups such as Indian, Western,
Islamic, Chinese, Indonesian and Malay. Music, dance, acting with costumes are used in
performance depending on the stories told. The musicians were mostly local Malays, Filipinos
and Guanis (descendants from Gua in India).

One of the earliest modern Malay pop songs was "Tudung Periok", sung by Momo Latif, who
recorded the song as early as 1930. In the 1950s P.Ramlee became the most popular Malay
singer and composer with a range of slow ballads such as "Azizah", "Dendang Perantau" and the
evergreen "Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti".

Pop Yeh-yeh

In the 1960s, western-influenced Pop Yeh-yeh musicians came to the forefront. The Pop Yeh-
yeh genre was popular in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei in the 1960s. Pop Yeh-yeh ruled the
Malay music scene from 1965 to 1971. The music and fashion of The Beatles and other British
rock and roll bands during the 1960s were a strong influence of the pop yeh-yeh bands and also
generally influenced the Malay music industry of that period. In fact, the term "pop yeh-yeh" was
taken from a line from the popular Beatles song, "She Loves You" ("she loves you, yeah-yeah-
yeah".)This may not be a fact as the term "pop yeh yeh" was never used in the 1960s but much
later when such music was revived in the 1980s by M. Shariff & The Zurah. It might be that
music jounalists of the 1980s coined the term.

The first local song in the Pop Yeh-yeh vein was a song called "Suzanna", sung by M Osman in
1964. During the height of the pop yeh-yeh craze, a lot of the bands that were formed tried their
best to mimic The Beatles in their look, songwriting and performance style. But still the musical
style was taken from The Shadows and The Ventures. Usually the bands (also referred to as
"kumpulan gitar rancak" - "rhythmic guitar bands" – or its accronym "kugiran") consists of four
members who sings on top of handling the basic four musical instruments (two electric guitars,
electric bass and drums). Most of the bands were formed in Singapore but also in Malaysia. The
southern state of Johore and Singapore were the hub of activity for these bands. Most of the
recordings were done in Singapore such as at the old EMI Studio at MacDonald's House in
Orchard Road and many small studios owned privately.

The word "Kugiran" was first aired on Radio Singapore in the weekly Top Chart "Lagu Pujaan
Minggu Ini" programme on Radio Singapore and hosted by the 1st Malay DJ M.I.A. (Mohd
Ismail Abdullah). It was understood the accronym "Ku-Gi-Ran" was the idea of a subtitling
officer, Daud Abdul Rahman. It is also said that it was P.Ramli who coined the term to
differentiate it from the combo styled Malay bands of earlier times. "Kugiran" comprises 5 piece
band members and a vocalist, one lead-guitarist, one bassist, one rhythm-guitarist, one organist
(keyboardist)and a drummer.
The formation and development of these kugiran's encouraged the establishment and existence
of various recording companies in Singapore in the 1960s and a lot of these songs were recorded
on vinyl and sold well commercially. Some of the singers who made their name during that
period include M Osman, A Ramlie, Jeffrydin, Roziah Latiff & The Jayhawkers, Adnan Othman,
Halim "Jandaku" Yatim, Afidah Es, J Kamisah, Siti Zaiton, J. Sham, A Rahman Onn, Hasnah
Haron, J Kamisah, Fatimah M Amin, Asmah Atan, Orkid Abdullah, A. Remie, Zamzam, Salim I,
Kassim Selamat, M Rahmat, A Karim Jais, M Ishak, Hussien Ismail, Jaafor O, A Halim, Azizah
Mohamed, S Jibeng and L Ramlee. Other popular rock and pop bands of the period include The
Rhythm Boys, The Siglap Five, The Hooks which featured A Romzi as their lead vocalist (they
scored a hit with the song "Dendang Remaja"), Siglap Boys, Les Kafilas, Cliffters featuring
Rikieno Bajuri, Impian Bateks featuring Rudyn Al-Haj with his popular number "Naik Kereta
Ku" and acapella like "Oh Posmen", "Gadis Sekolah" etc, The Swallows featuring "La Aube",
"Angkut-angkut Bilis" etc whose vocalist was Kassim Selamat and the EP was featured in a
radio station in Germany. There, "La Aube" was in the German pop chart. Almost all the above
mentioned artistes were Singaporeans. The most popular ones from the Malaysian side of the
divide must include L. Ramli, Roziah Latiff & The Jayhawkers, J.Sham,Orkes Nirvana, The
Sangam Boys and Les Flingers. The music and lyrics were usually composed by the bands
themselves. The band leaders were also the producers of the albums of the period.

The golden age of pop yeh-yeh started to dwindle in 1971. Since the fall of the popularity of pop
yeh-yeh, the center of the Malay music industry shifted up north from Singapore to Kuala
Lumpur in Malaysia. A lot of composers, songwriters, lyricists, singers, and producers started to
gain foothold not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in other cities including Johor Bahru and Ipoh
to grab the opportunity of the emerging and rapidly changing Malay music industry.

Changes in musical tastes

DJ Dave, Hail Amir and Uji Rashid introduced Hindustani-influenced music in the 1970s.
Between the late 1970s and mid 1980s, the market for local recordings and artiste was in big
demand, bands and musicians performing in clubs and pubs were contracted to record. This was
the time when non Malay artistes, bands and business man ventured into the Malay music
industry. Bands like Alley Cats, Discovery, Carefree and Chendrawaish took the lead to
modernize Malaysian Pop music; solo singers like Sudirman, Sharifah Aini further push the
music to its peak.

