Ten Information

Band
New York, NY

Biography:
Ten is an alternative rock band, formed in 2005 in Tokyo, Japan. The band was originally composed of husband and wife Atsushi Asano (Vocals & Bass) and Yuki Yasuda (13-strings Koto & 17-strings Koto), Paola Viteri (Drums) joined the band when Atsushi and Yuki relocated to New York in 2009.

Their music is made up of three instruments "Koto,, Bass, Drums" and Vocals, not only "featuring" the koto as a Japanese instrument but creating a unique blend of sounds as a band. The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument.

This wooden instrument is about 180 cm long and has 13 strings which are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument. Players use three finger picks (on the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings, and the pitches can be adjusted by moving these bridges before playing.

The band's name "Ten" has a few different meanings in Japanese: heaven; a point; and change. Three words are different in meaning but these are same pronunciation in Japanese.