Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Those deeper head tilt meri notes, Eb and Bb, are going to sound different and quieter than all the other notes even if you can get in and out of them fast. That's where the 7 hole flutes come in handy, the Eb's and Bb's sound just as good as the full open hole notes. All the other notes in the chromatic scale you can get by partial-holing with little or no head tilt and a fairly consistent sound with the open hole notes. So, the 7 hole flutes are better for Western music. If that's what you're hearing in your head that you can't facilitate with a normal shakuhachi, go for the the 7 hole instrument.