Before the mid 1980’s another genre of music appeared. This time it was slow rock, heavy metal,
hard rock and the blues. Popular bands from the west like Scorpions, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple,
Def Leppard were some of the major influences for these Malaysian bands. M. Nasir previously
a Singaporean played a leading role in shaping rock music in Malaysia as a song writer and
producer for a period of almost ten years. He produced local rock bands like Search and Wings
and took them to their highest level of Malaysian rock music. Piracy in the form of duplicating
cassettes and CDs became rampant and uncontrollable around this period as sales of these items
soar which was supported by the country’s wave of economic success.

Between the mid 80’s and early 90’s, R&B and Pop music became the focus of the urban
youngsters. This music was cosmopolitan and catered to a professional and educated crowd.In
1985 Sheila Majid a singer groomed by engineer /producer Roslan Aziz made a debut album
called dimensi baru which was financed and produced by Roslan Aziz himself. With a lovely
mellow voice together with a bunch of creative musicians like Mac Chew and Jenny Chin both
influenced by R&B, fusion and jazz achieved their dreams and set a new direction for many
Malaysian R&B artistes to come.This was evidently clear when her second album EMOSI was
released in Indonesia and earned the BEST R&B ALBUM in the prestigious BASF awards in
1986.This historical release has changed the facet of the music industry. In the mid 1990s,the 1
rap group 4U2C with 7 young boys was introduced by Zman Production and a producer
mansenoi & mam rap and they had made a big hit in the market and received few gold and
platinum and KRU a vocal group comprised of three brothers among others developed Malay rap
and hip-hop.

Islam-influenced pop

In 1991, an environmental album recorded by Zainal Abidin, songs written by Mukhlis Nor and
produced by Roslan Aziz was released. This was received very positively by the public and the
international music scene especially in Asia. Around this time nasyid pop music which was a
form of Islamic religious which utilized a vocal group and accompaniment of only percussions
music entered the market. Developed by vocal groups like Raihan, Rabbani and Brothers, this
music got a lot of support from the countryside and religious fans.

In 1996 a school girl by the name of Siti Nurhaliza from a rural town Termeloh in the state of
Pahang released an album produced by a talented pop music producer named Adnan Abu
Hassan. This album of Malay Pop genre was a huge success. She included different genres such
as Malay pop, R&B and Malay Traditional music in her later albums with much success. This
singer is now a singing sensation in the country.

Underground music scene

The Malaysian underground music scene (also known as the Malaysian independent or urban
music scene, with the term "urban" introduced only in the late 90s) is an established localized
underground culture within Malaysia. This is in opposition to mainstream music, which usually,
in the Malaysian context, refers to artists with strong ties or are engaged in direct contract with
fairly large recording companies, giving them a more commercial and popular image.
Underground groups normally promote themselves by performing at lesser-known clubs or at
places that need their music to attract a clientele.

Malaysian rock is quite popular locally and overseas, often because it's packed with tropical
energy and fun reflected by modern Malaysian culture itself. Malaysian youth are typically into
the punk-rock culture and is reflected by the music that they come out with. Main article Music
of Malaysia. Punk Rock bands were originally from the Malaysian underground scene from the
late 80's and early 90's which actually made a marker in the Malaysia music scene. Respectable
bands like The Pilgrims, Carburetor Dung, The Bollocks, A.C.A.B and A.R.T were playing in
the underground gig circuit 90's around Kuala Lumpur, sharing the same stage with other great
bands playing different music genre. There was also the Spiral Kinetic Circus(indie rock), Koffin
Kanser (Metal), Infectious Maggot(Grindcore), 24 Reason(Hardcore) and many. The Oi! scene
were also successful back then with melodical street punk music by bands like A.C.A.B, The
Official & Roots N Boots, with the smart look of the mods and skinheads. It was a great blend of
music and a diverse of culture.
Joe Kidd (Carburetor Dung) who was a journalist from Malaysia's The Sun newspaper wrote his
column called 'Blasting Concept' which reviewed most of the records and demo released by
D.I.Y bands in the 90's circa. There was also reviews of gigs and shows all around Malaysia. Joe
Kidd now owns a D.I.Y shop called 'The Ricecooker' which is located in the heart of the
Malaysian underground scene, Central Market.

Artists and musicians who are involved in the Malaysian underground scene were typically
guitar-driven bands with inclination towards punk rock, hardcore, indie-pop, heavy metal, thrash
metal, speed metal and death metal sub genre of rock music although there are a number of acts
with differing musical influences such as hip-hop, electronica and dance music. The current rise
of singer-songwriters in the acoustic or folk vein in the underground scene (also oft referred to as
the "independent circuit") represents the rising diversity in the problematised definition of
"underground music". The first wave of singer-songwriters who have established and gained
reputation in this genre include Rafique Rashid, Meor Aziddin Yusof, Sherry and Kit Leee (now
known as Antares). The 'new generation' singer-songwriters include Pete Teo, Shelley Leong,
Azmyl Yunor, Jerome Kugan, Shanon Shah, Mei Chern and Tan Sei Hon.

