New Code NLP School

On this blog, I wrote the following articles:

▶Comparison of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

▶Consideration of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

▶Sounds of the natural world that Japanesepeople respond to in the left brain

On this page, I would like to explore “sounds in the natural world”.

◎Organic sounds emitted by the natural world (sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones)

・Sound of babbling stream

・Sound of waterfall

・Sound of ocean waves

・Sound of raining

・Sound of snowing

・Sound of blowing wind

・Sound of volcanic eruption

・Sound of rumbling of the earth

・Sound of thunder

・Sound of leaves swaying in the wind

・Sound of birds singing

・Sound of insects chirping

・Sound of insects flying

◎Works that use organic sounds emitted by the natural world (sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones)

・Sound of bonfire

・Sound of Furin (wind-bell)

・Sound of Suikinkutsu: Suikinkutsu, a decoration in Japanese garden, is a device that makes water droplets fall into a cavity created in the ground near the chozubachi and the sound emitted at that time reverberates.

・Sound of Shishiodoshi: Shishiodoshi is a Japanese garden decoration that automativcally generate sound by drawing water into bamboo pipes.

・Sound of walking with clogs, “karan-koron”

・Sound of grilling fish on a charcoal stove

・Sound of walking on a gravel road

◎Organic sounds emitted by people (sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones)

・Talking voice

・Voice of emotional expression such as delight, anger, sorrow and pleasure

・Voice used when drawing attention to a person

 (Example) Pronouncing “Shhh!” when you want a person to stop talking

・Sound of slurping Japanese noodles

・Whistling

・Sound of deep breath

・Sound of sigh

◎Sounds with fluctuating pitch

・Japanese musical instruments, etc.

◎Slightly unharmonious sounds

・Japanese musical instruments, etc.

I will provide more examples in the near future.

On this blog, I wrote the following articles:

▶Comparison of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

▶Consideration of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

Now, what kind of “natural sounds” do Japanese people respond to in the same left brain as they do with language? Akikazu Nakamura, a Shakuhachi player, mentions the following sounds in his 2010 book, “Harmonic Tone：A Cultural Note of Sound, Language and Body”.

<Natural sounds>

Natural sounds are organic sounds with a certain degree of randomness and fluctuation.

◎Organic sounds emitted by the natural world

　・Sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones

◎Organic sounds emitted by people

　・Sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones

◎Sounds with fluctuating pitch

◎Sounds that are slightly out of harmony

Furthermore, Mr. Nakamura states in his book, “Japanese people perceive sounds which contain non-integer harmonic tones in the left brain, whereas they perceive integer harmonic tones in the right brain.”

［References］

Akikazu Nakamura, Harmonic Tone：A cultural Note of Sound, Language and Body, Shunjusha, November 1, 2010.

Tadanobu Tsunoda, The Brain of Japanese with Japanese as their mother language: Reason・Sensitivity・Emotion, Science of Time and the Earth, Gensosha, April 15, 2016.

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

日本語人の脳: 理性・感性・情動、時間と大地の科学

角田忠信

言叢社

2016-04-15

Sounds of the natural world that Japanese people respond in the let brain（actual examples）

On this blog, I wrote the following articles:

▶Comparison of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

▶Consideration of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

▶Sounds of the natural world that Japanesepeople respond to in the left brain

On this page, I would like to explore “sounds in the natural world”.

◎Organic sounds emitted by the natural world (sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones)

・Sound of babbling stream

・Sound of waterfall

・Sound of ocean waves

・Sound of raining

・Sound of snowing

・Sound of blowing wind

・Sound of volcanic eruption

・Sound of rumbling of the earth

・Sound of thunder

・Sound of leaves swaying in the wind

・Sound of birds singing

・Sound of insects chirping

・Sound of insects flying

◎Works that use organic sounds emitted by the natural world (sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones)

・Sound of bonfire

・Sound of Furin (wind-bell)

・Sound of Suikinkutsu: Suikinkutsu, a decoration in Japanese garden, is a device that makes water droplets fall into a cavity created in the ground near the chozubachi and the sound emitted at that time reverberates.

・Sound of Shishiodoshi: Shishiodoshi is a Japanese garden decoration that automativcally generate sound by drawing water into bamboo pipes.

