"Yanagase Town" in the sound of music

Short article/PIXIU

The town of Yanase, just hearing the name, makes me feel very beautiful.

Actually, this place is really beautiful. If you listen to the Japanese guitar emperor Yoshio Kimura's masterpiece "Yanase Town", you will definitely be amazed at how the charm of music can be so great! After listening to his music, you will have infinite yearning and longing, and you may even have an urge to go there immediately.

The first time I heard this song was 12 years ago, the domestic speaker brand HiVi published a set of audition discs, including "Yanagase Town". The first time I heard it, I was fascinated by it. Deeply attracted. People often say that some voices are destined to enter your heart and make you deeply intoxicated and moved. No matter how time goes by, it never changes...that's what this song is. The chords are beautiful, the rhythm is lively, and the atmosphere created by the music is ethereal, elegant, and extremely friendly. In addition, there is also a faint layer of sadness, which can also be said to be nostalgia. This is why the music moves and infects me. So, listen to it at home, in the car, and when walking outside. I often imagine its quiet and distant beauty while listening, wishing I could grow wings and fly to the story of Yanase and it.

After listening to it over and over again for five or six years, I finally got some clues. One day, I suddenly felt like I heard the bustle of Yanase Town during the day, the leisure in the afternoon, and the tranquility at dusk. Because Japan is an island country, I guess the author should be describing a quiet and charming small fishing village by the sea. What does Yanase Town look like? There seems to be an imaginary outline in my mind.

So, I started to show off to my friends around me. The warm sunshine, the sparkling waves, the harbor town under the gentle breeze, the shadow of the wind shaking the willow branches, the microwave and depth of the sea, the hovering low-flying waterbirds, the prosperous scene of people coming and going on the pier, etc. .

"I really admire you for being able to hear so much information and beautiful things. Why can't we hear it?" a friend exclaimed. I have described this scene to no less than 10 friends before.

"In fact, music, like literature and painting, is a description of people, objects, life, and situations, but the expression methods are different. For example, if you have the beauty of Yanase Town, If you think or feel something, you can write it into essays, novels or poems to praise it. For painters, it is necessary to express this emotion in a beautiful painting. Similarly, in front of composers, they do not use it. Instead of using words and brushes to express it, this is the difference in artistic expression. In essence, they are similar and describe the same content. This piece expresses Yoshio Kimura’s feelings about his hometown. Praise and attachment. "

My friend praised my eloquent remarks repeatedly, and it was difficult to refute, so he started to flatter me. "Wow! You are so awesome. Why don't you write a review to help everyone understand this famous song better?"

This idea inspired me. So, I checked online to find out Kimura Yoshio’s inspiration and purpose for creating this piece, as well as the listening evaluations of music fans.

The results were unexpected. There is very little information about Kimura Yoshio and "Yanase Town", but one of the introductory words is extremely important: "The artistic conception of the song is: telling about the romantic cherry blossom season at the foot of Mount Fuji, and the prosperity of Kimura Yoshio's hometown Yanase Town What a sight!"

"Oh no, I made a big mistake. It's such a shame that I misled my friend for so many years." I felt cold in my heart.

So, I admitted my mistakes to all my friends who had listened to my lectures and corrected them. "I'm sorry, I heard wrong. There are several mistakes: First, the location is wrong. Yanase Town is a rural town at the foot of Mount Fuji, not a seaside fishing village. Second, the sparkling waves in the music , not from the sea, but from the river or lake. 3. The birds are not seabirds, but may be land birds active on the branches and trees. 4. What is swaying in the sun is not the wicker, but the fluttering cherry blossom petals... …”

I originally wanted to say more, but my friends seemed to be impatient. "Don't worry about the details, and don't apologize anymore. In fact, you just need to tell us to change the background of Yanase Town from the sea to the embrace of Mount Fuji, and everything will be OK! Anyway, the music is beautiful and we like it."

Some people say that enthusiasts have four realms: the first is to burn equipment, buy professional equipment, and upgrade each set to become more expensive.

The second is to burn down the house. I am obsessed with indoor sound insulation and divergent design. I always want to move a professional concert hall home to achieve the effect of performance and replay. The third is to return to the roots, start focusing on the charm of the music itself, only listen to the music you like, and no longer care about how high-end the equipment and listening space are. The fourth is the highest level, writing a book about music. To be honest, I like music, but I skipped the first two steps because I didn’t dare to expect it. After listening to it for so many years, I found that I only like three types of music: lyrical music, prairie music, and traditional and classical music. "Yanagase Town" should fall into the third category.

