Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [music]

音楽. Language usage in the context of music. For questions about song lyrics, please use the tag "song-lyric".

23 questions
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How are musical beats counted?

In English, it is common to count beats of music using numbers for the beats and certain filler syllables for further subdivisions. What is the most common way to count beats in Japanese? Adding some clarification from my comment below: For example,…
kevinhilt
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Do song lyrics in Japanese typically rhyme?

I've been listening to Japanese music a bit lately and, while I do not understand any of it and even have trouble even making out what syllables are being used, I sometimes get the impression, that it doesn't really rhyme all that much. Is that…
Minix
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Is there a generic word for a band/orchestra to "play" a song?

Since different instruments use different verbs for "play" (弾く、叩く、吹く、even 歌う), is there one nice word to wrap them up? [奏]{かな}でる and its variants (演奏、合奏) sound too formal to me. プレイする？ The scenario would be interviewing the members of the band,…
istrasci
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What Japanese lullabys are available to provide early Japanese exposure to children?

I'd like to expose my young children to the sounds of Japanese at night as they go to sleep. Specifically, I'd like to play Japanese lullabies or other soothing music with vocals. Where do I find such music?
zundarz
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Definition of ブラコン when discussing musical preferences

A Japanese person told me that they have ブラコン。I looked it up on Wikipedia and it said something like an emotional attachment to one's brother. But they said that it meant something like someone who likes rap music. I couldn't find a definition like…
language hacker
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which instruments use 弾く and which use 引く?

I was wondering how do we identify what instruments may be used with the verb 引く, or 弾く, or both? If both 引く and 弾く can be used is there any difference in nuance between one vs the other?
Pacerier
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What does 本調子 mean in a musical context?

When looking at musical instruments online ([篠笛]{しのぶえ} and 竹笛{たけぶえ} in particular, but I guess this goes for more instruments), their 本調子 is always listed. Some flutes are ６本調子, some ７本調子 and some even ８本調子. When looking the word up on JDIC it says…
Stijn Frishert
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How can I say "to put on/to play some music"?

Basically I'd like to say something like "Should I put on some music?" or "Should I play some music (from my phone)?" and I'm not sure which verb to use. On jisho.org I found 掛ける {かける} but I'm not sure if 音楽を掛けましょうか。is a correct way to say this.
Péter Marschall
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What does 「あの日のお前に 戻れるはずさ」 mean?

I am trying to translate lyrics of 「涙をふいて」a song by 三好鉄生 for fun. This might be a silly question but I wanted to confirm its meaning. I understand the line as あの日のお前に 戻れるはずさ You might (should be able to) return to that old you (from that…
vadasambar
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What is いやほい from the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu song 原宿いやほい HARAJUKU IYAHOI?

What does いやほい mean in this context? Or is it nonsense or onomatopeia? I'm not finding a conclusive result in the dictionary. Results I get are, for instance: いや which could be disagreeable, increasingly, no, head house, birthplace, originator ほい…
Dan Puza
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この曲の意味を暗示する歌詞の特定性について

念のため述べておきますが、この質問は太平洋戦争に関係するものであり、気分を害するつもりは一切ありませんが、その可能性のある内容が含まれています。 とある日本のロックバンド、「9mm Parabellum Bullet」が2007年に「Sundome」という曲を出しましたが、歌詞は以下のとおりです： 頭ごなしに叱らないで 黒い朝日を描いたこと 手付かずのままで残されてしまった 真っ白い絵の具 こんなはずではなかったのと 声が聞こえたら近未来 利き腕が昨日と違うから 上手に握手出来ない あぁ…
bright-star
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Using 貴様 {きさま}​ as a joke?

I already know that 貴様 {きさま} is a very rude, derogatory term in japanese, and is practically forbidden in real life situations. However, I came across a song called キモチ by Mukai Shuutoku, and it contains the following verses : 貴様に伝えたい　/…
dobondobondo
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Why do we translate English song titles to Japanese?

I was reading past rankings of Japanese music charts such as Billboard Japan and Oricon, and I noticed that songs that are from Western pop music are generally written in katakana. For example: シェイプ・オブ・ユー (Shape of You) - エド・シーラン (Ed Sheeran) Most…
jdk_13
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What does hoi mean?

I'm a General Music teacher. One of my 1st grade books has a song called, "Naka Naka Hoi." The (what I'm learning may be the romaji) words are: Naka Naka Hoi Soto Soto Hoi Naka Soto Soto Naka Naka Naka Hoi There is, however, no translation. As far…
Erin Ronne
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Why do I hear a lot of "L" sounds in Japanese music?

I'm a super beginner, but I like to listen to Japanese music and I often hear some "L" sounds. Given the fact that there is no "L" column on hiragana tables, I assume that is some other sound, perhaps "R", being pronounced as "L" (even though I hear…
Thiago Fassina
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