Polyrhythm explained (or more accurately, notated)
So I finally finished notating Polyrhythm’s, well, polyrhythmic passage. It took me forever because everything takes me forever because I am in the middle of about 15 projects at the moment. Nothing new really. But, here’s the gist of it. I’ll paraphrase my previous post (which has been edited slightly):
“We have a constant five note pattern repeating in 4/4 time with the word 「ポ・リ・リ・ズ・ム」. This repeats over and over in rhythmic dissonance until it loops enough times to come in line with the main pattern again. So if we stretch the timeline of the passage, we see multiple four beat bars, 16 of them when counting by eighth notes. This makes a total of 64 beats cut into small 4 beat chunks 16 times. Still with me?
Okay, now consider the aforementioned 5 beat 「ポ・リ・リ・ズ・ム」 phrase which repeats 9 times for a total of 45 beats. Add to that 6 repetitions of 「リ・ズ・ム」, a 3 beat phrase creating a total of 18 beats and a grand total of 63. Well, there’s a beat missing so we fill it with the first “ポ” of the next series of 「ポ・リ・ル・ウ・プ」 passages.
This puts us in a unique situation. We now start the loop over beginning at the second beat of the 5 beat passage (リ) meaning that our first passage is a 4 beat occurrence. So, we start at 4 then add 5 repetitions of the full passage for a total of 29 (25 + the first 4 「リ・ル・ウ・プ」). Then we go into our 3 beat sequence again for 5 repetitions giving us a total of 15 + 29 or 44. At this point we just hit single beats 14 times, but these beats are matching the underlying polyrhythm which is striking on every third 16th note. Since the last 14 beats are spaced differently than the other 44 beats of the passage, the math doesn’t exactly add up like we would expect, but it does work due to this spacing. Listen for it. In the first 「ポリリズム」 chorus these 16th note accents are only heard in the synthesizer stabs. In the second 「ポリルウプ」 chorus the beat begins following it on the bass drum for a killer effect. This passage is why I decided to take an active interest in Perfume.
Here’s the notation for those interested. Top two staves are a piano; treble clef has got the voices (ポリリズム、ポリルウプ), bass clef has synth stabs. The third staff down is bass and drums are on the bottom.
[NOTE: Forgive the confusing nature of the drum part. I had to work within the confines of what the MIDI sequencer was capable of. It's not exactly as human readable as I would like]
Here’s a fun fact: the name of the software used to create the above embeddable notation is NoteFlight. HA! Have a fucking NoteFlight Motherfucker!!!
Busy, busy, busy…
So, it’s been quite a few days since my last post (which was really nothing more than boobie pic-spam) and quite a bit has happened in that time. So, a quick recap of what’s been up over the past two weeks or so …
- My lovely dearest KAMEI Eri was interviewed in the June issue of “Hyper Hobby” and some cool folks translated it for me. Hot topic of conversation: five-toed socks. That’s my Erien.
- I was given yet another opportunity to empathize with Japanese prostitutes.
- I was traumatized by a certain example of ganguro fashion gone horribly wronger than it already is.
- Realized that the reason I’m not interested in this year’s Miss Universe contestant representing Japan is that, well, she doesn’t look Japanese. At all.
- The dynamic duo currently heading up モーニング娘。 celebrate their 8th anniversary and a fellow wota provided a hell of a report on her experience with the “gokkies”.
- MATSUURA Aya got a fucking blog!
- Power Rangers got 150% cooler.
- And finally, Japan is scheduled to be destroyed by a plague of … jellyfish?
So yeah, that’s about it. I’ll be sure to keep the news fresher in the coming week. You can expect some more articles on Japanese language acquisition and how I’m failing at it as well as the eagerly anticipated Wotachat All-Stars post. Maybe.
And yes, I realize that I have already missed my second installment of Friday Hawtness. I will make it up, I swear.
Takena Nagao – “Chainsaw Maid”
Are you familiar with the works of 22-year-old Kyoto born Takena Nagao (長尾 武奈) or ていえぬ as he is also known? If not, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourself. He’s an amateur animator whose niche genre is “brutal clay animation”. This is the stuff of legends, my friends. Probably the most popular of his works (which he has been releasing since 2004) is 2007’s “Chainsaw Maid”, the story of a maid put in a position to protect the family she works for. Check it out:
See what I mean? For more fun check out his YouTube channel or visit his website. Thanks to the crew at JapanSugoi for the original post.
Japan Top 40 as of 8/9/09
40 – Kenji Ootsuki to Zetsubou Shoujotachi – “Ringo Mogire Beam!”
39 – 10-FEET – “super stomper”
38 – Idoling!!! – “Mujyoken Koufuku”
37 – Meisa Kuroki – “Shock ~Unmei~”
36 – Kazuo Chiba – “Sayoshigure”
35 – Kenichi Asai – “FRIENDLY”
34 – Tohoshinki – “Stand by U”
33 – Miyako Ootsuki – “Hakanagawa”
32 – Hiroshi Miyama – “Hitokoi Sakaba”
31 – JASMINE – “sad to say”
30 – Kaori Mizumori – “Aki no Miyajima”
29 – GRANRODEO – “modern strange cowboy”
28 – Tegomass – “Tanabata Matsuri”
27 – Koda Kumi - “3 Splash (Lick Me/Ecstasy/Hashire!)”
