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"Human Supervision and Control in Engineering and Music" |
| Workshop | Orchestra Concert | Ensemble Concert | About us |
Hiroshi Tamura
Kansei Information and Kagura
in Iwami district
1. IntroductionKansei is a human faculty, extra to rational reasoning, essential in intuitive judgement, personal preference, selecting attractive combination, satisfaction and maintaining design conformity. Kansei is important in understanding customer preference of commodities, including information and services. The department is established in April, 2001 to meet social needs in research and education of Kansei information fields.
Logical truth might apply to everybody, whenever, unless other conditions are equal. Kansei judgments might different depending on individual, time and place. Some people might like to dress in same color, while others do not. It is good for every individual to have different Kansei, different preference depending on the situation.
In the course of developing modern technology, many of the requirements are categorized, complex structured objects are built up from standardized parts. Variety of objects meeting the variety of needs are assumed to be provided by suitable combinations of standardized parts. Regulation of parts is an essential part of modern engineering.
Art and music are also under the influence of standardization or
regulation.
Classic European music introduced 12 codes and their combinations. Each
tone step is theoretically defined. If tones are in accordance to the
regulation
of tone code, harmony among various tones can be assured by theory. Key
board instruments enables everybody to play music at the minimum
efforts.
And talented musicians might add more impression playing something
beyond
the score.
2. Art of uncertaintyCommunication by sustained regulated pitch is not so common in the animal world. They use transient frequency change more often.
Fig. 1 Shakuhachi [1]
Some Japanese traditional music, audience are attracted by non-harmonic combination of sound ( Sho ) and frequency fluctuation (Shakuhachi, a type of clarinet). People identified player and his mind by listening to the fluctuation of the sound. Uncertainty is the expression of personality while such is removed from modern music.
As many of you may know, theremin is an electronic musical instrument invented by Russian scientist. Unlike other popular instruments, the sound produced by theremin is full of uncertainty.
Fig. 2 Theremin
Recently Theremin concert is attracting young audience, maybe
because
of uncertainty of the sound.
3. Iwami KaguraKagura is music or entertainment performed at shine. Iwami is a district in the western end of mainland Japan, facing to Japan Sea. The district is in good position to access Korea and China. They are rich in history and myth of heroic god.
Fig. 3 Invitation to IWAMI KAGURA
(from Shimane prefecture publication)[2]
People in Iwami preserve music and performance to be devoted to
god.
One famous story from the myth of the district is Yamatano Orochi
meaning
a giant snake with eight heads. Orochi here is told as metaphor of
rough
river, or ruthless conqueror. People have to devote a daughter every
year
to calm anger of Orochi. By the time poor family is crying, because
their
last daughter has to be sacrificed to Orochi, a powerful god visited
the
family and heard about the sad sorry. He made a plan to fight with
Orochi
and conquered. After that son of the god became the ruler and made the
district rich and peace.
What is worth mention is the music of IWAMI Kagura is full of
non-harmonic
sound and sounds as in cry are included. The performance played by
Orochi
and the god together with music is so serious and full of
identity.
4. ConclusionGlobal world is full of music made up of regulated sound. People are in search of music with new identity.
References
[1] http://jtrad.denon.co.jp/i_shakuhachi.html
[2] http://www.web-sanin.co.jp/insti/yuhi/kagura.htm