The Oriental riff, also known as the East Asian riff and the Chinaman lick, is a musical riff or phrase that has often been used in Western culture as a trope to represent the idea of East or Southeast Asia. The riff is sometimes accompanied by the sound of a gong at the end.
The Oriental riff is a Western creation. The first known example of a precursor, showing similar rhythm if not yet melody, [2] is the "Aladdin Quick Step", composed around 1847 and used in an Aladdin stage show named The Grand Chinese Spectacle of Aladdin or The Wonderful Lamp. [3] [4] [5] Later related tunes included "Mama's China Twins (Oriental Lullaby)" from 1900. In the 1930s, a couple of cartoons used a version of the tune specifically to accompany animated stereotypes of East Asians. [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.[ citation needed ]
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 Tone Pictures (Poeticke nalady) (1889) by Antonin Dvořák, [6] "Limehouse Blues" by Carl Ambrose and his Orchestra (1935), "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas (1974), "Japanese Boy" by Aneka (1981), [1] [4] The Vapors' "Turning Japanese" (1980), [4] "Chinese Laundry Blues" by George Formby (1932), Rush's "A Passage to Bangkok" (1976), [4] and as part of the whistling refrain in "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John (2006). [4]
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 , Dragon Chan and Hoy Quarlow’s theme in Super Punch-Out!! , 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 , the Wabi Sabi Wall theme in Ape Escape, and the track "Enter The Tiger" in Yakuza: Like a Dragon . Unlike the Western use of it seen in cases such as "Turning Japanese", works produced in Japan often use it to give an impression of China.[ citation needed ]
The Chinatown level in Scooby-Doo! Unmasked has a soundtrack inspired by the Oriental riff. [7]
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In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle East, was one of the many specialties of 19th-century academic art, and Western literature was influenced by a similar interest in Oriental themes.
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Aladdin is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with One Thousand and One Nights, despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based on a folk tale that he heard from the Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab.
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Kung Fu is an American action-adventure martial arts Western drama television series starring David Carradine. The series follows the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk who travels through the American Old West, armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts, as he seeks Danny Caine, his half-brother.
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Chinoiserie is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other Sinosphere artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literature, theatre, and music. The aesthetic of chinoiserie has been expressed in different ways depending on the region. It is related to the broader current of Orientalism, which studied Far East cultures from a historical, philological, anthropological, philosophical, and religious point of view. First appearing in the 17th century, this trend was popularized in the 18th century due to the rise in trade with China and the rest of East Asia.
Chopsocky is a colloquial term for martial arts films and kung fu films made primarily by Hong Kong action cinema between the late 1960s and early 1980s. The term was coined by the American motion picture trade magazine Variety following the explosion of films in the genre released in 1973 in the U.S. after the success of Five Fingers of Death. The word is a play on chop suey, combining "chop" and "sock".
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Kong filmmakers combined with elements from Hollywood and Japanese cinema along with new action choreography and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that went on to have wide transcultural appeal. In turn, Hollywood action films have been heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions, from the 1970s onwards.
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Adam McArthur is an American actor based in Los Angeles, California. His best-known role is voicing Marco Diaz in Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Prince Lee-Char in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ricky and Patrick in Shadows House, Yuri in Sakugan, Chifuyu Matsuno in Tokyo Revengers, and Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen. He also voices characters on other animation shows, and on-screen on some nationally aired commercials. In martial arts, he specializes in kung fu, has been a champion at some tournaments, and has been the featured subject of several documentaries that have aired on PBS.
Lego Scooby-Doo was a Lego theme based on the Scooby-Doo franchise created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna-Barbera. The theme was first introduced in August 2015. The toy line was accompanied by several shorts, a television special and films based on Lego Scooby-Doo. The Lego Scooby-Doo theme was discontinued by the end of 2017.
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