Most of these musicians are independent, entirely or partially DIY-driven groups or bands who
focus on creating, sharing and experiencing music, together and collectively. Most recordings
they produce are funded by themselves rather than through corporate sponsorship, because of
their creative differences with major recording companies for whom "the bottom line" is all that
matters. Like all independent artists, those on the musical fringe generally insist on full artistic
control over their music. They also tend to play both the roles of performers and organisers and
generally receive little airplay despite encouraging crowd support.

They were also those in the scene who practically refused to play the mainstream music industry
game due to the lack of transparency and fair-play in the dealings of the music companies,
including one-sided and exploitative recording deals which they see as grossly unfair.

The underground scene in Malaysia used to be a strong and unified community, especially from
its birth in the mid-80s to the mid-90s. Bands or acts of different persuasions, such as punk rock,
hardcore, Oi!/street-rock, metal and ska usually performed together. The unity started to untangle
and crack by 1996 when most hardcore punk bands then started to apply a more staunch anti-
corporate and DIY ideals into their activities.

It was also the days when fascist and right-wing elements started to rear its head via gangs of
"chaos punk" and some skinhead bands. Metal bands had also removed itself from the usual
multi-genre gig circuit, preferring to play only with other metal bands. Anti-corporate DIY punk
bands, with libertarian anarchist ideals also started to be on their own, cutting off all ties with the
others; building their own network and starting small distros and labels. On the other hand, bands
who were originally nurtured in the underground scene such as Butterfingers and OAG began to
work with major label-affliated record companies; which was seen by some as a betrayal of the
DIY underground spirit.
This resulted in the break-up of the larger scene into smaller pockets which refused to
acknowledge the other. The scene essentially split into two larger camps, on one hand the
mainstream-friendly bands and the other, a deeper underground scene alienating themselves from
the larger picture or any form of media exposure apart from their own fanzines.

1990s-present

By the late 1990’s with the internet easily available, downloading was the easiest and cheapest
way to obtain recordings through mp3 files. Hardware CDs were also available in shops, illegal
CD stalls and night markets. Priced at a quarter (1/4) of the original product price, CDs from
major distributors and recording companies were no competition for these pirates. The market
further deteriorated with the arrival of hardware such as mp3 players and mobile phones with
similar features.

The encouragement from the Malaysian government towards privatization of broadcasting

stations received tremendous support from the public. An array of new radio and TV stations
were built to facilitate public interest in entertainment, news, movies and information.

It was during the early 2000 that introduction to a new form of entertainment called “Reality
Shows” was able to revive public interest in music entertainment. Shows such as Akademi
Fantasia and Malaysian Idol allowed the public to choose their own stars by sending SMS
through hand phones or computers at the convenience of the audiences. This excited the public
because they were involved in the making of a celebrity and could choose who they wanted
instead of having record companies create & distribute artistes.

Research implied that comparing from the past decades many other forms of entertainment such
as DVDs, Cable TVs, increased radio programmes and change of life styles has affected the
musical interest of the public towards local artistes. However, this is still not representative of
the active live music circuit with performers who compose and perform their own materials. The
rising tide of commercialisation and product placements using musicians and popular artists casts
a giant shadow over the local independent music (or "underground") scene and gives a skewed
perception of what the local music "industry" represents instead of the actual voice of local
musicians who still actively perform at pubs, gig venues and cafes.

From reality shows, stars such as Vincent Chong, Jaclyn Victor, Daniel Lee Chee Hun and Mawi
are able to command larger volumes of CD sales compared to non-reality-show artistes. This
diversity personifies the wide-ranging field of popular music in Malaysia and the unpredictability
of Malaysian consumers towards popular cultural products.

Underground music
The Malaysian underground music scene (also known as the Malaysian independent or urban
music scene, with the term "urban" introduced only in the late 90s) is an established localized
underground culture within Malaysia. This is as opposed to mainstream music, which usually, in
the Malaysian context refers to artists with strong ties or are engaged in direct contract with
fairly large recording companies, giving them a more commercial and popular image.
Artists and musicians who are involved in the Malaysian underground scene are usually guitar-
driven bands with inclination towards rock music, although there are a number of acts with
differing musical influences such as Folk, hip-hop, electronica and dance music.

One of the other characteristics of this local scene is that most of the musicians are independent,
entirely or partially DIY-driven groups or bands who emphasise on creating, sharing and
experiencing music, together and collectively. Materials that they produce, such as albums,
demos or EPs will usually be independent works, most of the time funded entirely or to some
extend by themselves. Also, small musical performances known as gigs are organized regularly
showcasing these bands.

The state of Terengganu was known as the Malaysian capital of punk rock throughout late 1979
and the 1980s, but there were no bands then as the punks were too poor to afford the equipment.
The scene then was more a covergence of pioneering punk rockers trading pre-recorded music
and fanzines acquired from pen-pals and friends from overseas while dabbling in home-made
DIY punk fashion. This early Malaysian punks started in 1978/79. The early punk scene in
Terengganu hit its peak in the early 80s before gradually dying out in the mid 90s. A new
generation picked it up again in the late-90s with bands, DIY labels and intermittent gigs.