Yoshio Kimura was born in 1934. He started playing Jazz in his early years, and later his style turned to folk songs. In an era where good and bad people are mixed and "acting songs" are popular, it is not easy for his music to win. His music style always gives people a feeling of crystal transparency, simplicity, gentleness, ethereal tranquility, and the bright rhythms in his music style are probably related to his early exposure to jazz scales. As a result, he earned the title "The Emperor of Guitar", the most lofty status in the Japanese music scene. "The Bride of Seto", "Spring in the Northern Land", and "Straits of Sorrow" are all classics that will make you feel like you've fallen in love with them for the first time. It is well deserved to say that "Yanagase Town" is his representative work and a rare piece, because what flows from the thin strings is an exotic romance, lyricism and aesthetics. You will be completely attracted by his mastery and calmness. Impressed by the ease of playing.

Regardless of where the master’s original creative motivation or inspiration came from, let’s talk about its content, listening experience and the beauty created by the music as soon as possible.

Whenever I sip a cup of tea in a quiet study and listen to "Yanagase Town" played with string picks, this scene will always appear before my eyes:

Under the snow-capped Mount Fuji, there is a leisurely, quiet and beautiful town. Its name is Yanase. There is a clear blue lake next to the town, like a crystal gem left among the green waters and green mountains. A small river meanders through the town, which is surrounded by ancient trees and blue-tiled houses. The family names are written on the gates of each courtyard. On a bright sunny morning, the sun rises slowly from the east. Mount Fuji in the distance is shining and majestic, and the small town under the mountain is quiet and simple. The spring breeze comes slowly from the south with the moist ocean breath, and when it reaches this mountain valley, it turns into a warm breeze and a curl of morning mist. They merge with the increasingly strong sunlight, leaving the town covered in soft, slender, dreamlike light and shadow. The guitar sound in the music is the main voice, and it mainly depicts the calmness of the town, the interweaving of light and shadow, the joy of birds, and the dancing cherry blossoms in the breeze. At this moment, the air is fresh and moist, and the clear lake in front of the town is already sparkling, as beautiful as a fairy tale world. The patchwork string sounds came one after another, the lake water clearly reflected the white and crystal clear Fuji Snow Mountain, and the birds clearly circled in the sky where the cherry blossoms danced.

We seem to have followed Mr. Kimura back to his hometown after many years of absence, strolling on the mossy stone steps of the town, and listening to him tell those childhood stories over and over again.

After a while, as the temperature rose and the sun shone brightly, the town became prosperous. There are people walking through the green fields on the streets, and there are people walking on the paths paved with bluestones; small vendors set up stalls under the cherry blossom trees, and girls with high buns and buns lightly stepping on wooden clogs and wearing belts behind their waists, dancing in the market alleys; The old people sat quietly on the stone steps in front of their doors, chatting with their neighbors while enjoying the comfort and sunshine. As the saxophone played, the mountains and streams flowed and filled the soul. The golden light of the majestic Mount Fuji receded and turned into a dark blue. The small town of Yanase was like a child who had just woken up from a dream, babbling in the embrace of the mountain.

Old Kimura took us to a high place, pointed and told us about the prosperity of his hometown in the past and the changes today. "This town used to be prosperous and beautiful, and it still does now; the streets of the town used to be simple and elegant, and they still do now; the people in the town used to be independent of the world, and they still are now. Look, that was the school we went to when we were young. Next to it is the shrine. There are several natural hot springs in the steaming place in the distance, which we call hot springs..."

The water in Yanase is green, and the hot springs in Yanase are steaming; The cherry blossoms in Yanase are purple and red, and the countryside in Yanase is simple and natural. Therefore, Yanase's world is also orderly, prosperous and not chaotic. It is like a beautiful landscape oil painting, presented to us.

Looking around, the town is protected by the snow-capped mountains. The fields are covered with green, cherry blossoms are blooming, and the steam of the hot springs is getting clearer and clearer. The adults take a dip in the mountain hot springs at least once a week, and the children are excited about the hot springs all day long. inside. There is no hustle and bustle of the city here. Quietness and eternity are her qualities. Here, when acquaintances meet each other, there is no enthusiastic scene of shouting and shouting, only bowing and greetings, reflecting a restrained and reserved style.

Under the guidance of the main guitar sound, the song also has the harmonies of piano, bass, violin and other instruments to enhance the atmosphere. They do not dilute the theme, but can also accompany each other, coming like graceful angels at the invitation, with clear layers and a strong sense of erraticity. Finally, it gradually converged into a wave of force, coming slowly. When the music reaches its peak, it lifts your mind high, and then slowly falls back. The ups and downs simultaneously create a scene of prosperity, prosperity and order, leisurely and beautiful scenery.

