Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Konnichiwa minna san,

I learned to play the shakuhachi while living abroad in Japan in the year 2001 from Haruo Hirobe, also known on stage as Chikutei.  I have played the shakuhachi everyday since then - somtimes for only 20 minutes and many times for over a few hours. 

I tried to have a teacher once back in the states, unfortunately being a poor Army Veteran made paying for the lessons a little difficult.  So I ganbatte ganbatte by myself and in the process fell deeper in love with playing natural flutes.

This love I have for flutes has rubbed off on many people I have had interactions with.  Now I can say my best friend whom I lived with in the year 2003 is in love with the shakuhachi as he plays a tiger maple shakuhachi that I gave to him - every day.  I dont see him that often anymore as we live apart, but when we do see eachother it is great to hear how his sound has become more rich and colored though he doesnt have a teacher.  Also while at college (Finger Lakes Community College) I have taught 2 friends and one librarian how to play the shkuhachi.  We meet once a week as a group to experience the shakuhachi together ;-)

I started making flutes (I wont call them shakuhachi as some people here might not like that as they arent shakuhachi in the newest and proffesional sense?  Out of 10 shakuhachi that I make around 2 play very good and I fall in love with them, 5 play ok and I like them and give them away or end up collecting them and they lay around my house, and approx 3 of them suck and I burn them!  I think I have made around 500 flutes since 2004.  I sold 3 of those flutes for 80 dollars each out of Toko Imports in Ithaca and not advertized as shakuhachi as I am not a proffesional shakuhachi maker.  They were simply advertized as hand made flutes.  ;-)

I am currently waiting for a letter in the mail from Cornell University.  I put in an application to start there this spring semester!  I have a 3.8 GPA at Finger Lakes Community College and am only required to have a 3.0 GPA to get in to Cornell.  I will know If I got in thius week!  I will be studying Japanese Language and Culture at Cornell.  If perchance I dont get in I will be traveling to Kanagawa Japan this spring instead and wil be living with my best japanese friend, Kazuyuki Momiyama. 

I am very interested in finding a shakuhachi teacher that can take my 7 years of playing by myself and all my bad habits and good habits and transform them into somehing grand like they themselves are.  I am still a poor veteran putting himself through college while working full time, but I would be glad to pay for lessons in other ways such as barter and trade.  I would work for lessons.  Lets make a deal??
There are more important things than money in this world.  If I graduate from Cornell and get a job making lots of that crap (money) I would gladly pay for all my lessons at top dollar.  As for now lets stick to letting me trade for lessons. 

If nobody wants to or can take me as a student I will be happy playing the shakuhachi with no guidance from a teacher as really no guidance is needed for a person who is madly in love with the art itself and enjoys playing music.  If you can take me on as a student then you will be fostering a deeper sense of the shakuhachi into me and I will forever be gratefull to you.

Cheers
Jason