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#1 2008-05-20 01:00:26

BrianP
Member
From: Ocala, FL
Registered: 2006-11-03
Posts: 289
Website

What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

I was curious to hear from those that have played for a long time what makes your #1 go to flute your favorite.  Is it tone color, vibration, intensity, age,  mellowness or a combination of all of those things and more.  I am just curious what it is that most experienced players are really after in the end when it comes to the qualities of the flutes they play. 

Thanks,
BrianP


The Florida Shakuhachi Camp
http://www.floridashakuhachi.com
Brian's Shakuhachi Blog
http://gaijinkomuso.blogspot.com

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#2 2008-05-20 01:31:38

Jim Thompson
Moderator
From: Santa Monica, California
Registered: 2007-11-28
Posts: 421

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Hey Brian,
    Great question. Can't wait to hear all the angles on this one. For me, it's tone quality and the ability to produce both a really strong sound as well as a quality extremely soft tone.


" Who do you trust , me or your own eyes?" - Groucho Marx

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#3 2008-05-20 21:50:18

Yungflutes
Flutemaker/Performer
From: New York City
Registered: 2005-10-08
Posts: 1061
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

BrianP wrote:

I was curious to hear from those that have played for a long time what makes your #1 go to flute your favorite.  Is it tone color, vibration, intensity, age,  mellowness or a combination of all of those things and more.  I am just curious what it is that most experienced players are really after in the end when it comes to the qualities of the flutes they play. 

Thanks,
BrianP

Hi Brain, Great important question.

My #1 1.8 is not a super fantastic flute. It's just the first Jiari that I'm proud of. It's the one I made with Kinya in Japan in 2003. I've made "better" flutes since then and I've often considered re-examining the bore, but I'm afraid of losing or destroying something, perhaps the thing that reminds me of where I was in that moment in time. My 1.8 is like a journal entry, it's a reminder of the mysterious and arduous path that lead me to Japan.

Having said this, the thing I love about my flute is that it feels like home. Every tone hole feels like a room in my house. Each decorated according to my tastes. Each a place where I feel extremely comfortable in, where I can hang out as long as I want. Every room has a bright window where I can look out to the horizons, and also dense blinds to draw in the shade. As I stroll down my hall way, each room gets cozier. I eventually come to the warmest room in the house - the kitchen. This is a big room where I spent a lot of time. It's designed well with light coming from all directions.  I like, no, love to cook.

It's kinda late smile
Namaste, Perry


"A hot dog is not an animal." - Jet Yung

My Blog/Website on the art of shakuhachi...and parenting.
How to make an Urban Shakuhachi (PVC)

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#4 2008-05-20 22:07:23

Tairaku 太楽
Administrator/Performer
From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

I have one shakuhachi I love more than all the others I own or have ever played. It's a 1.8 which is not my favorite length. I love this flute because every time I pick it up I cannot believe how great the sound and feel are. Every note has a mysterious and sensual buzzing sound. Each note sounds equally good. It's warm, bold and loud. It's fat and the oval shaped with the flat surface where the holes are. It's not in tune but I don't care. The tone is so superior it negates that issue many times over. I have several other flutes I play and think, "It doesn't get any better than this" but then I go to my fave and it is better. Maybe the best thing about it is that I have no clue what makes it so superior.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#5 2008-05-20 22:42:38

Moran from Planet X
Member
From: Here to There
Registered: 2005-10-11
Posts: 1524
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Tairaku wrote:

I have one shakuhachi I love more than all the others I own or have ever played.

We wanna see piccies.


"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I am all out of bubblegum." —Rowdy Piper, They Live!

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#6 2008-05-20 23:59:34

BrianP
Member
From: Ocala, FL
Registered: 2006-11-03
Posts: 289
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Great responses.  Thanks.  I really enjoyed reading Perry's description.  It made me smile and built a great image and it is a great way to think about the holes on a flute.  I really appreciate all the time you guys take in helping out with the people who are coming up with the instrument.  The interaction makes the whole experience even better.

