The koto has a distinctive sound that many people associate with Asian music. However, did you know David Bowie, the band Queen and jazz legend John Coltrane have used the koto in their music recordings?
Click on the video clip again. This time notice that the koto lies flat on the floor and is played with two hands. The right hand plucks the strings with the first three fingers of the right hand. The left hand presses down on the strings to "bend" the notes. Look at the sheet music!
When I visited a middle school, I got a lesson from an eight grade student, Shuko. I was ready to learn! Shuko handed me the picks and indicated I should put them on. She thought it was quite funny I put the picks covering my fingernails. So YOU won’t be embarrassed when YOU put on YOUR koto picks, cover the pads of your fingers.
Shuko showed me how to pick and pluck the strings. It's harder than it looks. My fingers kept slipping through the strings. We both laughed at my efforts.
Finally, Shuko taught me to press the strings down to change the sound while I played. I could handle that one. She smiled when I showed her all the dents on my finger pads. She said something to me in Japanese. I think she told me that happened to her when she started too.
Click here to play a virtual koto. Good luck!