The first rumblings of a bonafide "underground music scene", as in real bands and original
recordings. in Malaysia actually started in the city of Kuala Lumpur in the mid-80s with bands
such as Punisher, Nemesis, Rator etc. These pioneers paved the way for a huge explosion of
bands in the early 90s and it continues today with bands and acts of many different permutations,
from political, anarcho punk (Carburetor Dung, Relationsheep, Mass Separation, The Bollocks,
FSF, Pusher, The Mindless Show, Injustice System Acceptance etc.), streetpunk/oi! (A.C.A.B.,
The Official, Roots 'N' Boots, etc.), hardcore (Chronic Mass, Basic Rights, Disaster
Funhouse,N.E.T., Reprisal, Noisemonger, Cramp Mind, etc) Metal (Koffin Kanser,Sil-Khannaz)
to experimental, avant-garde noise (Amid the Mimic, Maharajah Commission, Ta, Goh Lee
Kwang, Eerie etc.) to singer-songwriters (Rafique Rashid, Pete Teo, Meor Aziddin Yusof,
Azmyl Yunor, Jerome Kugan etc.) to Chinese indie (Moxuan, Lang Mang, KRMA, Nao etc.) to
instrumental post-rock (Furniture, Before The Meltdown Sgt. Weener Arms etc.} to improvised/
eclectic music (The Experimental Musicians and Artists Co-operative Malaysia (EMACM)).

Lately, more than half of the underground gigs are coming from the hardcore scene with
established bands (Cassandra, Love Me Butch, Second Combat, etc} leading the pack of uprising
bands (H.A.N.D., Creamson, I Quit Antartika, etc.); and also from the burgeoning folk singer-
songwriter scene with established performers such as Azmyl Yunor, Reza Salleh, and Mia
Palencia playing an average two to three gigs a month, a prolific average by the independent or
underground scene standard.

Terengganu Punk: The Origins of Malaysian Punk Rock

The first proper punk rock "scene" in Malaysia started in Terengganu in 1978/1979. It started in
the small town of Dungun by a group of friends influenced by British music magazines such as
NME, Melody Maker, Sounds, and Zig Zag, as well as their brothers and friends studying or
living in the more modern West Coast cities who would pass them the magazines and music.
By late 1979, almost every secondary school in the state had its own cliques of punk rockers.
They would hang out on the weekends at the main bus station in the capital city of Kuala
Terengganu, with the usual punk rock regalia (badges, studs, safety pins and such). Too poor to
afford guitars or any other musical instruments, there never was an actual punk band but trading
of tapes and zines were vigorous.

Most of the trading material came from friends studying overseas, friends living in the West
Coast cities and also punk rockers from UK, Europe and US who were kind enough to send tapes
and magazines for free. Irregular trips were made to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (and
Georgetown, but rarely as it was too far) to dub punk rock records at the music stores or buy
pirated tapes, the only source for good music those days.

Some fishing villages would have the most "punks" and thus became the center of activities. The
main two villages were Kampung Mengabang Telipot (an hour north to the city) and Kampung
Tanjung (right at the mouth of the city's river system). In Mengabang Telipot, there was a small
punk community library laden with fanzines, magazines and music, which the kids would share.
This library was actually a wooden cupboard situated at one of the punk rockers' houses, it was
called as "logen".

The first Malaysian punk rock fanzine came out from this scene. It appeared in 1986 with the
title of Huru Hara (meaning "chaos"); it was written in Terengganu slang by editor Mamat Hitam
but never distributed on a large scale. The first fanzine to do that was Aedes, which lasted until
1996; the first punk bands to appear there were Mallaria and later The Stone Crows. Both put out
one rehearsal/demo tape.

There was a lull in activity in the mid-80s for the Terengganu punk scene, but a resurgence of
bands of different persuasions appeared by the late 80s and early 90s (sparked in part by the
setting up of a larger Malaysian underground music scene based in Kuala Lumpur in 1987). By
the mid 90s onwards, there were constantly new bands appearing in the state and as of 2007,
there are still a lot of active punk-influenced bands such as Dirty Divider and The Goodnight
Goodies.

Chinese music
The Hua Yue Tuan (華乐团), or "Modern Chinese Orchestra," is made up of a blend of western
and traditional Chinese musical instruments. The music itself combines western polyphony with
Chinese melodies and scales. Although the bulk of its repertoire consists of music imported from
Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, many local Chinese orchestras also regularly perform Malay
folk tunes with various local composers making a definite effort to absorb elements of
surrounding musical cultures, especially Malay, into their compositions. In Malaysia, Chinese
orchestras exist nationwide in urban areas which have large concentrations of Chinese
Malaysians. Sponsored largely by various Chinese organisations including schools and Buddhist
societies, a typical orchestra consists of between 12 to 50 members.

