The Ichikotsu-chō scale
Ichikotsu-chō uses the ryo scale. Its five core degrees are kyū D, shō E, kaku F#, chi A, u B, with ei-kaku G and ei-u C 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Ichikotsu 壱越 | kyū (core), tonic | 凢D5上D6 | 六D5 | 六D6責六D7 | 一D2str. 1, open乙D3str. 2, fret 3クD3str. 3, open也D4str. 4, fret 4 | 一D3三D4八D5巾D6 |
| E | Hyōjō 平調 | shō (core) | 乙E5八E6 | 四E5 | 干,E5干E6責干E7 | 工E2str. 1, fret 1コE3str. 2, fret 4七E3str. 3, fret 1 | 四E4九E5 |
| F# | Shimomu 下無 | kaku (core) | 下F#5千F#6 | 一F#5 | 五F#5責五F#6 | 凢F#2str. 1, fret 2ヒF#3str. 3, fret 2 | 五F#4十F#5 |
| G | Sōjō 双調 | ei-kaku | 十G5 | 舌G4丄G5 | 丄G5責丄G6 | フG2str. 1, fret 3〻G3str. 3, fret 3丄G3str. 4, open | — |
| A | Ōshiki 黄鐘 | chi (core) | 乞A4行A5 | 五A4丁A5 | 夕A5責夕A6 | 斗A2str. 1, fret 4乚A2str. 2, open之A3str. 3, fret 4八A3str. 4, fret 1 | 二A3六A4斗A5 |
| B | Banshiki 盤渉 | u (core) | 一B4七B5 | 工B4 | 中B5責中B6 | 下B2str. 2, fret 1丨B3str. 4, fret 2 | 七B4為B5 |
| C | Shinsen 神仙 | ei-u | 比C6 | 凢C5 | 丅C6責丅C7 | — | — |
| G# | Fushō 鳧鐘 | outside the scale | 美G#5 | — | — | — | — |
| C# | Kamimu 上無 | outside the scale | 工C#5言C#6 | — | — | 十C#3str. 2, fret 2ムC#4str. 4, fret 3 | — |
Pitches use international names (A4 = 430 Hz). Characters in red get a special technique such as meri or hakari in Ichikotsu-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 Ichikotsu-chō (meri and hakari)
| Instrument | Character | Pitch (standard → this mode) | Technique (as played by the app) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hichiriki | 舌 | G4 (unchanged) | The onset dips about 15 cents before rising. |
| Hichiriki | 凢 | C5 (unchanged) | Meri-han: a shallow, relaxed embouchure gives C (Shinsen); the onset dips about 55 cents. |
| Hichiriki | 丄 | G5 (unchanged) | The onset dips about 15 cents before rising. |
| Ryūteki | 干 | E6 (unchanged) | In the low register, lands smoothly from about 20 cents above. |
| Ryūteki | 五 | F#5 (unchanged) | Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 18 cents to pitch. Held for 1.5 s or more, falls about 35 cents: in steps mid-phrase, sliding at the end of a phrase. |
| Ryūteki | 丅 | C#6 → C6 | Lowered a semitone with hakari (half-covering the hole) and strong meri (also in 責). Tends to start sharp; pulled down about 30 cents to pitch. |
| Ryūteki | 六 | D6 (unchanged) | In the low register, lands smoothly from about 20 cents above. |
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