Oriental riff

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Simple melody of the Oriental riff. About this soundPlay (help·info)
Oriental riff,[1] doubled at the fourth. About this soundPlay (help·info)

The Oriental riff, also known as the East Asian riff, is a musical riff or phrase that has often been used in Western culture as a trope or a stereotype of orientalism to represent the idea of China, Japan, Korea or a generic East Asian theme. It has also been used to represent generic Southeast Asian themes like those from Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar. The riff is sometimes accompanied by the sound of a gong.

History[]

The Oriental riff is a Western creation,[citation needed] dating back to the "Aladdin Quick Step" used in an Aladdin stage show, The Grand Chinese Spectacle of Aladdin or The Wonderful Lamp, in 1847.[2][3] The notes used in the riff are part of a pentatonic scale and often harmonized with parallel open fourths, which makes the riff sound like East Asian music to the casual Western listener.

Uses[]

The Oriental riff and interpretations of it have been included as part of numerous musical works in Western music. Examples of its use include Poetic Moods (Poeticke nalady) (1889) by Antonin Dvořák,[4] "Limehouse Blues" by Carl Ambrose and his Orchestra (1935), "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas (1974),[1][2] The Vapors' "Turning Japanese" (1980),[2] "Chinese Laundry Blues" by George Formby (1932), Rush's "A Passage to Bangkok" (1976),[2] and as part of the whistling refrain in "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John (2006). The Oriental riff has also come to be used in many Japanese compositions as well, particularly in video games: these include Yie Ar Kung-Fu's main theme, the Chai Kingdom theme in Super Mario Land, Min Min's theme in ARMS, the Team China stage in Super Dodge Ball, the song "Shao Pai Long" in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, the fighting theme of the Kung-Fu chapter in Live A Live, and the track "Oriental Rush" in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Dadadada-da-da-dun-dun-daa!: The Asian Riff". Adoption.com: China Adoption blog. February 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Notates riff a perfect fourth higher.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Interrogasian: Hyphen's sensei of sensibility answers your questions about Asian culture". Hyphen. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  3. ^ Lisa Martland (7 June 2010). "Radio: Light Programme". The Stage. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOLeNeoe4WI
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