The orchestra is usually made up of four sections:

Bowed string instruments, consisting of:

• erhu (二胡; range of three octaves; performs the role of the violin)
• banhu (板胡; a high pitched fiddle with coconut sound box)
• gaohu (高胡; pitch is higher than erhu)
• zhonghu (中胡; tenor erhu, similar to viola)
• gehu (革胡; like the cello)
• bei-da-ge-hu (倍大革胡; like the double bass)

plucked strings comprising various sized lutes :

• pipa (琵琶; highest pitch)

• liu-yue-qin (柳月琴)
• yueqin (月琴)
• zhongruan (中阮)
• daruan (大阮)
• sanxian (三弦)
• guzheng (古筝)
• yangqin (扬琴)

the wind section consisting of:

• dizi (笛子; transverse flutes)

• xiao (箫; vertical flutes)
• sheng (笙; mouth organ)
• suona (唢呐; reed aerophone)

percussion section consisting of:

• paigu (排鼓; drums)

• taigu (太鼓; drums)
• dabo (大钹; cymbals)
• lo (锣; hand held tam-tam)
• shih mian lo (十面锣; frame mounted tam-tam)
• ling (铃; bell)
• ma ling (马铃; 5 suspended bells)
• shuang yin mu (双音木), bang zi (棒子) and mu yu (木鱼; wood blocks)

There is no lack of virtuoso performers in the Chinese classical tradition in Malaysia. Advanced
training is however not presently available with most Malaysian virtuoso musicians obtaining
their advanced training either in China or Singapore. Various professional and semi-professional
Chinese orchestras are in existence. Malaysian western trained classical conductors are employed
full time. Much of the music played is imported from China. There are however some
accomplished Malaysian composers for this medium such as Saw Boon Kiat and Chew Hee
Chiat.
New generations of Chinese singers are more into pop music. These talented composer/singers
includes Eric Moo, Lee Sin Je, Fish Leong, Z Chen, Penny Tai and lately Daniel Lee.

Indian Music
Indian music is strongly associated with religious tradition and faith. As its origins in India, there
are two systems of traditional or classical Indian music in Malaysia, viz. Carnatic Music and
Hindustani Music. Since Tamils from South India are the predominant group among the Indian
population in Malaysia, it is the South Indian carnatic music which predominates. Simply
speaking, Hindustani classical music is more lyric-oriented, while Carnatic classical music
emphasises musical structure.

Indian classical music as it is performed in Malaysia has remained true to its origin. There is
practically no other cultural influence. Other than reflecting Indian life, the purpose of Indian
classical music is to refine the soul.

The fundamental elements of carnatic music are raaga and taala. A raaga is a scale of notes,
while the taala is the time-measure. A carnatic music concert usually starts with a composition
with lyrical and passages in a particular raaga. This will be followed by a few major and
subsequently some minor compositions.

In Malaysia, traditional or classical Indian music are studied and performed by Malaysians of
Indian ethnic origin with material that still comes from India. Musical productions are mainly in
the form of dance dramas incorporating instrumental ensemble, vocal music and dance. Musical
instruments used in the performances are imported from India.

Jazz, classical, and world music

The 21st Century has witnessed the rapid rise of a variety of new musical trends, imported from
different shores and strongly influenced by an urban elite hip to jazz-fusion and fringe music
(classical revivals, ethnic-flavored folk, trance, and so on). Students who studied in Europe and
the Americas began returning with a staunch passion for more progressive musical modalities.

Ethnic Music has also found a new and vigorous following, with world music festivals like the
Rainforest World Music Festival, held annually since 1998 in a scenic open-air setting in
Sarawak. The first Malaysian "ethnic fusion" group to play on this international platform was
Akar Umbi - comprising Temuan ceremonial singer Minah Angong (1930–1999) and fringe
musicians Antares (formerly Kit Leee)[1] and Rafique Rashid. Unfortunately, the charismatic
Minah Angong (better known as Mak Minah) died just three weeks after winning over the hearts
of a whole new audience at the RWMF 1999. This left Akar Umbi with only one posthumously
released CD to its name ('Songs of the Dragon,' Magick River, 2002).

Private companies like Trident Entertainment *[1] have begun to invest in the
production/distribution and promotion of the "ethnic fringe" in Malaysian music.
Petronas *[2], the national petro-chemical corporation responsible for the construction of the
Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (Petronas Philharmonic Hall), and statutory bodies like the
Sarawak Tourism Board have contributed significantly to the development of a broader interest
in jazz, classical, and world music amongst the new generation of Malaysians. Private
institutions like the Temple of Fine Arts have also produced a steady flow of students skilled in
the world music genre (though with a pronounced bias towards Hindustani & Carnatic musical
traditions). The Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (Petronas Philhrmonic Hall), home to the
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, has become a popular venue amongst the affluent new
Malaysian middle class for quality acts encompassing jazz, classical, and world music concerts.

Malaysia can boast a handful of homegrown musicians who have achieved world class stature in
jazz exposition (e.g., ace keyboardists Michael Veerapan and David Gomes; freestyle bassist
Zailan Razak; versatile multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, The Solianos; and virtuoso drummer
Lewis Pragasam). Mohar and Prabhu Ganesh, two master flautists with ethnic leanings, are
Malaysian musicians who have begun to make waves abroad. Many of these innovators are ex-
alumni of the Berklee School of Music in Boston, and the Juilliard School of Music in New
York. The promise of even more exciting things to come can be seen in the emergence of
youthful, ethnic-flavored percussion ensembles like the Aseana Percussion Unit (APU) and the
Diplomats of Drum.

The Diplomats of Drum are relatively new to the music scene, but they are a performing band
which lights up the stage at the click of a drumstick and always seem to work crowds into a
partied frenzy. A promise of more to come!

