Postcard 17

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Postcard 17


PS: If your PC has sound, you are listening an Japanese background musical instrument called 'koto'. The 'koto' is a 13-string instrument music It is made from soft paulownia wood and is about 6 feet long. The inside is hollow, and two holes in the bottom release the sound. The strings are stretched across tall bridges, called ji, which can be moved to create various tunings.

Tokyo, Japan.

Todaiji Temple


The player plucks the strings on the right side of the bridges with picks, called tsume, that are attached to the thumb, index and middle finger of the right hand.
The left hand can be used to push and pull the strings on the left side of the bridges to make sharps and flats, and to create other string articulations. The strings can also be scratched, plucked, and tapped to create several other interesting sounds.



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