Nō music consists of a sung text and instrumental ensemble. The basics of chant ––melody and rhythm––, the three drums (kotsuzumi, ōtsuzumi and taiko) and flute (fue or nōkan) and the patterns they play follow a set of conventions based on pattern units. These are introduced here along with the types of patterns played, the methods of interlacing song and instrumental music, and the larger units (shōdan) that form the building blocks of nō composition.
Contributor: Monica Bethe