・Sound of walking with clogs, “karan-koron”

・Sound of grilling fish on a charcoal stove

・Sound of walking on a gravel road

◎Organic sounds emitted by people (sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones)

・Talking voice

・Voice of emotional expression such as delight, anger, sorrow and pleasure

・Voice used when drawing attention to a person

 (Example) Pronouncing “Shhh!” when you want a person to stop talking

・Sound of slurping Japanese noodles

・Whistling

・Sound of deep breath

・Sound of sigh

◎Sounds with fluctuating pitch

・Japanese musical instruments, etc.

◎Slightly unharmonious sounds

・Japanese musical instruments, etc.

I will provide more examples in the near future.

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

日本語人の脳: 理性・感性・情動、時間と大地の科学

角田忠信

言叢社

2016-04-15

Sounds of the natural world that Japanese people respond in the let brain

On this blog, I wrote the following articles:

▶Comparison of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

▶Consideration of auditory dominancepatterns between Westerners and Japanese

Now, what kind of “natural sounds” do Japanese people respond to in the same left brain as they do with language? Akikazu Nakamura, a Shakuhachi player, mentions the following sounds in his 2010 book, “Harmonic Tone：A Cultural Note of Sound, Language and Body”.

<Natural sounds>

Natural sounds are organic sounds with a certain degree of randomness and fluctuation.

◎Organic sounds emitted by the natural world

　・Sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones

◎Organic sounds emitted by people

　・Sounds mixed with a certain amount of non-integer harmonic tones

◎Sounds with fluctuating pitch

◎Sounds that are slightly out of harmony

Furthermore, Mr. Nakamura states in his book, “Japanese people perceive sounds which contain non-integer harmonic tones in the left brain, whereas they perceive integer harmonic tones in the right brain.”

［References］

Akikazu Nakamura, Harmonic Tone：A cultural Note of Sound, Language and Body, Shunjusha, November 1, 2010.

Tadanobu Tsunoda, The Brain of Japanese with Japanese as their mother language: Reason・Sensitivity・Emotion, Science of Time and the Earth, Gensosha, April 15, 2016.

The history of the shamisen, a traditional Japanese musical instrument, dates back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) in the late 16th century, when Okinawa (then Ryukyu Islands) sanshin were brought to Sakai, Osaka, by trading ships.

Okinawan sanshin, also called ”Jabisen", are characterized by the use of python skin on the body. In Honshu (the main continent in Japan), where pythons were hard to obtain, dog and cat skins were used instead, and various modifications were made to the shamisen as we know it today.

One of the main characteristics of the shamisen is that it has a “sawari". The "sawari" refers to the way the first string (the thickest string) of the shamisen is not placed on the top piece, but is only slightly touching the neck, so that when the string is plucked, it resonates with a "beep" sound. This special acoustic structure, which skillfully applies the resonance phenomenon of overtones, is unique to Japan and is not found in the Okinawan sanshin or Chinese sangen.

Since ancient times, the Japanese have created their culture in harmony with nature. This is also true in music. While Western instruments sought pure sounds, the Japanese sought sounds found in nature and incorporated things like noise into their musical expression. The Shakuhachi uses a technique of leaking breath, while the Okoto uses a technique of scraping the strings with the fingernails. Even the shamisen sawari, by using overtones to create complex acoustics, probably sought something closer to the sounds of the natural world.

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

“Shamisen", an instrument that produces rich overtones

The history of the shamisen, a traditional Japanese musical instrument, dates back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) in the late 16th century, when Okinawa (then Ryukyu Islands) sanshin were brought to Sakai, Osaka, by trading ships.

Okinawan sanshin, also called ”Jabisen", are characterized by the use of python skin on the body. In Honshu (the main continent in Japan), where pythons were hard to obtain, dog and cat skins were used instead, and various modifications were made to the shamisen as we know it today.

One of the main characteristics of the shamisen is that it has a “sawari". The "sawari" refers to the way the first string (the thickest string) of the shamisen is not placed on the top piece, but is only slightly touching the neck, so that when the string is plucked, it resonates with a "beep" sound. This special acoustic structure, which skillfully applies the resonance phenomenon of overtones, is unique to Japan and is not found in the Okinawan sanshin or Chinese sangen.