Contemporary music
In the field of Malaysian contemporary music a number of composers have gained international
recognition, for example award-winning composers Chong Kee Yong, Dr Tazul Izan
Tajuddin, Yii Kah Hoe, Saidah Rastam, Adeline Wong and others, encompassing a diverse
range of styles and aesthetics.

For example, at the cutting edge of the avant garde are Chong Kee Yong and Tazul Tajuddin.
Yii Kah Hoe is slowly exploring a similar direction as a departure, or perhaps an enrichment, of
his work with Chinese orchestral music, while pianist-composer Ng Chong Lim treads the
ground between atonalism and aleatoric music based on the live interaction of more tonal
fragments.

Pursuing a more accessible tonal language is the colourful and rhythmically vibrant music of
Adeline Wong and Johan Othman, the latter combining a quasi minimalist approach with
elements of Malaysian aesthetics tempered with jazzy undercurrents. Saidah Rastam
experiments with jazz and atonalism in combination with ethnic Malaysian elements, and has
even worked with reinventing Chinese Opera through atonal jazz. Ahmad Muriz Che Rose
works with a more populist approach to Malay traditional instruments in a contemporary
language through his work with the Petronas Performing Arts Group, Prabhu Ganesh fuses
European Classical Music with undertones of North Indian Raagas, bringing back similar
feelings explored by Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar in the early 90's through their venture
Passages(BMG).

Since the turn of the new millennium Malaysian composers have begun to earn recognition and
respect for their work, and increaded coverage and interest in the media has also helped to bring
the efforts of serious composers to the foreground of musical activity in the country.

References
• Munan, Heidi. "Music at the Crossroads". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham,
Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin &
North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 175-182. Rough Guides Ltd,
Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
Music of Thailand
Thailand music reflects it geographic position at the intersection of China, India, Indonesia and
Cambodia, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and
Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield -
including the Klong Thap and Khim (Persian origin) Jakae (Indian origin), Klong Jin (Chinese
origin) and Klong Kaek (Indonesian origin).

Though Thailand was never colonized by Western powers, pop music and other forms of
European and American music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles
of traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities
with the Music of Laos.

Aside from the Thai, ethnic minorities such as the Lao, Lawa, Hmong, Akha, Khmer, Lisu,
Karen and Lahu peoples have retained traditional musical forms.

Contents Classical music

• 1 Classical music
• 2 Piphat
• 3 Khruang Sai Siamese
• 4 Mahori theater
• 5 Traditional or folk group which
o 5.1 Luk thung
performed
in Berlin,
o 5.2 Mor lam
Germany in
o 5.3 Kantrum
1900.
• 6 Pop and rock
o 6.1 Pleng phua cheewit
o 6.2 String
• 7 Indie
• 8 External links
• 9 See also
Thai classical music is synonymous with those stylized
court ensembles and repertoires that emerged in its
• 10 References
present form within the royal centers of Central
Thailand some 800 years ago. These ensembles, while being deeply influenced by Khmer and
even older practices and repertoires from India, are today uniquely Thai expressions. While the
three primary classical ensembles, the Piphat, Khruang Sai and Mahori differ in significant ways,
they all share a basic instrumentation and theoretical approach. Each employ the small ching
hand cymbals and the krap wooden sticks to mark the primary beat reference. Several kinds of
small drums (klong) are employed in these ensembles to outline the basic rhythmic structure
(natab) that is punctuated at the end by the striking of a suspended gong (mong). Seen in its most
basic formulation, the classical Thai orchestras are very similar to the Cambodian (Khmer) pin
peat and mahori ensembles, and structurally similar to other orchestras found within the wide-
spread Southeast Asian gong-chime musical culture, such as the large gamelan of Bali and Java,
which most likely have their common roots in the diffusion of Vietnamese Dong-Son bronze
drums beginning in the first century ACE.

Traditional Thai classical repertoire is anonymous, handed down through an oral tradition of
performance in which the names of composers (if, indeed, pieces were historically created by
single authors) are not known. However, since the beginning of the modern Bangkok period,
composers' names have been known and, since around the turn of the century, many major
composers have recorded their works in notation. Musicians, however, imagine these
compositions and notations as generic forms which are realized in full in idiosyncratic variations
and improvisations in the context of performance. While the composer Luang Pradit Phairau
(1881–1954) used localized forms of cipher (number) notation, other composers such as Montri
Tramote (1908–1995) used standard western staff notation. Several members of the Thai royal
family have been deeply involved in composition, including King Prajatipok (Rama VII, 1883–
1941) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927–), whose compositions have been more often for
jazz bands than classical Thai ensembles.

Classical Thai music is heterophonic - the instruments either play the melody or mark the form.
There are no harmony instruments. Instrumentalists improvise idiomatically around the central
melody. Rhythmically and metrically Thai music is steady in tempo, regular in pulse, divisive, in
simple duple meter, without swing, with little syncopation (p.3, 39), and with the emphasis on
the final beat of a measure or group of pulses and phrase (p.41), as opposed to the first as in
European-influenced music. The Thai scale includes seven tempered notes, instead of a mixture
of tones and semitones.

