Introduction to Études Rythmiques du Japonisme

Suppose Einstein has a say “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I believe this thought is important, especially when developing one’s artistry.

Every culture has its own rhythm. Though “music” is a greater category, it is easy to depend on what is seemingly “right,” at the expense of embracing the differences. This impedes the potential of musicians, just as in how Gamelan music cannot be judged in the context of music of the Pygmies, nor Classical Pianists by swing, nor Opera singers by Dylan-esque folk. The grass may seem greener at times, but these differences have the potential to be recognized as “talent” when embraced. Because I am Japanese, I want to do my part in this search, delving into the differences that Japan brings to the table.

Japanese Music Theory is particular in that it is based on aesthetics more than actual theory. For example, one of the most significant is “Ma” (間), an unmetered rhythmic feature of Japanese music, which is also applied in nearly all other Japanese art forms. There’s “Ma” in Hanga (woodblock print), Haiku (poetry), Shodo (calligraphy), and even in Sushi.

The reverse, integrating aesthetics of other art forms, is also true based on many written records of traditional masters. For example, “Wabi-sabi” was dominantly preserved for tea ceremonies, but it now permeates Japanese culture, including music. It seems that Japanese aesthetics are metaphorical by default. Thus, applicable in both ways. Although irreducible, Japanese aesthetics is approximately:

Serene ambiguity distilled from the natural and transcendental.

Despite being Japanese, there have been times when I felt foreign, due to traveling from a young age, and growing up in an international environment. I think I’ve always appreciated Japanese aesthetics like the French did in the 19th Century, by the movement known as “Japonisme.” I feel like I’m reimporting the renderings of what was exported, but also being on the side of the exporter. The famous case of such reimportations can be seen in Debussy's influence on Takemitsu. In this project I reduced the rhythmic aesthetics of Japan to the piano, using rather simple harmonies and melodies

to place emphasis on rhythm, as ultimately speaking, Japanese sounds require Japanese instruments, as they have unique tunings and overtones, to such an extent that the timbre is more potent than the note itself. However, I believe the rhythm can be somewhat replicated, and worthy of integration in what may become a legitimate justification in the neoclassical stratosphere.