Since ancient times, the Japanese have created their culture in harmony with nature. This is also true in music. While Western instruments sought pure sounds, the Japanese sought sounds found in nature and incorporated things like noise into their musical expression. The Shakuhachi uses a technique of leaking breath, while the Okoto uses a technique of scraping the strings with the fingernails. Even the shamisen sawari, by using overtones to create complex acoustics, probably sought something closer to the sounds of the natural world.

The sitar, a string instrument that originated in northern India, uses resonant vibrating strings to emphasize certain overtones and to create new overtones on the resonant strings, creating a complex overtone structure that cannot occur in the natural world. The resonant vibrating strings here are not those that are directly produced by the player's rubbing with the bow or plucking with the fingers, but those that vibrate in resonance with such strings. 

The sitar is not limited to producing integer harmonics through the action of resonant vibrating strings. The bridge of the sitar is relatively wide, and more of its surface area is in contact with the strings, allowing it to produce rich non-integer overtones. 

This mechanism is similar to that of the “sawari" on the Japanese shamisen and biwa. The sitar's bridge has a sawari, which allows for the uniform derivation of non-integer overtones on every note. 

The bridge of the sitar is called a “jawari" in India. The word jawari means "to touch the heart". Sawari of the shamisen and biwa and jawari of the sitar seem to have the same etymology in terms of the atmosphere of the word. The craftsman who adjusts the jawari seems to be very important in India.

-Sitar jawari made of ebony-

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

“Sitar", an instrument that creates rich overtones 

The sitar, a string instrument that originated in northern India, uses resonant vibrating strings to emphasize certain overtones and to create new overtones on the resonant strings, creating a complex overtone structure that cannot occur in the natural world. The resonant vibrating strings here are not those that are directly produced by the player's rubbing with the bow or plucking with the fingers, but those that vibrate in resonance with such strings. 

The sitar is not limited to producing integer harmonics through the action of resonant vibrating strings. The bridge of the sitar is relatively wide, and more of its surface area is in contact with the strings, allowing it to produce rich non-integer overtones. 

This mechanism is similar to that of the “sawari" on the Japanese shamisen and biwa. The sitar's bridge has a sawari, which allows for the uniform derivation of non-integer overtones on every note. 

The bridge of the sitar is called a “jawari" in India. The word jawari means "to touch the heart". Sawari of the shamisen and biwa and jawari of the sitar seem to have the same etymology in terms of the atmosphere of the word. The craftsman who adjusts the jawari seems to be very important in India.

-Sitar jawari made of ebony-

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村 明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

Sounds and voices containing many overtones,
”Integer overtones and non-integer overtones”(2) 

No non-integer overtones, like integer overtones, are contained in the human voice and various musical instruments’ sounds, but they are contained more in the sounds in the natural world and sounds that are naturally voiced. Non-integer overtones are summarized as follows.

◎Frequency and waveform
　・The frequency is a non-integer multiple of the  fundamental tone.

　・he waveform is irregular.

◎Non-integer overtones found in languages
　・The vowels are mainly composed of integer overtones.
　・Consonants are mainly composed of non-integer overtones.
　※In Japanese, non-integer overtones are used when giving their voices expressions or emphasizing.

◎Emotional characteristics of listening to non-integer overtones

　・Soft timbre

　・Vague timbre

　・Timbre that draws people’s attention, or make people feel intimacy and taste such as Japanese expressions. 

◎Sounds containing many non-integer overtones

　・Instruments＞Quena, Panpipe, Percussion and so on.

　・Vocalization:＞Husky voices, Whisper voices, African-blooded people’s voices and so on.

　・Singers＞Shinichi Mori, Aki Yashiro, Keisuke Kuwata, Hikaru Utada and so on.

　・Talking voice＞Sanma Akashiya, Beat Takeshi, reciters and so on.

　※In general, the older tend to have more non-integer overtones in their voices.

◎Traditional Japanese music with many non-integer overtones

　・Instruments＞Shakuhachi, Shamisen, Biwa, Nohkan and so on.

　・Vocalization＞Katarimono(Japanese traditional narrative pieces for recitation)(Gidayu-bushi, Sekkyo-bushi, Royoku and so on.)

