The Flowery Kaniwa-Grain

The Flowery Kaniwa-grain is a devotional form of music originating in The Cooperation of Umbras. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. A chanter recites nonsensical words and sounds. The entire performance should be stately. The melody has mid-length phrases throughout the form. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed using the kotoq scale. Throughout, when possible, performers are to use grace notes, modulate frequently and play staccato.

• The chanter always does the main melody.
• The Flowery Kaniwa-grain has the following structure: a lengthy passage and an additional passage possibly all repeated.
• The first simple passage is at a walking pace, and it is to be loud. The chanter's voice covers its entire range. The passage is performed in free rhythm.
• The second simple passage gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to start loud then be immediately soft. The chanter's voice ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed in the fiepo rhythm.
• Scales are constructed from twelve notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The kotoq heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning a tritone and a perfect fourth. These chords are named iqap and oq.
• The iqap tetrachord is the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd and the 7th degrees of the semitone octave scale.
• The oq tetrachord is the 8th, the 9th, the 10th and the 13th (completing the octave) degrees of the semitone octave scale.
• The fiepo rhythm is made from two patterns: the paciyq (considered the primary) and the iadok. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The paciyq rhythm is a single line with eight beats divided into two bars in a 4-4 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x x - | - X x x |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The iadok rhythm is a single line with four beats divided into two bars in a 2-2 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x | - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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