If there is not enough words, then sing it; if there is not enough song, then dance it. This is the charm of music. In the afternoon, warm wind blew by, and the cherry blossoms in Yanase were no longer content to be silent, but started to dance. Dance in the air, dance in the stream; dance in the grass, dance on the eaves; dance until dusk, dance until the starry night. With many musical instruments playing together, our hearts can't help but be infiltrated and infected by the faint, wordless sadness in the music. I heard it, and there was a strong sense of reluctance and nostalgia hidden in the tune. This may be the nostalgia revealed under Mr. Kimura’s fingers. This nostalgia is something we can easily feel.

In fact, no matter how far a person travels, he will never forget his hometown. Whether we are thirty or seventy and do whatever we want, our hometown and childhood will always be memories that we cannot erase. I know that Yoshio Kimura misses Yanase and feels sorry for him. Otherwise, how could he write such a hot and emotional work?

Someone commented on "Yanagase Town": "It is enka, it is sake, it is an ancient city, it is rain, snow and cherry blossoms, it is love and laughter, it is tears and sorrow, or , it is Yoshio Kimura who immersed his dreams and feelings in six thin strings..."

A few years ago, after the initial wrong listening experience was corrected, I felt relieved and recommended it to my friends again. Since this song, it has been included in "Golden Earphones III" and "Huiwei Audition Disc III". Now every time I listen to it, I understand its rich connotations more deeply. Music has no borders. No matter when you listen to it, especially on a rainy night when the windows are open, Yanase always makes people daydream and yearn for it, and you may even want to visit Yanase.

To be honest, I most like to listen to Kimura’s guitar music at midnight. Because midnight is silent, there are silent starry sky and silent Yanase. How many times, in my dreams and in the fluffy and exciting tunes, I thought I had come to the beautiful town at the foot of Mount Fuji...

I don't know music theory, and I have a problem when listening to songs. I don’t study the lyrics, I just like the melody. I like "Yanagase Town" probably for this reason. It is said that the sounds of the two guitars were played by Yoshio Kimura and his apprentices. There are 7 instruments in this piece of music. I haven't fully understood it yet. It would be great if I could read music! Finally, let me give you a listening tip and reference for those who are interested.

“When the music starts, an accompaniment guitar first appears on our left main speaker, and you can feel the light touch of the friction between your hand and the strings. At this time, a second guitar appears in the center. There is a detail here. You will hear a "click" sound. This is the sound of Yoshio Kimura accidentally falling off the shrapnel while playing. This is also the favorite of audiophiles. This lead guitar is played by Yoshio Kimura himself. , you can feel the rigidity of the friction between the shrapnel and the strings, which is obviously different from the first accompaniment guitar. The position of the two guitars, one left and one middle, is quite obvious. At 48", please note that they appear one meter behind the left main speaker. A bass. Bass is the root of music, and bass can dive infinitely. At 54", the fourth instrument - the piano - appeared on the right rear of the bass, with a wide range and very clear graininess. At 1'25", the fifth instrument - the electric guitar - appeared on the right speaker, and the sound was completely different from the first two. different. At 1`30", the sound of a saxophone appeared directly in front of the stage, which added a bit of romance to Yanase Town. At 1`38", the sound of a violin appeared directly behind the stage, reflecting the atmosphere of Yanase Town. of prosperity.

”

This is a post on the Internet, which is a listening record and evaluation by an audiophile who understands music. Let’s not say whether his description is correct, nor do we doubt the fact that seven sounds come from seven musical instruments. , just the precise positioning words such as "Where does the sound come from, how many meters away from the stage, and the graininess is very clear" are really admirable, and I actually heard that the "click" sound was Kimura Yoshio's accidental performance. The sound of shrapnel falling off, what a strong foundation and sound debate ability it takes to reach such a state!

What is an enthusiast? It refers to the love for a thing or object to the extent of obsession. Judging from the above examples, there is no doubt that this critic is a super enthusiast of a higher level, and "Yanagase Town" is also a top-notch song. Otherwise, who else but the composer Yoshio Kimura and subsequent performers would. Put so much effort into studying its subtle details? I hope you can hear the seven instruments, and even the pronunciation position, distance, and layering of different instruments, because these are all elements of the musical technique. ! Listening to the music is to appreciate the beauty of Yanase and the attachment to it.

Of course, hearing it is worse than seeing it. If you have the opportunity to go to Yanase Town, you can. While listening to this song, feel her real beauty!

Click to enjoy "Yanase Town": Yoshio Kimura

Enka: It is a unique kind of Japan! The song can be understood as a classic Japanese old song. It combines the singing style of folk artists in the Edo period and incorporates national sentiments from all over Japan. It is the transition between Japanese classical arts and modern pop music, and is based on folk customs and emotional trivia. Songs of eulogy. The melody is long and graceful, just like the knot in a person's heart. They are mostly songs that express the inner sorrows of adults. In the early days, one person sang while playing, and later it evolved into a solo.