　・Every instrument imported from China and Korea into Japan has been improved to make non-integer overtones.

Voicing non-integer overtones is said to be a little more difficult than integer overtones, because people have to relax, open their throats a little and blow more air in. This vocalization way loses a lot of energy, so this is somewhat difficult to make large voices and high overtones. This is a method of vocalization that people have to be careful of because it hurts the throat if they do excessively, but with repeated practice, people will be able to voice at a large volume.

［References］

Akikazu Nakamura, Overtones：Sound・Language・Note of Bodily Culture, Shunjusha, November 1, 2010, pp.22-24.

“Integer overtone” are contained in the timbre of the human voice as well as the sounds of string instruments and wind instruments. Western classical music is mainly made up of fundamental tones and low integer overtones. Integer overtones are summarized as follows.

◎Frequency and waveform
　・The frequency is an integral multiple of the fundamental tone.
　・The waveform is regular.

◎Integer overtones found in languages
　・The vowels are mainly composed of integer overtones.
　・Consonants are mainly composed of non-integer overtones.

◎Emotional characteristics when listening
　・Hard timbre.
　・Clear timbre
　・Timbre that makes people feel the divinity, solemnity, charisma, and strength such as Western church music.

◎Sounds containing many integer overtones.
　・Instruments＞Oboe, Charumera(Street vendor's flute), bagpipe and so on.
　・Vocalization＞Bulgarian voices, Australian didgeridoo and so on.
　・Singers＞ Hibari Misora, Hiromi Go and so on.
　・Talking voice＞Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Tamori and so on.

◎Traditional Japanese music containing many integer overtones.
　・Instrument＞Hichiriki(Japanese shawm) and so on.
　・Vocalization＞Folk songs, Noh songs, Shomyo(Chant of Buddhist hymns), Utaimono(Japanere traditional chant pieces for recitation)(Nagauta. Jiuta and so on.)

◎ Japanese culture containing many integer overtones.
　・Voices of street vendors: Bamboo pole seller’s “TAKEYA, SAODAKE”(Bamboo, poles of bamboo)” and Baked sweet potato shop’s “YAKIIMO(Baked sweet potato, Baked sweet potato)” and so on.

　・Public announcement voice: Station staff ‘s “MAMONAKU-DOAGA-SIMARIMASU(The door will close soon, please be careful)” and so on.

When voicing integer overtones, people relax, pull the chin, and narrows the throat. This voicing method has little loss of energy and can doing high overtones at bigger volumes. Japanese people originally had strong voices with integer overtones, but due to the influence of Western culture, more and more people are voicing with strong fundamental tones and few ones.

［References］

Akikazu Nakamura, Overtones：Sound・Language・Note of Bodily Culture, Shunjusha, November 1, 2010, pp.22-24.

倍音 音・ことば・身体の文化誌

中村 明一

春秋社

2010-11-01

Since the Japanese processes non-integer overtone in the left brain, the Japanese language is characterized by putting many non-integer overtone sounds from the outside world into words and using these sounds effectively as linguistic expressions.

Below are some examples. 

◎Words originated from sounds produced by nature

・Rain is falling in torrents, za- za-.

⇒The sound of a large amount of water flowing at once is expressed by the word “za- za-（ザーザー）".

・Rain is falling in drops, potsu potsu.

⇒The sound of water drops falling one by one is expressed by the word “potsu potsu（ポツポツ）"

・Leaves are rustling, kasa kasa.

⇒The sound of leaves rubbing against each other is expressed by the word “kasa kasa（カサカサ）"

・Thunder is rumbling, goro goro.

⇒The word “goro goro（ゴロゴロ）" is used to describe the sound of a low-pitched thunder.

・Wind is blowing, pew-pew.

⇒The sound of the wind (whistling phenomenon) is expressed by the word "pew-pew（ピューピュー）".

・Shi-nn.. The empty room is completely quiet.

⇒This is a word “shi-nn（シーン）" that expresses the quietness of an empty room without a single sound.

◎Words originated from sounds made by people and/or machines

・The floor of this building is so old that it makes a creaking sound, gishi gishi.

⇒The sound of creaking wood is expressed by the word “gishi gishi（ギシギシ）".

・Vegetables are simmering in a stew, gutsu-gutsu.

