Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Thank you for the offer. I will be happy to take you up on that when they become available.

I have no idea how to make a shakuhachi, and little time to do it. Im full time at uni at the moment trying to balance work and study, so Im afraid that if I try and it doesnt turn out to be useable, I will have wasted time and money. I have tried a pvc shakuhachi with a shaped bore made by someone who apparently knows what he's doing, and still been pretty unimpressed. Also, if I do go ahead with these pieces, they will have to be performed as part of my uni assessment and I think the novelty of playing a piece of modified plumbing might wear thin quickly for my teachers. I will do it if I must though, there might be no way around it. If I can actually make it sound good it wont matter.

Sorry I can't help with your request, so it is simply curiousity, but what is it you need? You say you have a D flute and G flute and that should cover a lot of baroque music. However, you're looking for a 1.9 that's about a C# and 2.2 that's somewhere between B and Bb. Bb is somewhat common, but C# isn't a common key in baroque music. You also mention that the ensemble tunes to A 415, which is kind of flat and is maybe the reason for looking for the 1.9, but the 1.9 C# will be a lot too flat for D music at A 415 tuning.

So, I'm thinking the 1.9 with at C# key won't be very useful for the baroque ensemble and if you're going for the key of Bb with the 2.2, a 2.3 that's a slightly flat Bb will be more appropriate since the ensemble you'll be playing with is tuned to A 415.   

On second thought, since the shakuhachi is tuned to minor scales, Bb minor (with a relative major of Db) isn't a very common key for baroque music either, so I guess I should forget trying to figure out how you came up with the lengths you need and just ask.

Thanks for the very kind offers, Perry and Brian. Riley Lee has lent me two of his flutes for now, so everything is taken care of.

Two of the pieces of music are Bach's Et Exsultavit, and St Matthews Passion. Riley has played St Matthews Passion with a 2.1, so the group he played with must have tuned to 440 or thereabouts, but the ensemble I am playing with are about a semitone flat, as Darren says. Another piece, which I dont know the name of, can usually be played on a 1.8 but I need to use a 1.9.

I will record it. If it doesnt sound too bad, I will post a link. Ive got a few other recitals coming up too so I will put up anything that is interesting.

Last edited by caffeind (2007-04-25 20:31:20)