Piphat

The most common and iconic Thai classical music that symbolizes the dancing of the Thailand's
legendary dragons, a midsized orchestra including two xylophones (ranat), an oboe (pi), barrel
drums (klong) and two circular sets of tuned horizontal gong-chimes (kong wong). Piphat can be
performed in either a loud outdoor style using hard mallets or in an indoor style using padded
hammers. There are several types of piphat ensembles ranging in size and orchestration, each
kind typically being associated with specific ceremonial purposes. The highly decorated piphat
ensemble that features the ornately carved and painted semicircular vertical gong-chime is
traditionally associated with the funeral and cremation ceremonies of the Mon ethnic group.
Different versions of the piphat ensemble are employed to accompany specific forms of
traditional Thai drama such as the large shadow puppet theater (nang yai) and the khon dance
drama.

Khruang Sai

The Khruang Sai orchestra combines some of the percussion and wind instruments of the piphat
with an expanded string section including the so duang (a high-pitched two-string bowed lute),
the lower pitched solaw (bowed lute) and the three-string jhakhe (a plucked zither). In addition to
these instruments are the klhui (vertical fipple flute) in several sizes and ranges, a goblet drum
(than) and, occasionally, a small hammered Chinese dulcimer (khim). The khruang sai ensemble
is primarily used for instrumental indoor performances and for accompanying the Thai hoon
grabok (stick-puppet theater), a genre deeply influenced by Chinese puppetry styles.
Accordingly, the addition of Chinese-sounding string instruments in the khruang sai ensemble is
imagined, by the Thai, to be a reference to the probable Chinese origins of this theater form.

Mahori

The third major Thai classical ensemble is the Mahori, traditionally played by women in the
courts of both Central Thailand and Cambodia. Historically the ensemble included smaller
instruments more appropriate, it was thought, to the build of female performers. Today the
ensemble employs regular sized instruments—a combination of instruments from both the
Khruang Sai and Piphat ensembles but excluding the loud and rather shrill oboe. The ensemble,
which is performed in three sizes—small, medium and large—includes the three-string so sam
sai fiddle, a delicate-sounding, middle-range bowed lute with silk strings. Within the context of
the Mahori ensemble, the so sam sai accompanies the vocalist, which plays a more prominent
role in this ensemble than in any other classical Thai orchestra.

While Thai classical music was somewhat discouraged as being unmodern and backward looking
during Thailand's aggressively nationalistic modernization policies of mid-20th century, the
classical arts have benefited recently from increased governmental sponsorship and funding as
well as popular interest as expressed in such films as Homrong: The Overture (2003), a popular
fictionalized biography of a famous traditional xylophone (ranat ek) performer.

Traditional or folk

Luk thung

Luk thung, or Thai country music, developed in the mid-20th century to reflect daily trials and
tribulations of rural Thais. Ponsri Woranut and Suraphol Sombatcharoen were the genre's first
big stars, incorporating influences from, Asia. Many of the most popular artists have come from
the central city of Suphanburi, including megastar Pumpuang Duangjan, who pioneered
electronic luk thung.

Mor lam

Khene player wearing sarong and pakama at the Ubon Candle Festival

Mor lam is the dominant folk music of Thailand's north-eastern Isan region,
which has a mainly Lao population. It has much in common with luk thung,
such as its focus on the life of the rural poor. It is characterized by rapid-fire,
rhythmic vocals and a funk feel to the percussion. The lead singer, also called
a mor lam, is most often accompanied by the khaen.
There are about fifteen regional variations of mor lam, plus modern versions such as mor lam
sing. Some conservatives have criticized these as the commercialization of traditional cultures.

Kantrum

The people of Isan are also known for kantrum, which is much less famous than mor lam.
Kantrum is played by Khmer living near the border with Cambodia. It is a swift and very
traditional dance music. In its purest form, cho-kantrum, singers, percussion and tro (a type of
fiddle) dominate the sound. A more modern form using electric instrumentation arose in the mid-
1980s. Later in the decade, Darkie became the genre's biggest star, and he crossed into
mainstream markets in the later 1990s.

Pop and rock

By the 1930s, however, Western classical music, showtunes, jazz and tango were popular. Soon,
jazz grew to dominate Thai popular music, and Khru Eua Sunthornsanan soon set up the first
Thai jazz band. The music he soon helped to invent along with influential band Suntharaporn
was called pleng Thai sakorn, which incorporated Thai melodies with Western classical music.
This music continued to evolve into luk grung, a romantic music that was popular with the
upper-class. King Bhumibol is an accomplished jazz musician and composer.

Pleng phua cheewit

By the 1960s, Western rock was popular and Thai artists began imitating bands like Cliff
Richard & the Shadows; this music was called wong shadow, and it soon evolved into a form of
Thai pop called string. Among the groups that emerged from this period was The Impossibles.
The '70s also saw Rewat Buddhinan beginning to use the Thai language in rock music as well as
the rise of protest songs called pleng phua cheewit (songs for life).

The earliest pleng phua cheewit band was called Caravan, and they were at the forefront of a
movement for democracy. In 1976, police and right wing activists attacked students at
Thammasat University; Caravan, along with other bands and activists, fled for the rural hills.
There, Caravan continued playing music for local farmers, and composed what is now their most
famous song, "Khon Gap Kwaii".

