关于music的问题,英语高手进

关于m2m的资料，这个网站还比较详细
M2M is a Norwegian pop group composed of singers Marit Larsen and Marion Raven. They were signed to Atlantic Records in 1999 and released their album Shades of Purple in early 2000. Their hit song "Don't Say You Love Me" was played all over the radios after it was featured in Pokemon: The First Movie. Their first album Shades Of Purple wasn't much of a success but M2M proved themselves and took the world by storm when their second album The Big Room was released in early 2002. The first song off of the album "Everything" was played all over the radios. People finally knew M2M and their music. In the summer of 2002, they went on tour with Jewel. Sadly, Atlantic told them to pack their bags and come back home. No one heard from M2M for about a month. Finally, the truth came out. M2M was over. Atlantic signed them off the label since they said they wouldn't keep spending money on a group that wouldn't sell.

That wasn't the last we heard from them though. Marion Raven, was signed back to Atlantic. They wanted to make her into the next Shania Twain or Jewel. Marion is supposed to be releasing an album sometime this year. Marit is also signed to another record company with an upcoming album. Although M2M split, Marion and Marit remain friends to this day.

关于古筝
Koto (musical instrument)
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For the special ward located in Tokyo, Japan, see Kōtō, Tokyo.

Japanese 13-stringed kotoThe koto (琴 or 筝) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from Chinese zither (Guzheng). The koto is the national instrument of Japan.[1] Koto are about 180 centimetres (71 in) long and have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving these bridges before playing, and use three finger picks (on thumb, forefinger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings.

The character for koto is also read as sō in certain contexts. Though often called by a number of other names, these terms almost always refer to similar, but different instruments, such as the Chinese guzheng (筝) or guqin (琴, called kin in Japanese

History of the Koto

The koto was introduced to Japan in the 7th to 8th century from China, and largely derived from the Chinese Guzheng. It was initially played only in the royal court, but this situation changed in the 17th century -- primarily because of the influence of Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614-1684). Though the koto, like many Japanese instruments derived from Chinese ones, has likely not changed much over the centuries, the guzheng has, and thus it is no longer valid to call them the same instrument. The koto used in gagaku is called gakuso.

Yatsuhashi Kengyo was a blind shamisen player who learned koto from an "official" court player named Hosui, in defiance of the rules which then stated that koto could not be taught to blind people (or women, incidentally). Possibly because of his personal experience with these restrictions, Yatsuhashi spent the rest of his life making the koto more accessible.

He invented a new "tranquil tuning" (平调子 hira joushi) to play the common people's songs more naturally. He composed (or is credited with composing) pieces that are still irreplaceable staples of the koto repertoire today, including Rokudan and Midare. (These compositions were partly responsible for the koto becoming respected as a solo instrument in its own right.) Perhaps most importantly, his example led other non-elite, including women, to learn the koto too.

Koto today

A koto player today.The influence of Western pop music has made the koto less prominent, although it is still developing as an instrument. Works are being written for 20- and 25-stringed kotos and 17-string bass kotos, and a new generation of players such as Kazue Sawai, Michiyo Yagi (who studied under Sawai) are finding places for the koto in today's jazz, experimental music and even pop.

June Kuramoto, of the jazz fusion group Hiroshima, was one of the first koto performers to popularize the koto in a non-traditional fusion style. David Bowie used the koto in the instrumental piece "Moss Garden" on his album "Heroes". Paul Gilbert, a popular shred guitarist, recorded his wife, Emi playing the koto on his song "Koto Girl" from the album Alligator Farm. JRock / Visual Kei band Kagrra, are well known for using traditional Japanese musical instruments in many of their songs, an example being "Utakata" (うたかた), a song where the koto has a prominent place.

Well-known solo performers outside of Japan include koto master and award-winning recording artist Elizabeth Falconer, who also studied for a decade at the esteemed Sawai Koto School in Tokyo, as well as koto master Linda Kako Caplan, Canadian Daishihan (Grandmaster) and a member of Fukuoka's Chikushi Koto School for over two decades. David Horvitz pioneered the instrument into the contemporary indie rock scene playing on Xiu Xiu's new album, The Air Force.[citation needed]

The 17-string bass koto, called jūshichi-gen in Japanese, has become more prominent over the years. The members of the band Rin' are perhaps some of the more famous jūshichi-gen players in the modern (pop/rock) music scene.[citation needed] The influence of the koto on Western music is also evident in jazz. The "in-sen" scale, a five note scale, was first introduced to jazz by John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner (another koto player) and is based on the tuning of the koto.

The progressive rock band Queen used a koto to great effect in their eight minute epic "The Prophet's Song" on their 1975 album A Night at the Opera.[citation needed]