Thanks,

Brian


The Florida Shakuhachi Camp
http://www.floridashakuhachi.com
Brian's Shakuhachi Blog
http://gaijinkomuso.blogspot.com

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#7 2008-05-25 12:21:45

BrianP
Member
From: Ocala, FL
Registered: 2006-11-03
Posts: 289
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

I thought I would have gotten more responses to this question.  I guess the better players are too busy practicing to post responses.  That's what makes them great players smile

BrianP

http://myspace.com/harpgear

Last edited by BrianP (2008-05-25 12:23:00)


The Florida Shakuhachi Camp
http://www.floridashakuhachi.com
Brian's Shakuhachi Blog
http://gaijinkomuso.blogspot.com

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#8 2008-05-26 01:33:12

Jon Shingetsu
Member
From: New York City
Registered: 2007-11-28
Posts: 23
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

hey brian j. purdy~ look i'm on the forum! : P

::Flexes fingers::

i feel fortunate that my number one "go to" flute is also my favorite flute. for me a "go to" flute has to be able to play a lot of traditional music in the Jin Nyodo style. Meian, Nezasa-ha, Kinko ryu and Gaikyoku. that means it has to be a 1.8 ji-ari (paste filled instrument with lacquer).

it has also challenged me many times and breaks a lot of conventions. i learned how the flute needed to be played. the number of "issues" the flute presents would make most consider it unsatisfactory (which is most likely how i ended up with it and not anyone else!)

but having no money to spend otherwise and needing a light weight flute i learned to work around a lot of its hurdles and i have discovered many interesting things in the process. it greatly altered my perspective on what really makes a "good" or "suitable" shakuhachi. it is also very close in nature to my teacher's flute which is important to me.

so what makes it my favorite flute is that it has challenged me in many ways. what makes it my "go to" flute is that it's the only ji-ari i can afford, it's light weight and almost fits into a "middle path" with all the music that is in the Jin Nyodo school. it reminds me of my teacher telling me how a lot of stuff in life is like the ups and downs of waves~~~ it's definitely been that way with this flute!

ideally i would have a lot of different flutes for different schools, pieces etc.! but for the purpose of learning i would say what you can get your hands on and that works... and i know you got a nice flute or two Mr. Purdy~!

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#9 2008-05-26 04:41:26

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

As a player, I need a shakuhachi to have accurate pitch, good stability in all notes, and if I am performing, I need a certain level of volume. Then it needs be able to play meri and dai meri well. That is often a weak point for shakuhachi not crafted to play dai meri. Also I need a shakuhachi which can play all of the techniques, cross fingerings etc which I use (usually playing sankyoku and honkyoku).

That rules out maybe most shakuhachi if I am fussy about it. But having said that, even though a shakuhachi might meet all of those technical requirements for the music I play, if the sound is boring I simply won't pick it up! If a shakuhachi is really going to "call" to me, really ask me to pick it up, it has to have a great tone colour. And even after all of those technical requirements, if I had to choose from a technically perfect shakuhachi with a boring sound, and an unstable out of tune shakuhachi with a great tone, I would, for my pleasure, surely choose the one with the great tone.
There are many different tone colours which I love of course. One characteristic which often catches me, I might describe as like a "crunch" in the sound? Does that make any sense to anyone?

Aside from that I like a shakuhachi that feels good in the hands.
Here is my favourite hassun. Wide bore jinashi nobekan with inlaid raden (mother of pearl). Somehow the curve makes it really comfortable!
http://justinshakuhachi.googlepages.com/Senryu-hassun-nobe.jpg

I just posted a sound sample of this shakuhachi, playing the first part in Shika no Tone duet:
http://justinshakuhachi.googlepages.com … achimaking

Justin

http://senryushakuhachi.com/

Last edited by Justin (2008-05-26 04:44:10)

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#10 2008-05-26 05:12:45

Tairaku 太楽
Administrator/Performer
From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

So who made the flute Justin? Looks nice.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#11 2008-05-26 05:31:39

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Tairaku wrote:

So who made the flute Justin? Looks nice.

Hey Brian.
I made it. Maybe you can have a go in Australia!

