Musics of the World Course Essay
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Course Essay By Todd Fogarty Ceremonial aerophones of Indigenous Australia and Japan: A comparison of the construction and purpose of Yidaki and Shakuhachi in their respective cultures. The Yidaki (or Didgeridoo) of Indigenous Australia and the Shakuhachi of Japan, while obviously different in many aspects, share common characteristics in construction and performance purposes. Both are important to their respective cultures for ceremonial and religious reasons, and both are strongly representative of their countries to the outside world. An obvious connection between the 2 instruments can be established through the use of the Sachs-Hornbostel instrument classification system. As the sound produced by both the Yidaki and Shakuhachi is resultant of air passing through the aforementioned instruments they can be similarly classed as aerophones1. Furthermore they are both end-blown instruments, meaning they are played in a vertical fashion. However, with further reference to the Sachs-Hornbostel system it can be deduced that, while both fit within the same main category, the shakuhachi is an end-blown flute (with its tone being made by guiding a stream of air over a sharp edge) whereas the didgeridoo is in fact a brass instrument, as its tone is created by the buzzing of the player’s lips at the mouthpiece2. Construction of both instruments also bears similarities as well as differences. In their traditional forms both are made of wood native to their home countries. The type of wood used to create them is different however, with the didgeridoo generally constructed from a hardwood, such as any of the various eucalypts found in Australia, and the Shakuhachi from bamboo. In saying this there are examples of Yidaki created from native Australian bamboos, such as Bambusa arnhemica, or pandanus.3 Both instruments are hollow and the wood used in their construction is already so at the time of its collection. In the shakuhachi’s case this is because madake (the bamboo utilised in most traditional forms of the instrument)4 is a hollow plant, and in reference to the didgeridoo it is because the wood selected for its creation must already be hollowed out by termites. Both then undergo a phase of carving which is arguably more complex in the case of the shakuhachi due to its small size and delicate nature. Indeed due to the skill required, lengthy creation, fact that it cannot be mass produced and range of quality in materials to craft bamboo shakuhachi, one can expect to pay from 300 to 5,000 US dollars for a new or used flute5. Nowadays there are non-traditional versions of both instruments being created. PVC and plastic versions of both Yidaki and Shakuhachi are available and have a range of advantages over their traditional counterparts including: being light weight, extremely resilient, nearly impervious to heat and cold, and generally cheaper. Didgeridoos and now also being made out of glass, fiberglass, metal, agave, clay, a bioplastic named zelfo, and even carbon fibre. As a natural trumpet, there is no way to change the Yidaki’s pitch other than the shape and movement of the player’s lips6. Conversely the Japanese Shakuhachi is equipped with five finger holes (although examples of instruments preserved from the 8th century show that it previously had six holes7) which can be covered to change the pitch of the instrument. While these holes are generally tuned to a pentatonic scale with no half-tones, musicians can bend the pitch of the instrument to achieve a vast array of notes by partially closing holes or utilising a technique known as meri-kari (which involves altering the distance of the lips from the mouthpiece while playing8). As a result of the sound achievable by these two different instruments their performance purposes and use within an ensemble of other instruments is very different. As it cannot sound a wide variety of notes the Yidaki is used rhythmically within the music of indigenous Australia. It provides a droning pitch which is broken up into a vast array of rhythmic patterns and accents using the player’s tongue and cheeks9; this generally accompanies a vocalist or group of vocalists. In the case of Yolngu culture (the indigenous Australian group that refers to the didgeridoo as Yidaki) the didgeridoo has no tonal relationship with the pitch of the vocalist. Yidaki, as played by the Yolngu people, also incorporates cross rhythms through the use of an overtone, generally pitched a major tenth above that of the fundamental10. Contrastingly the shakuhachi is generally the focus of the music it plays and is in fact the only Japanese instrument that is played primarily solo. It should be noted that this was not always the case; during its early introduction in Japan it was more often played in a court orchestra setting in collaboration with a large number of other Japanese court instruments11. After the first few centuries of its arrival in Japan the Shakuhachi was taken off the official list of the country’s court instruments and picked up by wandering beggar priests who established its solo nature and spiritual uses. Both the Yidaki and Shakuhachi are involved in the spiritual endeavours of their people and their religious importance comprises probably one of the greatest similarities between the two instruments. The oldest known repertoires created for the Shakuhachi are known as Honkyoku, meaning original piece. They were created and executed as spiritual practices for and by the followers of the Zen Buddhist religion. Through meditation they are said to help the player “contemplate the present moment with an awareness that transcends everyday experience”12. Suizen (or blowing meditation)13, rather than the music produced, comprises the manner in which enlightenment can be achieved. If Honkyoku is played correctly then the breathing of the performer is as it should be for proper meditation. The importance of breathing is also stressed for players of the Yidaki, although not for meditation reasons. Circular breathing (breathing in through the nose whilst simultaneously expelling stored air out of the mouth using the tongue and cheeks) is an important technique for Didgeridoo players and allows for a constant drone that can be sustained for long periods of time. The ability