Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ
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#1 2008-06-02 18:34:55
- Katheryn
- Member
- Registered: 2008-06-02
- Posts: 2
An Original design or Foolish?
Due to personal circumstances I have a large period of time to devote myself to whatever I may choose yet due to financial circumstances I have to be restrained in my decision. I wanted to make an instrument, having played the flute before but loving the wild tones of the shakuhachi but I have a limited range of choices. I am not hugely concerned if it will make a sound nice or otherwise when finished, but more of a project to keep me entertained.
I have started making/designing/theoretisizing a basic Shakuhachi, it will be a wooden instrument made from wood from an old Pear Tree at the end of the Garden, luckily the piece I have selected is a good size (I think). My only concern is as is it is curved how will I hollow it out and using what tools?
I am not hugely concerned if it will make a sound nice or otherwise when finished, but more of a project to keep me entertained.
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#2 2008-06-03 01:46:06
- Jeff Cairns
- teacher, performer,promoter of shakuhachi
- From: Kumamoto, Japan
- Registered: 2005-10-10
- Posts: 517
- Website
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
Hi Katheryn,
I strongly suggest that you do a search on the forum for 'wood shakuhachi'. There are many references. One that comes to mind is one person who made a shakuhachi out of birch. I think that person decided to cut the stock of wood in half vertically and work the bore in two parts that would later be put back together.
Good luck with the project and post a picture of your work after you're finished.
shakuhachi flute
I step out into the wind
with holes in my bones
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#3 2008-06-06 07:42:46
- Katheryn
- Member
- Registered: 2008-06-02
- Posts: 2
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
I'venow straightened the stick, and ordered an extra long drill bit, I'll update in a while, out of curiosity do you have to drill through bamboo, or is it naturally wide enough?
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#4 2008-06-06 11:01:32
- Zakarius
- Member
- From: Taichung, TAIWAN
- Registered: 2006-04-12
- Posts: 361
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
Katheryn wrote:
...out of curiosity do you have to drill through bamboo, or is it naturally wide enough?
Bamboo has a thin layer of material which closes off the inside compartments at each node. Otherwise, it's already hollow -- one just needs to knock the inner nodes out.
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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#5 2008-06-06 21:00:42
- LithoSphere
- Member
- From: Santa Fe, NM
- Registered: 2008-02-29
- Posts: 26
- Website
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
Howdy, I have made several flutes by drilling out long sections of wood of various species. Drilling a straight hole without blowing through the walls of the wood is very difficult - also you do not have an easy way to taper the bore. I would suggest either cutting in half vertically as previously suggested, or ordering a piece of bamboo from Monty Levenson......
Good luck!
Fear is the cheapest room in the house; I would like to see you in better living conditions.(Jalaluddin Rumi)
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#6 2008-06-06 21:56:25
- edosan
- Edomologist
- From: Salt Lake City
- Registered: 2005-10-09
- Posts: 2185
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
LithoSphere wrote:
Drilling a straight hole without blowing through the walls of the wood is very difficult...
Repeat: Very difficult.
Monty sells non-root end pieces of bamboo fairly reasonably.
His email: montyATshakuhachi.com
eB
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.
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#7 2008-06-29 11:18:25
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
If you have access to a router tool, looking up how native style flutes are made could show you how. If you cut it in half, you could cut so that the line of your cut is straight and the two halves are the same. This might make it possible to make half a hole on each side that would line up. I've never done this, though, so I'm not sure.
Half a hole. There's a koan.
Or, half a koan.
"Whether you are [playing] in the bar, the church, the strip joint, or the Himalayas, the first duty of music is to compliment and enhance life." -- Carlos Santana, via _Zen Guitar_ by Philip Toshio Sudo
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#8 2008-09-13 06:18:16
- Jason Castner
- Member
- From: binghamton, ny
- Registered: 2007-12-19
- Posts: 80
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
most important thing is to let your wood dry well before cutting it in half. otherwise it will warp and twist and you wont be able to glue it back together.
north south east and rest of my life...I'm single but the Tao is my wife?
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#9 2008-09-14 02:36:31
- Jason Castner
- Member
- From: binghamton, ny
- Registered: 2007-12-19
- Posts: 80
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
http://a914.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/im … 398a09.jpg
heres one i made in 2 hours out of japanese knot weed. dont sit on it. lol
but boy does it project sound!
north south east and rest of my life...I'm single but the Tao is my wife?
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#10 2008-09-14 02:38:22
- Jason Castner
- Member
- From: binghamton, ny
- Registered: 2007-12-19
- Posts: 80
Re: An Original design or Foolish?
Jason Castner aka Komuso wrote:
http://a914.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/16/l_ec107000d65d88adf4c86a32fe398a09.jpg
heres one i made in 2 hours out of japanese knot weed. dont sit on it. lol
but boy does it project sound!
actually, this one is out of a peice of burdock root. even weaker than knot weed. But sounds pretty.
north south east and rest of my life...I'm single but the Tao is my wife?
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