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

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#12 2008-05-26 05:54:42

Daniel Ryudo
Shihan/Kinko Ryu
From: Kochi, Japan
Registered: 2006-02-12
Posts: 355

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

My number one flute most of the time is a 1.8 I recently bought from a maker in Kyoto.  It has a bigger sound than any of my previous 1.8s had, and a tone color that I like, it can get the dai kan notes more easily than my previous 1.8 could, and of course proper pitch on all the notes I need for playing gaikyoku or honkyoku; I can get nice muraiki, korokoro and other sounds out of it.  I visited my shakuhachi maker Morikawa san a year ago and he looked at how I played the flute -- my embouchure, hand positioning etc. and tried to make a flute that would fit my playing and in that way it is better than the 1.8s I had used previously which I had just picked out of a line up of flutes; also my first couple of 1.8s were considerably less expensive and didn't have much of a dynamic range at all.  There are times when other flutes are my favorite, however; if I'm playing certain koten honkyoku I prefer my 2.4, if I'm playing pieces with acoustic guitarist friends I generally prefer my 1.6, if I'm playing jazzy tunes I like my Neptune 2.1 so I don't always have a particular #1 flute.  Aesthetically I prefer my 1.6 as it has a nice curve at the root end and more gnarly looking roots.

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#13 2008-05-26 09:23:37

Musgo da Pedra
Member
From: South of Brazil
Registered: 2007-12-02
Posts: 332
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Justin wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

So who made the flute Justin? Looks nice.

Hey Brian.
I made it. Maybe you can have a go in Australia!

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

Congratulations... Your work looks great, also on the other flutes in you site... Really good..


Peace


Omnia mea mecum porto

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#14 2008-05-26 09:31:54

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Musgo da Pedra wrote:

Justin wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

So who made the flute Justin? Looks nice.

Hey Brian.
I made it. Maybe you can have a go in Australia!

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

Congratulations... Your work looks great, also on the other flutes in you site... Really good..


Peace

Thanks Musgo. Did the sound samples work okay? I just uploaded them, and I'm on a Mac. Hope they are working on PCs too!
Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

Last edited by Justin (2008-05-26 11:45:52)

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#15 2008-05-26 10:16:23

edosan
Edomologist
From: Salt Lake City
Registered: 2005-10-09
Posts: 2185

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Justin wrote:

Did the sound samples work okay? I just uploaded them, and I'm on a Mac. Hope they are working on PCs too!

Worked fine (on my Mac), and sounded great, too.

eB


Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.

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#16 2008-05-26 10:28:38

Musgo da Pedra
Member
From: South of Brazil
Registered: 2007-12-02
Posts: 332
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

edosan wrote:

Justin wrote:

Did the sound samples work okay? I just uploaded them, and I'm on a Mac. Hope they are working on PCs too!

Worked fine (on my Mac), and sounded great, too.

eB

I just try to hear the sound samples... its says "no mp3 file"... I'm using a PC...

A big hug,

Henrique


Omnia mea mecum porto

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#17 2008-05-26 11:45:18

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Musgo da Pedra wrote:

edosan wrote:

Justin wrote:

Did the sound samples work okay? I just uploaded them, and I'm on a Mac. Hope they are working on PCs too!

Worked fine (on my Mac), and sounded great, too.

eB

I just try to hear the sound samples... its says "no mp3 file"... I'm using a PC...

A big hug,

Henrique

Ohh - thanks for the feedback. I'll try to sort it out.

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

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#18 2008-05-26 23:20:04

Zakarius
Member
From: Taichung, TAIWAN
Registered: 2006-04-12
Posts: 361

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Nice flutes & sounds!

Zak -- jinashi size queen


塵も積もれば山となる -- "Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru." -- Piled-up specks of dust become a mountain.

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#19 2008-05-27 11:07:48

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Zakarius wrote:

Nice flutes & sounds!

Zak -- jinashi size queen

Thanks Zak.
Apparently I have fixed the problem with my page now, so hopefully it is working in all browsers:
http://justinshakuhachi.googlepages.com … achimaking

Best wishes
Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

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#20 2008-05-28 08:30:28

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

It is interesting to hear from others who are loving the flutes they have made themselves.
If I am to mention the flutes I love and use the most.. it will be the ones I have made myself as well.
Perhaps making your own instrument can feel like magical moments, unless you really are a maker who makes a lot of flutes(but maybe even then it is magical). And if the flutes turn out to be good shakuhachi, also for performance, well even more magic!

My all time favourite is my 2.9. I think I have told you about it before. It was calling me in the bamboo forest. We are best friends and it has the nicest mellow and complex timbre.