to sustain the sound created by the Yidaki is vital for the religious purpose of the instrument, this purpose being to accompany spiritual ceremonies and provide music for song and dance. Unlike the shakuhachi which, independently, can act as a sole medium for one aspect of Zen Buddhist meditation, the didgeridoo is not, by itself, considered overtly spiritual. When it is taken in the context of religious ceremonies however it helps to serve a sacred purpose for the indigenous Australians that use it. These ceremonies (known as corroborees) have many functions and take on a variety of forms. Most often they involve dramatic representations, through song and dance, to re-tell the mythological history of the tribe14. Many ritual ceremonies possess strong cultural importance, such as those that introduce Aboriginal boys into manhood. Along with Bilma (a form of clapsticks), Yidaki provides the main rhythm and accompaniment to the singing and dancing that takes place at corroborees and similar to the Honkyoku of the shakuhachi, the music and rhythms played by Yidaki in such ceremonies are precise and have been handed down for many generations. Another curious similarity between the two instruments relates to the idea that gender is important (or previously has been) within the rules of who may or may not play them. Originally the Shakuhachi was reserved for performance by male monks and the samurai class of Japanese aristocracy only15. In fact during the medieval period the Fuke Sect of Zen Buddhist Monks possessed exclusive rights to the playing of the instrument, a ruling that was enforced by themselves and the existing shogun. However, even when these laws were not in place, learning the Shakuhachi was strictly for men; “woman were not considered strong enough to master this difficult instrument”16. Nowadays woman can and do play the shakuhachi and may even become a master of the instrument. Canadian born Debbie Danbrook is a good example of this and she has used her skills to create many shakuhachi meditation albums17. The didgeridoo has similarly been seen as a male only instrument; however there are only a few clans which believe that the playing of the didgeridoo by women is taboo18. Raised recently in 2008 when Nicole Kidman received criticism for playing the instrument on a high rated German chat show19, the gender-related conventions of the didgeridoo are a contentious issue and dependent on a range of factors, including clan and area. The idea of the didgeridoo as a predominately male instrument is accurate in the context that only a man may play the instrument during spiritual ceremonies. Women are known to play Yidaki in informal contexts however and there is no prohibition of such activities in “Dreaming” law20. Some clans (particularly those in the South Eastern parts of Australia) are known to forbid female didgeridoo playing, yet this is not due to religious beliefs, rather the belief that it may make women infertile. Analogous with the shakuhachi I believe a lot of regulations concerning who may and may not play the instrument has and still is more to do with the social nature of the instruments’ respective cultures. While noticeably disparate instruments, from cultures which are worlds apart, the Australian Didgeridoo and the Japanese Shakuhachi flute do boast some similarities, as well as considerable differences. Such similarities range from classification connections, methods and materials of construction which are in some ways comparable, religious/spiritual importance and gender-related conventions. 1 Estrella, E. (2010) Espie’s Music Education Blog [online] Available from: http://musiced.about.com/b/2006/07/18/aerophones.htm Accessed (2nd November 2010)
2 BBC (2006) Brass Instruments – Tuning and Harmonics [online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A9567723 Accessed (2nd November 2010)
3 Author Unknown (2010) Didgeridoo [online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didgeridoo Accessed (2nd November 2010)
4 Lee, R. (2010) The Shakuhachi [online] Available from: http://www.flutefocus.com/369-the-shakuhachi.html Accessed (2nd November 2010)
5 Author Unknown (2010) Shakuhachi [online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakuhachi Accessed (2nd November 2010)
6 Von Horbostel, E. and Sachs, C. (1914) Systematik der Musikinstrumente: Ein Versuch. Translated as “Classification of Musical Instruments” by Anthony Baines and Klaus Wachsmann, Galpin Society Journal (1961), 14: 3-29. 7 Op. cit. Lee, R. 8 Ibid. Lee, R. 9 Horton, D. (2010) Aboriginal Musical Instruments [online] Available from: http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/culture/amusic2.php Accessed (2nd November 2010)
10 Ibid. Horton, D. 11 Op. cit. Lee, R. 12 Ibid. Lee, R. 13 Author Unknown (2009) Suizen [online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen Accessed (4th November 2010)
14 Author Unknown (2010) Aboriginal Art, Culture and Tourism [online] Available from: http://aboriginalart.com.au/didgeridoo/ceremony.html Accessed (4th November 2010)
15 Mawhinney, J. (2009) Debbie Danbrook [online] Available from: http://www.healingmusic.com/debbie/debbie-news.htm Accessed (4th November 2010)
16 Ibid. Mawhinney, J. 17 Ibid. Mawhinney, J. 18 Barwick, L. (2010) Aboriginal Art, Culture and Tourism – Didgeridoo Myths [online] Available from: http://aboriginalart.com.au/didgeridoo/myths.html Accessed (4th November 2010)
19 Ninemsn Staff (2008) Kidman’s Didgeridoo Blunder Causes a Stir [online] Available from: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=697525 Accessed (4th November 2010) 20 Op. cit. Barwick, L. Directory: 2012 2012 -> The Case Against the nypd’s Quota-Driven ‘Broken Windows’ Policing What Is It? 2012 -> Annual InStructional unit plan 2012 -> University of Hawai‘i Maui College dental assisting program review october 21, 2013 2012 -> Committee on the rights of the child the rights of all children in the context of international migration 2012 -> Background on the Haitian Earthquake 2012 -> The Collected Wisdom of Science Olympiad Coaches 2012 -> Federal Communications Commission fcc 12-81 Before the Federal Communications Commission 2012 -> Aa and na members Dying from Tobacco 2012 -> [Baby Crying] 01: 04 [Ching Download 22.06 Kb. Share with your friends:
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