Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

It could be playing at C# because you are blowing flat. If you haven't been playing a long time that's probably the answer. Or if your embouchure or the angle you hold the flute at makes it flat.

Tairaku wrote:

It could be playing at C# because you are blowing flat. If you haven't been playing a long time that's probably the answer. Or if your embouchure or the angle you hold the flute at makes it flat.

...?  OMG! I just realized who you are. 

Summary:

-fan since 80's
-Why Do Bird's Sing is on of my favourite albums
-I play guitar for a high school music therapy class and have some of your songs in my play list.

Sincerely,

Fanboy (lol)

Rob Bondy wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

It could be playing at C# because you are blowing flat. If you haven't been playing a long time that's probably the answer. Or if your embouchure or the angle you hold the flute at makes it flat.

...?  OMG! I just realized who you are. 

Summary:

-fan since 80's
-Why Do Bird's Sing is on of my favourite albums
-I play guitar for a high school music therapy class and have some of your songs in my play list.

Sincerely,

Fanboy (lol)

Thanks Rob,

Well anyway PVC is cheap so just go for it and see what happens! That's the beauty of working with PVC. You'll probably make many flutes before you get one that's satisfying. No need to worry about making the perfect one first time out.

Okay,

I went out and finished up the holes and the basic sanding (I am already making notes about what I want to do differently next time).

I checked the tuning (I, who has no training in musical theory) and it seems to be a consistent 1/2 step down from D, which makes sense if I am in fact, blowing flat.

When I checked the first 5 notes from Ro, here is what I got...

C#  E  F#  G#  Bb

I will try to post a short video later showing how it turned out.

If you are a consistent half tone flat and the relationship of the holes is correct, your RI (top note) should be a B, not Bb...

edosan wrote:

Rob Bondy wrote:

I will try to post a short video later showing how it turned out.

Oh, and could you make sure you add a nice Violent Femmes soundtrack to that? 

I think "Machine" off of New Times would be most appropriate.  However, I am not sure about copyright.  How would I go about getting the artist's permission?

Last edited by Rob Bondy (2009-09-13 11:46:26)

Taldaran wrote:

I just wanted to weigh in on this one with my personal experience. My first shakuhachi I made were PVC, then I made some out of root end bamboo. They were in tune with themselves and played pretty well. Later on I bought a couple of flutes made by reputable makers, and I found that I was playing very flat on them-I had to keri up/pull back from the utaguchi quite a bit.

Since I had been practicing on the maker built flutes, and checking from time to time with a tuner as well as playing with recorded works for practice pitch reference I find that my homemade flutes play sharp, because I made them and tuned them with my previous bad playing technique although I can adjust to them, but I can't meri down as much as I need with a  couple of them.

I would suggest that if you have aspirations to make flutes that intermediate to advanced players can use, I would get a good student level model, learn to play on it (preferably get lessons from a teacher), and then when you make more of your own, you will build them with consistent tuning because you can play them in tune.

Thanks for advice.  I have a student level shakuhachi that was given to me by a friend, but I have no idea who the make is.  I will try to get a good picture of the hanko and post it.  As well, I will likely be getting a shakuhachi yuu for xmas.

I am also having my first lesson with Michael Gould tomorrow night.

So for now I swimming in the ocean of relative tuning, but playing in tune something I wam working towards.