Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

I wasn't quite sure where to put this, but since it pertains to the shaku's effect on the body and energy, I figured this was as good a place as any.

Now I am a novice at best at tai chi (chen style), but I am a dedicated practitioner of chen, as well as a few styles of kung fu and a basic understanding of tae kwon do as it pertains to sparring. Having only blown a shakuhachi for the first time yesterday morning, I could not be newer to that discipline, so if what I have to say sounds a bit rough and unformed, that's because it is.

Immediately upon trying out a shakuhachi for the first time (more specifically on first sound) I was blown away by the simplicity of the breath involved. Blowing hard in several different fashions got me nowhere for a few minutes before I half sighed and got my first note. It was through this and several more minutes of clumsy fumbling that I came to a realization: the shaku breath is not only akin to the tai chi breath, it's practically identical. My friend, teacher (and far more capable tai chi practitioner) was with me and experienced the same thought as he produced some far nicer sounds. I bought the shaku on which i made my first note, and have been playing it constantly since. I have been blown away by its depth; both musically and meditatively. I began to discover embrouchure (an entirely foreign concept to me, having never played a woodwind), and the necessity of good posture for good breath. The more I discovered the more I drew parralels to the martial arts.

I'll break here and try to explain, the shaku requires the same ingredients as good Tai chi: relaxation, a calm breath, good posture, body position memory (form for tai chi embrouchure and finger placement for shaku), and above all a calm, reflective mind. After playing and thinking about my shakuhachi for a day and night, I went to my first chen class since playing. I got a good long session in right before class, and the result was amazing. I and my teacher and even fellow classmates noticed a marked difference in my tai chi. I was more relaxed, movements and breath sequences that had been difficult before suddenly made sense. My sense of my chi was improved probably threefold. I was thrilled, and understandibly impressed at the difference just a day had made.

What's more, when I got home, my shakuhachi playing had improved. I'm sure this was at least partially due to my day of practice, but it was a pretty good step even from right before class. I have a recording (made with GarageBand) of myself on the first night and again on the second night. I can't believe the difference. The embrouchure and tone quality/pitch have all improved greatly. I am getting a very clean (and much more versatile) sound as compared to before.

I'd like to stop here and point out that I don't take much personal credit for these advances, nor am I trying to sound impressive, I am writing this to not only share my excitement with a group that I hope will understand where I am coming from, but also to suggest that anyone here who hasn't already, try out a martial art and see if you can draw the same parralels. I am very excited to continue exploring this very deep and rewarding instrument and see how it develops alongside my martial practice. I can tell this is only the beginning.

This post ended up about ten times as long as I originally envisioned it, guess I got a bit carried away there, but thanks for offering a listening ear, please feel free to give any thoughts or comments and/or stories about your own experiences with this concept.

One excited beginner,
Kevin