I am also very fond of my 2.3, on which I played November Steps. I just wish I had made slightly bigger holes on it. Oh well... I still love it and it has a wonderful sound.

The favourite flute I have that someone else made, is a Murai 1.7, which is tuned to D (so like a normal 1.8). It has the most pleasant sound for a D flute!

The shakuhachi that impressed me the most is a Sakurai Muteki. It was a little less than 2.0.... and when playing on this flute, it felt like it played by itself. What was I doing? kind of thing. It is owned by a monk. I tried all the feminine tricks on him, so he might like me so much that he will give (or just let me buy) the flute. Nothing worked! Sigh! sad

Here are a couple of pictures of the Sakurai:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll13/kikuday/Sakurai_1.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll13/kikuday/Sakurai_2.jpg


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

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#21 2008-05-28 08:54:19

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Hi Kiku
I loved that shakuhachi too. Really nice. Inspired me to go more deeply into jinashi making actually.
I tried all my tricks on him too but seems he's not interested in boys either!
(Joking!)
Justin

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#22 2008-05-28 20:39:05

Zakarius
Member
From: Taichung, TAIWAN
Registered: 2006-04-12
Posts: 361

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Kiku Day wrote:

It is owned by a monk. I tried all the feminine tricks on him, so he might like me so much that he will give (or just let me buy) the flute. Nothing worked! Sigh! sad

I you haven't given up on the idea of acquiring it, perhaps Tairaku can use his masculine tricks (which very well may appeal more to a monk). Additionally, if you can convince Gishin to come out of retirement as a go-go boy, the monk will definitely hand it over! Don't give up hope big_smile

Zak -- jinashi size queen


塵も積もれば山となる -- "Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru." -- Piled-up specks of dust become a mountain.

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#23 2008-05-31 07:48:29

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Zakarius wrote:

Kiku Day wrote:

It is owned by a monk. I tried all the feminine tricks on him, so he might like me so much that he will give (or just let me buy) the flute. Nothing worked! Sigh! sad

I you haven't given up on the idea of acquiring it, perhaps Tairaku can use his masculine tricks (which very well may appeal more to a monk). Additionally, if you can convince Gishin to come out of retirement as a go-go boy, the monk will definitely hand it over! Don't give up hope big_smile

Zak -- jinashi size queen

Hiring Gishin as a go-go boy sounds like a very good idea! But I wanna be there too, tho! big_smile
Perhaps, I should tell you that the timbre is by far the most important factor for me. So, my two favourite flutes just have this particular noisy, complex sound. Mmmm.... Sakurai was a little different. His flutes are fairly wide-bore (like most of mine). So, it has a nice sound, but perhaps less complex. However that feel of it playing itself was most amazing. The easiest shakuhacih to play - that I have tried.


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

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#24 2008-05-31 17:08:45

lossafunk
Member
From: syracuse NY
Registered: 2008-02-11
Posts: 39

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

I don't have a favorite per say. The flute I'm working on (making) at the time is my favorite.


-gravity sucks-

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#25 2008-06-22 21:01:34

jdanza
Moderator
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: 2008-06-19
Posts: 85
Website

Re: What makes your favorite flute your favorite?

Hello All...
  I just joined and I'm enjoying the posts a lot. Here's my grain of sand...
I just read a great quote in a book: "Love is not a response... Love is a decision.". For me this applies to instruments. No matter the price or quality, every instrument has it's magic and personality, and if you decide to establish and cultivate a long term relationship with it, it will invariably pay off.
Some have more or less range, more or less potential, but within each there's always endless possibilities of expression. After all, a master musician can say so much with just one note! (and this applies particularly well to the Shakuhachi).
I still own and play my first Shakuhachi that I bought for $60. My dear friend Alcvin Ramos put a nice utaguchi on it but it's still a crazy, unpredictable instrument, that I've even taken to the studio with great results.
If you have cultivated your Soul and you express it through a piece of plastic, you will sound much better than someone that can afford a $4000 instrument but has little to say. Of course, a deep soul and a $4000 instrument together is the best case scenario, but don't wait until then!. I have been playing for thirty plus years and I still don't own such an instrument...
Blessings to you all

pepe danza
www.pepemusic.com
www.myspace.com/pepedanza

Last edited by jdanza (2008-06-22 21:03:28)

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