Recreating Traditional Instruments
Still unsure whether it was really alright to dedicate the dance to Talat, I kept practicing for several days.
Meanwhile, it seemed Modalphas and the others had truly managed to gather the materials for the instruments.
He really is outstanding.
“… So, here’s the finished image I came up with. Does this make sense to you?”
“Hmm. This flute-like instrument… several pieces of bamboo jutting upward. The more I look at it, the stranger it seems.”
“This instrument called biwa—would it be something like a lute? But this one seems to stretch strings across a large slab of wood.”
“There are both transverse and vertical flutes as well. All of them being made of bamboo is quite unusual.”
There were also materials for drums, but those weren’t unusual enough to comment on.
It was these others that stood out.
Apparently, bamboo flutes were especially rare.
“My lady, do you know anything about how these are made?”
“Um, apparently out of those 17 bamboo pipes, 15 have reeds attached. You blow—or even inhale—through the bowl-shaped part to produce sound.”
“I see, so only 15 of the 17. And what about the other instruments?”
“The string instrument like a lute is called a biwa. It’s mostly used to keep rhythm, I think.”
“So it doesn’t really carry the melody itself?”
“Seems like it’s only for rhythm. Then, the vertical flute is called a hichiriki, and the transverse ones are ryuteki, komabue, and kagurabue.”
“Hmm, quite profound.”
“Honestly, I’ve never actually seen kagura performed live with music, and I’ve never played these instruments myself. I don’t really know how they’re used.”
“… If even you don’t know, then there’s nothing to be done. For now, let me take these sketches and the materials. We’ll try our best to craft something close.”
“Alright. But really, if they can’t be made, that’s fine too.”
“This is, so to speak, your departure ceremony, my lady. If we can’t celebrate it properly, I’d hardly be fit to call myself the steward of your household!”
Ah, right—Modalphas was Plum’s recommendation.
No wonder he has such a military-minded way of thinking.
Either way, it’s not a field I can meddle in, so I’ll just have to leave it to Modalphas and his team.
As for me, I need to finish perfecting the dance.
Good luck, Modalphas!
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