The guitar is an instrument that arrived to Japan but like in many other cultures in the Far East it has not been adopted and accepted as an instrument belonging to their traditional music.
Although we can find some guitarists attempting to make arrangements of traditional Japanese compositions this happens very rarely. In the meantime we can find plenty of Japanese guitarists playing classical European guitar, Spanish Flamenco music or even more modern styles like Jazz, Rock, etc.
The guitar has a great potential for being used in different world music traditions where the instrument was not found originally. Specially for Japanese traditional music.
As a solo instrument it is capable of translating an arrangement written for several instruments into just one guitar without missing detail.
As an ensemble instrument it combines with basically any instrument available in our planet.
Be it taking a melodic leading role or supporting others it has the full ability to provide what it is needed for.
When exploring Japanese music with the guitar we find plenty of ground to discover a new universe of sound for the instrument.
At first sight we can think of translating the dynamic and groovy styles found in the Shamisen tradition. And a deeper look will show us how the guitar lends itself wonderfully to convey a full arranged composition for Koto. Hence it can take the role of an accompanying instrument; like a Koto playing for the voice in an ancient Kumiuta piece. Or the solo stardom of this same koto in an instrumental danmono composition so beautifully composed in the times of master Yatsuhashi Kengyo.
The guitar techniques used when playing Japanese music
are not much different from the usual found in the standard guitar. Classical as well as acoustic fingerstyle players will find this music very interesting and suitable for their repertoires. Players who do not use fingerpicking techniques can take advantage of the material in this book by filtering the elements they play.
For those who prefer to play more melodically they can at times omit certain bass notes of the arrangements and focus on the main melodies.
Some special techniques used in the recordings of the pieces here presented have been chosen because of my personal background as a guitarist. Always keeping in mind the sound of the original Japanese instruments and trying to imitate them as much as possible. This does not mean you can’t use other techniques available in your personal playing style. Remember that in the guitar there are always many different ways to play the same material. It is just a matter of what you want to achieve.
JAPANESE MUSIC ON GUITAR
Here is an example of Japanese folk music performed on guitar. This piece called "Ringo Bushi" comes from the Shamisen tradition.
This article comes from the book “JAPANESE MUSIC FOR GUITAR by Fernando Perez”.