⇒The sound of simmering vegetables is expressed by the word "gutsu-gutsu（グツグツ）".

・Children are running around noisily, dota bata.

⇒This is the sound of a child running around noisily, expressed by the word “dota bata（ドタバタ）".

・People are falling down, bata bata, due to an epidemic.

⇒This is an expression of the sound of a person falling ill with the word “bata bata（バタバタ）".

・People are laughing out loud, gera gera.

⇒This is a word “gera gera（ゲラゲラ）" that expresses the sound of a person laughing out loud.

・People gathered and had a lot of fun, wai wai.

⇒The word "wai wai（ワイワイ）" expresses the sound of people gathering together and making a lot of noise.

・I get nervous and feel doki doki when I stand in front of people.

⇒This is the sound of the heart beating strongly “doki doki（ドキドキ）".

◎Words used to direct the attention of people toward you

・“Shhh!" …used to silence a person who is talking.

・"Kyah!” …used to call for help when encountering danger.

◎Words used to indicate that something is important or special

・"Jaan!" …used to indicate importance.

・”Gahn!” …used to indicate shock.

・"Aishiteru（アイシテル）" …used to show that you are special by whispering while letting out a breath.

・”Himitsu（ヒミツ）..." …used to show that you are special by whispering in a quiet voice.

In Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, there is a Japanese tea shop called Nakagawa Seisei-do Chaho, which is dealing in not only Japanese tea but also a lot of tea utensils. When I visited it the other day, the shop owner showed me the tea utensils one by one, and told me a lot of interesting stories about them. According to him, tea utensils in his shop are Shigaraki ware. To make them, Shigaraki-potters themselves enter the mountains to find the best clay, and then, they try to soak and dissolve the gotten clay in water, and by stirring it and taking out its clear layer and the unnecessary things repeatedly, get finer clay called Suihi-tsuchi (elutriated soil).

When making this Suihi-tsuchi, the best water for it is said to be the one which flows beside rice fields, including a lot of microorganisms. On the other hand, when baking tea-ware using Suihi-tsuchi, potters actually eat tea leaves and make tea-ware that suits the taste of tea, for the taste of tea varies depending on the place and altitude where the tea grows.

The shop owner ended his talk as following, “To make delicious tea, please use tea-ware and water which match the tea.”

滋賀県大津市に、中川誠盛堂茶舗という日本茶のお店があります。ここはお茶だけではなく、茶道具も豊富に取り揃えています。先日訪ねると、店主が茶道具を一つひとつ見せながら、興味深い話をしてくださいました。 お店に置いてある茶道具はすべて信楽焼で、陶芸家が山へ自ら足を運び、探してきた土で作るそうです。土を水につけ、何回も攪拌したり、透明な上澄みや、不要なものを取り出しながら、きめ細かな土「水簸（すいひ）土」を作ります。

この時に使う水は、田んぼの横を流れていて微生物がたくさんいるような水が良いとのことです。水簸土を使って茶器を焼くにあたり、陶芸家は実際にお茶を口にし、それに合った茶器を作るといいます。お茶は、育つ場所や標高によって味が異なるためです。

「おいしいお茶をいれるには、お茶に合った茶器と水を使うと良い」。店主はそうしめくくりました。

In Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, there is a Japanese tea shop called Nakagawa Seisei-do Chaho, which is dealing in not only Japanese tea but also a lot of tea utensils. When I visited it the other day, the shop owner showed me the tea utensils one by one, and told me a lot of interesting stories about them. According to him, tea utensils in his shop are Shigaraki ware. To make them, Shigaraki-potters themselves enter the mountains to find the best clay, and then, they try to soak and dissolve the gotten clay in water, and by stirring it and taking out its clear layer and the unnecessary things repeatedly, get finer clay called Suihi-tsuchi (elutriated soil).

When making this Suihi-tsuchi, the best water for it is said to be the one which flows beside rice fields, including a lot of microorganisms. On the other hand, when baking tea-ware using Suihi-tsuchi, potters actually eat tea leaves and make tea-ware that suits the taste of tea, for the taste of tea varies depending on the place and altitude where the tea grows.

The shop owner ended his talk as following, “To make delicious tea, please use tea-ware and water which match the tea.”