User Manual
35A User’s Guide to Garritan World Instruments
e Music and Instruments of Other Asian Regions
Aside from the musical powerhouses of China, India and Japan, there are other regions of Asia that
have developed their own rich musical traditions. e remaining area in Asia accounts for a substantial
landmass and a very large population with a wealth of unique musical thought and culture… from
Tibetan temple music, to the nomadic music of Central Asia, to the Oriental hues of the Koreas.
As geography might suggest, there also many musical commonalities among Oriental cultures. e
inuence of Chinese and Japanese traditions is easily evident in Vietnam and the Koreas by their use
of pentatonic and ve-tone scales.
Chinese instruments were adopted early on and evolved within these cultures. e Vietnamese Dan
Tranh is similar to the Chinese Ghuzeng or Japanese Koto, and the Vietnamese Dan Ty Ba is similar
to the Chinese Pipa or Japanese Biwa. South Korea has its own cultural traditions of court music
and folk music. e Jang Gu drum, Chabara cymbals, and Kkwenggwari gong are percussion instru-
ments from the Koreas. More recently, Korea has developed its own style of pop music.
Bangladesh, Bengal, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, and ailand are more inuenced by Indian
classical music. Southeast Asia also has its own folk styles. Percussion instruments in the region
include ai Nipple Gong, Cambodian Luo gongs and cymbals (Kesi and Ching), and Kompang,
Gedul drum in Malaysia, and the Gopischand in Bengal.