[Sawai Koto Berlin] Composing for Koto: 5. Traditional Tuning and Techniques

Koto Demonstration: Makiko Goto (makikogoto.eu/)
Narrator: Lin凛 (lin-siedler.com/)
Sawai Koto School, an “Ikuta-style” koto school, was founded in 1979 by Tadao Sawai who was a well-known koto player and composer. Tadao Sawai’s music has been widely accepted and loved by players and audiences who are looking for an up-to-date yet spiritually Japanese music.
Instructor of the Sawai Koto School Berlin is Makiko Goto.
Makiko Goto, born in Tokyo, Japan 1963, started playing koto with her mother at the age of nine. Since she was twelve years old she studied under Kazue Sawai and Tadao Sawai at the Sawai Koto School where she received the master degree “Shihan”. In 1986, she moved to Hawaii (USA), where she was an instructor at the Ethnic Music Department of the University of Hawaii and established a branch of the Sawai Koto School. Since 1992, she is living in the Netherlands.
Makiko Goto is performing both traditional and contemporary music on koto, 17-string bass koto and 21-string koto. She is frequently invited to join in different ensembles and groups (duo, trio, electronic music ensemble, theatre, dance, etc) world-wide. Since Makiko Goto is living in Europe she frequently participates in the premieres of works for koto instruments by contemporary composers. She has been collaborating with the composers Toshio Hosokawa, Makoto Shinohara, Misato Mochizuki, Bernhard Lang, Gerhard Stäbler, Miranda Driessen, Anna Mikhailova and others. Her performances were recorded for international radio- and television programs and she appears on several CD´s with contemporary and traditional pieces for koto solo and/or chamber music with other instruments and voice.
Lixue Lin-Siedler, Artist name Lin 凛, is an East-Asian zither musician in Berlin. She plays traditional and contemporary music on Chinese Guzheng, Japanese Koto and Bass Koto, regularly collaborating with both Western and non-Western instruments Lin has started learning Chinese zither Guzheng since the age of nine with Baojun Li after the school of Zhongshan Wang, famous virtuoso and educationist in zheng music and faculty of the China Conservatory.
Since 2011 Lin 凛 has moved to Berlin, Germany. From 2014 Lin 凛 has started to learn the Japanese Koto after Sawai School with Makiko Goto in Düsseldorf, and one year later she has founded Sawai Koto Berlin Koto Group with 10 members, and assisted Makiko Goto's koto lesson at the Leo Kestenberg Musikschule. Lin 凛 organizes series of Japanese Traditional Music workshops and concerts at the music school.
From 2015, Lin 凛also starts receiving bass koto lesson from Naoko Kikuchi. And sometimes she also learn Gayageum the Korean zither from Yujin Sung. In 2018 Lin 凛took lessons from Kazue Sawai and Hikaru Sawai in Tokyo, both famous virtuosos in contemporary koto composition and performance. She has also received training from Nishi Yoko and Miyama Mcqueen-Tokita on improvisation on bass koto, as well as lesson from Junko Ueda for Satsuma Biwa singing.
Lin 凛 performs Guzheng and Koto regularly in events like UNICEF Charity Concerts, Japanese or Chinese Embassy Receptions, Cultural Events of the Berlin City Government and local district and Japan Festivals. She also gives solo concerts and recitals. She has cooperated with various instrumentalists, also on improvisation, for example „Duft der Klänge“ organized by Wu Wei. Active as Alto in competitive chamber choir for 18 years, Lin 凛 has participated choir competitions especially in contemporary categories in 13 countries and has the vocal range C3-A5.
Koto Lesson with Sawai Koto Berlin:
Leo Kestenberg Musikschule
Haus am Kleistpark
10823 Berlin-Schöneberg
Grunewaldstr. 6-7, EG

[@PepeSnow]

i absolutely love the very first tuning in the video :) it sends shivers down my arm and relaxes me at the same time :D

[@Prince.Hamlet]

I just bought a koto and searched out this tuning it instantly takes you to old Japan

[@DaRza17]

This sounds so fkn good, I love this scale.

[@alexs5723]

Thanks for posting, this sounds so beautiful. I'm playing along on guitar

[@justrey9187]

so beautiful

[@LittleZdy]

magical

[@ricchyfull]

This tune is (Tonic+ 2tones+tone+semitone+2tones+st - to get back to tonic)

[@ameersbeih6777]

Is this like a pentatonic b5 scale?

[@joetimms1810]

By this do you mean Scale degrees of 1,3,4,5b, 7b then 1?

[@Sean-me4fv]

Historically speaking, who came up with this tuning? Edit: I googled it.
Yatsuhashi Kengyo

[@treasuremakers6322]

WHERE DO U BUY UR KOTO

[@heiner_kruse]

i wonder if these tunings are based on equal temperament or slightly off/ based on pure tunings

[@cockgrinder666]

Hello! Can You tell me, what A4 Frequency for this? 430 Hz? Thank You for video!

[@PepeSnow]

the earth gives off a vibration of 432hz so i would go with that as it's the most natural you can be like when you take your shoes off and stand in the grass.... you can feel everything :)

[@asainsan747]

well it has been changed to 440hz

[@heikostreuff6516]

@@PepeSnow not exactly... yes 432 is more in alignment with nature / our solar system, but its one of the rhythms of the moon that octavves up to 432hz

[@Prince.Hamlet]

domo

[@karaokewaala9107]

Perfectto Picchi desu ka?

[@shandelrey08]

なに？