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How to take apart a shakuhachi
/in Articles, News /by MWDThe best method to take apart a Shakuhachi
Thoughts on Hocchiku and blowing zen
/in Articles /by MWDIn some of the discussions about shakuhachi/hochiku/hoki, etc., there seems to be some confusion between music making and spiritual practice/blowing Zen (suizen). Nothing new here, as this confusion has been in Japan and elsewhere long […]
What sort of flute do you need in order to play Watazumi Dokyoku?
/in Articles /by MWDSomeone recently was quoted as saying, “you can’t play Watazumi dokyoku songs properly without a very good flute,” and that “flutes that other people have aren’t up to the task.” It was pointed out that […]
Relating to the Crane Pieces
/in Articles /by MWDThere are many Crane pieces. Some of their names are Tsuru no Sugomori, Sukaku, Koden Sugomori and Sokaku Reibo. Koden means “old transmission”; the word in itself has nothing to do with the Crane part […]
How to produce ‘kan’ (upper octave)
/in Articles /by MWDUpper octave needs more ‘energy’ than lower octave. That is, the air has to go through the flute faster. You can do this two ways. One is by blowing ‘harder’, that is, by pushing more […]
Interesting historical questions around the Shakuhachi
/in Articles /by MWDThe most important change that occurred to the shakuhachi after the instrument was imported into Japan from China was not the change of bamboo, but rather the reduction of finger holes from six to five, […]
How many octaves should a good shakuhachi be able to play?
/in Articles /by MWDThe answer depends, I suppose, on your definition of a ‘good shakuhachi’. Most decent 1.8 length flutes can produce in the third octave, the pitches e, f#, g, g#, a, b, (or is it a# […]
How much should one spend on a shakuhachi?
/in Articles /by MWDIn my opinion, one should buy the best instrument one can afford. How much one can afford depends not only upon one’s financial situation, but also one’s commitment to the instrument, and one’s priorities. For […]
FU HO U AND RO TSU RE
/in Articles /by MWDThe only theory behind the kana used in shakuhachi notation that I have heard of goes like this: The earliest notation (early 1600s) used the kana fu, ho, u, e, ya, i. These were chosen […]
Differences in Sound and Playing Between Ji-nashi and Standard Instruments
/in Articles /by MWDThere are many differences between ji-nashi flutes and flutes made with ji. But then, there is also an infinite number of differences between all of the flutes that are made with ji. In other words, […]
Blowing edge inlays and about the flutes I use and play
/in Articles /by MWDI have found that inlays do very little to the texture of the sound. I’ve broken inlays and the flutes played no differently. I’ve played on flutes with the inlay totally knocked out. The sound […]
Shakuhachi in Australia
/in Articles /by MWDThe shakuhachi is an end-blown flute traditionally made of bamboo. It was imported from China into Japan in the early eighth century, and remains one of Japan’s more popular traditional musical instruments. Despite it’s long […]