In the 1980s, pleng phua cheewit re-entered the mainstream with a grant of amnesty to
dissidents. Bands like Carabao became best-sellers and incorporated sternly nationalistic
elements in their lyrics. By the 1990s, pleng phua cheewit had fallen from the top of the Thai
charts, though artists like Pongsit Kamphee continued to command a large audience.

String

String pop took over mainstream listeners in Thailand in the 90s, and bubblegum pop stars like
Tata Young, Bird Thongchai McIntyre and Asanee-Wasan became best-sellers. Simultaneously,
Britpop influenced alternative rock artists like Modern Dog, Loso, Crub and Proud became
popular in late 1990s. In 2006, famous Thai rock bands include Clash, Big Ass, Bodyslam and
Silly Fools.

Indie

A group of independent artists and records which produces music for non-commercial purpose
also found in Thailand: Bakery Music (now under BEC-TERO) [1]; Smallroom [2]; FAT radio
[3]; City-Blue [4]; Coolvoice [5]; Dudesweet [6]; Idea-radio [7] and Panda Records [8].

References
• Clewley, John. "Songs for Living". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark
with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North
America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 241-253. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin
Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• Morton, David (1976). The Traditional Music of Thailand. University of California Press.
ISBN 0-520-01876-1.
Music of Vietnam

Traditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and syncretistic, combining native and foreign
influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been most heavily impacted by the Chinese
musical tradition, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan. [1] The ancient
Indochinese kingdom of Champa also had a very significant historical effect upon this music,
because the Vietnamese court found it intriguing.

Contents Imperial court music

• 1 Imperial court music Nhã nhạc is the most popular form of imperial court
• 2 Folk music music, specifically referring to the court music
o 2.1 Quan họ
played from the Trần Dynasty to the very last
Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, being synthesized and
o 2.2 Hát chầu văn
most highly developed by the Nguyễn emperors. It is
o 2.3 Nhạc dân tộc cải biên
based on earlier Vietnamese imperial court music, its
o 2.4 Ca trù
primary influences coming from Ming Dynasty's
o 2.5 Ho
imperial court and later the music of Champa. Along
• 3 Ritual music with nhã nhạc, the imperial court of Vietnam in the
• 4 Revolutionary music 19th century also had many royal dances which still
• 5 Modern Pop music exist to this day. The theme of most of these dances
• 6 Traditional musical instruments is to wish the kings longevity and the country wealth.
• 7 See also
• 8 References
• 9 External links Folk music
o 9.1 Listening Vietnamese folk music is extremely diverse and
includes dân ca, quan họ, hát chầu văn, ca trù, hò,
and hát xẩm, among other forms.

Quan họ

Quan họ (alternate singing) is popular in Hà Bắc (divided into nowadays Bắc Ninh and Bắc
Giang Provinces) and across Vietnam; numerous variations exist, especially in the Northern
provinces. Sung acappella, quan họ is improvised and is used in courtship rituals.

Hát chầu văn

Hát chầu văn or hát văn is a spiritual form of music used to invoke spirits during ceremonies. It
is highly rhythmic and trance-oriented. Before 1986, the Vietnamese government repressed hát
chầu văn and other forms of religious expression. It has since been revived by musicians like
Phạm Văn Tỵ.
Nhạc dân tộc cải biên

Nhạc dân tộc cải biên is a modern form of Vietnamese folk music which arose in the 1950s after
the founding of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music in 1956. This development involved writing
traditional music using Western musical notation, while Western elements of harmony and
instrumentation were added. Nhạc dân tộc cải biên is often criticized by purists for its watered-
down approach to traditional sounds.

Ca trù

Ca trù (also hát ả đào) is a popular folk music which is said to have begun with Ả Đào, a female
singer who charmed the enemy with her voice. Most singers remain female, and the genre has
been revived since the Communist government loosened its repression in the 1980s, when it was
associated with prostitution.

Ca trù, which itself has many forms, is thought to have originated in the imperial palace,
eventually moving predominantly into performances at communal houses for scholars and other
members of the elite (this is the type of Ca trù most widely known). It can be referred to as a
geisha-type of entertainment where women, trained in music and poetry, entertained rich and
powerful men.

Ho

"Hò" can be thought of as the southern style of Quan họ. It is improvisational and is typically
sung as dialogue between a man and woman. Common themes include love, courtship, the
countryside, etc. "Hò" is popular in Cần Thơ - Vietnam.

Ritual music
• Nhạc đám ma - funeral music
• Nhạc lễ - ritual music

Revolutionary music

Modern Pop music

The embrace of Modern Pop music has increased as each new generation of people in Vietnam
become more exposed to and influenced by westernized music.
Traditional musical instruments
• Đàn bầu (monochord zither)
• Đàn gáo (2-stringed fiddle with coconut body)
• Đàn nguyệt (2-stringed fretted moon lute)
• Đàn nhị (2-stringed fiddle with hardwood body)
• Đàn sến (two-string fretted lute)
• Đàn tam (fretless lute with snakeskin-covered body and three strings)
• Đàn tam thập lục (hammered dulcimer)
• Đàn tranh (long zither)
• Đàn tỳ bà (pear-shaped four-stringed fretted lute)
• Kèn bầu (oboe)
• T'rưng (bamboo xylophone)

References
1. ^ "Southeast Asian arts Vietnam". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. (23 July 2008).
Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 36 of 129.