26 – sphere – “Super Noisy Nova”
25 – cali gari – “9 -School Zone Hen”
24 – Aya Hirano - “Super Driver”
23 – PUFFY - “Dareka ga”
22 – Crazy Ken Band – “Girlfriend”
21 – RYTHEM – “Gyuttoshite Feat.Tokita Shintaro (From Sukima Switch)”
20 – Shion – “Luv”
19 – Chara – “breaking hearts”
18 – Ikimonogakari – “Hotaru no Hikari”
17 – Kaori Mochida – “Shizukana Yoru/Weather”
16 – Nami Tamaki – “Friends!”
15 – Kobukuro – “STAY”
14 – Arashi – “Everything”
13 – Junko Akimoto – “Tasogare Love Again”
12 – Yuma Nakayama w/B.I.Shadow/NYC boys – “Akuma na Koi/NYC”
11 – FRIENDS & Hexagon All Stars – “Naitemo Iidesuka”
10 – Superfly – “Koisuru Hitomi Wa Utsukushi/Yasashi Kimochi De”
9 – Erina Mano – “Sekai Wa Summer Party”
8 – England (Noriaki Sugiyama) – “Hetalia Character CD Vol.4 England”
7 – Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi – “Semi”
6 – Aqua Timez – “Plumeria ~Hana Uta~”
5 – Acid Black Cherry – “Yasashii Uso”
4 – EXILE - “THE HURRICANE ～FIREWORKS～”
3 – AAA – “Break Down/Break your name/Summer Revolution”
2 – Yuzu – “Ichigo”
1 – Koichi Domoto – “Ayakashi”
Are you faves on this list? Also, check out Puffy representin’!
Japan wins “most perverted country” competition
HA! Japan wins again! A recent internet poll reveals that citizens of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing vote the Japanese as the world’s most ecchi. I don’t know about you but I consider that a win. And in typical Japanese form, they win by a total landslide:
Here’s the kicker though: it seems the biggest influence on this decision was the number of pirated Japanese AV movies in China. lol. Who’s ecchi now?
You can read the original article here.
Unbelievably rude opinions
I just watched this video and am amazed by some of the opinions. I guess it’s the same wherever you go. But these guys are really something else.
Hyper cute ping pong idol, Naomi Yotsumoto
Naomi Yotsumoto (四元奈生美) is the new idol of the ping pong world. At a mere 150cm tall weighing in at a mere 40kg, this 31 year old denizen of Tokyo has won the 1999 US Open singles title, the 2003 International Open singles title, was part of the winning Beijing team in the China Super League championship and won second place in the 2008 All Japan Championships in mixed doubles. Pretty impressive track record thus far, ne?
Well, she’s been making her way around various televsion “hot spots” including Fuji TV, NHK, TBS, NTV, and others. She’s notorious for being uber-genki and having the coolest clothes in ping-pong even bordering on cosplay at times. Check it out:
Or, better yet, check out these pics from her PB. Yayz.
Jokes…
Since I’m kind of in comedy mode, I’m gonna post some funny stuff that has nothing to do with Japanese language or culture. And I’m going to do it on a regular basis.
So, that said, here’s some friggin’ jokes for ya. Stop me if you’ve heard it before.
A guy gets out of prison and all he wants to do is get laid. So he goes to the local “hot spot” in search of a working girl and spots a good looking gal with blonde hair standing on the corner.
“How much for a blowjob?” he asks.
“$50″ she replies.
“Here’s $75. Hop in!” he says as he hands her the money.
She then replies, “Put your hands where I can see them. You’re under arrest for solicitation of sex.”
Since prostitution is illegal and in direct violation of his parole, the man goes immediately back to prison.
Hahaha! Oh you’ve heard it? Alright I’ve got another…
A guy walks into a bar and goes straight to the closest stool and immediately sits down. Bartender says, “Can I get you something, sir?”
“I’ll just have a glass of water for now. I’m just waiting for a friend to meet me here.”
Later, another guy walks in and greets the man waiting. They briefly converse and then decide to move on to another bar. For a split second, as he watches them leave, the bartender wonders where they might be going and why it’s a more appealing location than his bar. Then another patron walks in and he quickly has to shift his focus back to serving drinks.
Hehahehaheha! I love that one. Eh? You’re not laughing. Hmm… OK, how ’bout a knock-knock joke. Everybody loves those…
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Janet.
Janet who?
Janet Meyers. Is Seth home?
Seth?
Seth Turner.
Oh, I’m afraid the Turners moved last month.
Oh is that so? Well, I apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks for your time. Bye bye now.
Hohohohohohoho- eh? You’re still not laughing.
Geez, you’ve got no sense of humor.
How To Tell If You Are Unhealthily Obsessed With Japanese Culture…
I just found this funny list I wrote back in ‘06 when I first started studying Japanese seriously and learning things about the culture. Maybe you guys will enjoy it.
How To Tell If You Are Unhealthily Obsessed With Japanese Culture…
- You start pronouncing brand names like “Mitsubishi” correctly
- You use the word sushi in reference to rice
- You answer the phone with “moshi moshi”
- You bow as you say goodbye to the person on the phone
- You know the difference between Japanese tofu and other types of tofu
- You know what “otaku” means
- You know what “cosplay” is
- You like “cosplay” but not for any perverted reason
- You like “cosplay” for perverted reasons
- You’re working towards your Bachelor’s so that you can live in Japan
- You know what it means to use the “masu” form
- You have at least one Morning Musume album
- To you, the word “Gackt” is the name of a pop musician. And it doesn’t strike you in the least bit as strange
Oooh, maybe this could become a Facebook quiz like Shirow’s wonderful wota quiz. Hmmm…..
Just a quick post about some AX swag…
CFB hooked me up with some old shit I didn’t have while at AX…
Thanks for the swag CFB!!!
