Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

But seriously, unless you think you need this for new-agey performances, like those didgeridoo players who play one handed while dramatically conducting themselves with the other hand, or, better, you're recording Apocalyptic Shakuhachi Taimu music in Hobart or the backwoods of Wisconsin during a blizzard -- this instrument will be a passing fad and by the looks of it an expensive passing fad. Then maybe you'll be able buy one cheap on eBay if you need replacement Hubcaps for your 1948 Willis jeep.

If you're a mere mortal student of shakuhachi you have plenty of ways to occupy your time (and spend your money). Lessons, 2012 WSF in Kyoto, maybe buy a new instrument if your teacher really think you need one.

Then there's the essentials. Beer. Pay off that six month old electricity bill. New socks.

Some info on the history, design and fabrication of the Hang:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_%28mu … trument%29

This instrument isn't going away--it's way too cool for that.  I bought Ravid Goldschmidt's album and enjoyed it thoroughly.  This Manu Delago guy is great too.    Finger slides and bending the sound a la a talking drum--that's cool!

For those who can't afford the instrument, Soniccouture offers a Hang Drum sound library.  Well, that's good for us composers at least.  Otherwise, there's the Hapi Drum, which doesn't have nearly the soft timbre of the Hang and has too much 'slap' for me. 

Here's some Ravid for ya.  "Waving Angels" is his most compelling piece in my opinion, but the version on YouTube has distorted audio. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03_ZzsHH2mA

There's a similar instrument - Dreamball. It's produced in Russia. Here's a demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uQSQSnDQGo
And it costs much cheaper than hang drum - ~600$

This is Sachiko Nagata from Japan who plays, "hamon" steel slit drum created by Teppei Saito.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qgLQw9E … re=related

Would love a set of these.

Cheers,

Alcvin

I just looked at the link that Geni provided earlier.
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/for … p-hang.htm

In that document it says:

IMPORTANT: USE ONLY NEW -- NEVER-BEEN-FILLED -- 20 pound propane tanks.
Input keywords such as - propane  tank  explosion - into YouTube to see
the reason why!!

So I went to YouTube and did exactly that. Wow!
The first link was titled " What happens when you shoot a 5 gallon propane tank"

So take that advice if you make one!

Good one Geni, very cool, I have a big smile on myface.

K.

Dun Romin wrote:

Pre note: I'm liking this thing a lot more now that a hang drum sold
on E-bay for nearly $10,000 !

Well that's a message! Never imagined something like that when I bought one 5 years ago. That's more then 10 till 12 times of it's original value. Better make more work of playing it then. That guy on the video plays awsome.

OK now that I know that I'll put this out there-----I'll trade my Hang drum for an Okubo Kodo jinashi or maybe a good Yamaguchi Shiro or Miura Kindo 1.8. So there!

If that doesn't happen, I better start playing it more. It is pretty cool.

Sorry Geni, I side with Brian for the good trade. But you are right.....we better use the thing. Just to sad that my to-do wishlist always exceeds the number of hours I can get propped in a day.

This is a link to the video with the propane tank. Yours truly wasting time.…

http://drop.io/qpnpazc/asset/propane-tank-drum-m4v

geni wrote:

This is a link to the video with the propane tank. Yours truly wasting time.…

http://drop.io/qpnpazc/asset/propane-tank-drum-m4v

From that gasp for air at the end I can tell you weren't breathing. I found that trying to not hold my breath was one of the hardest parts of percussion playing (which I never learned very well despite the persistently ringing ears that's evidence I practiced).

BTW, What's the hardest instrument to play? Sometimes I need reminders.

I like that little Gamelon-like phrase at the end.

Are you using some Compression in your recording, there are notes whose volume seems to drop off too quickly in the earlier part.

Another thought, the material that is making contact with the metal will make a difference to resonance, such as those hard rubber mallets.

"the mind is playing but there is no-one playing it"

K.

Colyn Petersen wrote:

... and the hapi drum http://www.hapitones.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRGqSHZLqlw ...

Howdy,

Just fyi, I sell the Hapi Drum on that site and am the one playing the Akebono tuned drum in the video.

Not here to try to sell anything, I'm actually a "long distance" Shakuhachi student of Ronnie's, living in California, and have been lurking and reading the forum for awhile. 

Actually came here today to finally join the forum, post an introduction, and respond to another post that mentioned me playing the igil (like the shakuhachi, it's another hard-to-play instrument!)  While the Hapi Drum would be considered one of the easiest instrument to play, selling it also affords me some time to work on tougher things like shakuhachi and igil.

I also got a couple of those Hang instruments back in 2001-2002, when the makers asked me if I could help promote it on my oddmusic site.  Who knew how popular they'd become, and then how scarce.  I sold one of them for $500 just before the Hang drought started... not the most savvy business move, but who knew folks would pay ridiculous prices, like 5-8K, just a year later on Ebay.  Oh well, I got what I paid for it, and it's in a good home.... dammit!

Anyway, since I saw the Hapi Drum mentioned here, I thought I'd respond, answer a couple questions and get that out of the way, in hopes of actually making a shakuhachi-related post soon   It's grown since we started a couple years ago, we have our own molds and source our own recycled steel to control the hardness, etc, etc...  The Hang was a source of inspiration, as was my friend Dennis (also mentioned somewhere above) who was the first to cut up an old full sized propane tank, after seeing an instrument that a fellow from Brazil made, who had cut tongues lengthwise across a big CO2 cylinder.

Yes, the Hapi (a steel tongue-drum) is a LOT different than the Hang, which is tuned with hammers like a steel drum, with harmonics and overtones also tuned into it, which gives it some nice modulation and subtleties.  Playing technique is the same.

We're also as surprised as anyone about how quickly the Hapi's became popular, a lot of non-musicians' first instrument, to some heavy hitters in the percussion world, soundtracks, Broadway, movie effects, kids shows like Dora Explorer and that crazy Sponge Bob show and a lot of other stuff I would not have anticipated so quickly or at all.

I also don't see a whole lot of connection between the Shakuhachi and the Hang and similar instruments, though I guess if they are in tune with each other, it can work in non-traditional type settings.  I'm definitely one for mixing things up and doing terribly mean and unspeakable things to instruments, but since I'm pretty new to Shakuhachi (especially in Shakuhachi-Years), so it's the one thing I keep "pure" in my musical exploits.  Plus I have still so much to learn and explore within the traditional repertoire, of which I've just barely scratched surface of.  Or maybe I've only just scratched the first scratch of the scratch on the surface.  Not exactly sure, other than things are starting to get itchy now, which means it's probably time to stop blabbing and hit the send button already.

-- John