Various instruments counting these three were the first second-hand to play gagaku. Gagaku, like shomyo, employs the Yo scale, a pentatonic scale with ascending intervals of two, three, two, plus two semitones flanked by the five scale tones. Gagaku performances were played by musicians who belonged to inherited guilds. At this occasion, present were three guilds based in Osaka, Nara plus Kyoto.

After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, musicians from all three guilds came to Tokyo and their offspring create up most of the current Imperial Palace Music Department. By this occasion, the present ensemble style which consists of three wind instruments i. e. Classical dance (called bugaku) too frequently accompanies gagaku performances.

The Tenrikyo faith uses gagaku melody as part of its ceremonies. Connected to gagaku is theater, which developed in similar. Nowadays Gagaku is performed in two habits. Togaku can be performed as kangen, concert melody for winds, strings and drumming, or as bugaku, or dance music for which the stringed instruments are omitted.

Komagaku survives merely as bugaku.