The Banshiki-chō scale
Banshiki-chō uses the ritsu scale. Its five core degrees are kyū B, shō C#, kaku E, chi F#, u G#, with ei-shō D and ei-u A as the two additional degrees. The characters on the tonic are played steadily at standard pitch, without meri.
Scale and characters by instrument
| Pitch | Jūniritsu | Role in this mode | Shō 笙 | Hichiriki 篳篥 | Ryūteki 竜笛 | Biwa 琵琶 | Koto 筝 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | Banshiki 盤渉 | kyū (core), tonic | 一B4七B5 | 工B4 | 中B5責中B6 | 一B2str. 1, open乙B3str. 2, fret 3クB3str. 3, open也B4str. 4, fret 4 | 一B3三B4八B5巾B6 |
| C# | Kamimu 上無 | shō (core) | 工C#5言C#6 | 凢C#5 | 丅C#6責丅C#7 | 工C#3str. 1, fret 1コC#4str. 2, fret 4七C#4str. 3, fret 1 | 四C#5九C#6 |
| D | Ichikotsu 壱越 | ei-shō | 凢D5上D6 | 六D5 | 六D6責六D7 | 凢D3str. 1, fret 2ヒD4str. 3, fret 2 | — |
| E | Hyōjō 平調 | kaku (core) | 乙E5八E6 | 四E5 | 干,E5干E6責干E7 | フE3str. 1, fret 3〻E4str. 3, fret 3丄E4str. 4, open | 五E5十E6 |
| F# | Shimomu 下無 | chi (core) | 下F#5千F#6 | 一F#5 | 五F#5責五F#6 | 斗F#3str. 1, fret 4乚F#3str. 2, open之F#4str. 3, fret 4八F#4str. 4, fret 1 | 二F#4六F#5斗F#6 |
| G# | Fushō 鳧鐘 | u (core) | 美G#5 | — | — | 下G#3str. 2, fret 1丨G#4str. 4, fret 2 | 七G#5為G#6 |
| A | Ōshiki 黄鐘 | ei-u | 乞A4行A5 | 五A4丁A5 | 夕A5責夕A6 | 十A3str. 2, fret 2ムA4str. 4, fret 3 | — |
| C | Shinsen 神仙 | outside the scale | 比C6 | — | — | — | — |
| G | Sōjō 双調 | outside the scale | 十G5 | 舌G4丄G5 | 丄G5責丄G6 | — | — |
Pitches use international names (A4 = 430 Hz). Characters in red get a special technique such as meri or hakari in Banshiki-chō (see the next table). Biwa entries show string and fret; koto entries are string names. The biwa and koto tunings are provisional, built from the mode's tonic and scale because no source was found. Shō pitches are for single pipes, not chords.
Special techniques in Banshiki-chō (meri and hakari)
| Instrument | Character | Pitch (standard → this mode) | Technique (as played by the app) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hichiriki | 舌 | G4 (unchanged) | Sinks about 35 cents where it meets 一, 丁, 五. |
| Hichiriki | 凢 | C5 → C#5 | Fitted to the mode's C# (Kamimu). The onset dips about 30 cents before rising. |
| Hichiriki | 丄 | G5 (unchanged) | Sinks about 35 cents where it meets 一, 丁, 五. |
| Ryūteki | 五 | F#5 (unchanged) | Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 20 cents to pitch. |
| Ryūteki | 中 | B5 (unchanged) | Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 15 cents to pitch. |
A cent is 1/100 of a semitone. The values are the app's defaults; change them in HICHIRIKI_MERI and RYUTEKI_MERI in gagaku/instruments.py and in gagaku/tunings.json.
Other modes
- Ichikotsu-chō
- Hyōjō
- Sōjō
- Ōshiki-chō
- Banshiki-chō
- Taishiki-chō