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#1 2006-09-07 17:42:41

amokrun
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 413

What to play next?

I've been playing for a year or so. Currently I can play most things in otsu reliably and I can play some notes in kan as well, at least as long as high speed or sudden changes aren't required. Although I generally just play random patterns that may or may not form something that sounds like a tune, I have lately gone through some fairly basic pieces. I also occasionally play western melodies from all kinds of sources as a form of practice.

I would like to start learning something slightly more complicated now. The longest piece I've tried is somewhere along the lines of Sakura. I would like something slightly longer and somewhat more complicated. Preferably the piece should play mostly in otsu register, but occasional jumps to kan are perfectly fine. Since I expect to spend quite a while with this one, I would love to find one that has a generally sad or even slightly eerie feel to it, as many japanese songs do. That kind of music is the reason why I fell in love with the instrument in first place, so I would finally like to learn to play such music myself. If that description made no sense at all, think of something like Edo lullaby.

Can anyone here suggest a good piece? Naturally I would also be interested in finding the notation for the said songs.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

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#2 2006-09-08 02:24:04

dstone
Member
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: 2006-01-11
Posts: 552
Website

Re: What to play next?

Hi Amokrun.  Are you playing honkyoku?  If not, maybe try one like Kyorei.  Not that any honkyoku is "simple", but it is short, slow, melancholy, and an easy piece to read.  I don't think it takes you into kan much.  Jin Nyodo's notation for it can be found here

I'm speaking as a novice myself, so a teacher or professional could advise you much better.  I'm sure the advice will include "find a teacher".  wink

-Darren.


When it is rainy, I am in the rain. When it is windy, I am in the wind.  - Mitsuo Aida

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#3 2006-09-10 22:48:45

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

Re: What to play next?

Hi Amokrun,

I'm not going to suggest any particular piece but rather a slim volume with a green cover called Shakuhachi Dokushu ("doku" meaning self, and "shu" as in shugyo, or training), which you can order from Mejiro.  It's in Kinko notation and has a lot of Japanese folk songs.  The good thing about the book is that it works gradually from the low register into the high register (and into the meri notes) so that you can progress step by step.  The last part of the book even has several gaikyoku such as Kuro Kami and Rokudan.  Of course if you want honkyoku, then dstone's suggestion about Kyorei is a good one.   Another good honkyoku to try with almost all notes in the low register is Hifumi-cho.

Last edited by Daniel Ryudo (2006-09-10 22:57:21)

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#4 2006-09-11 20:24:52

geni
Performer & Teacher
From: Boston MA
Registered: 2005-12-21
Posts: 830
Website

Re: What to play next?

Hi Amokrun,

There is SO much music out there.

I would sugest learning to play other kinds of music with the shakuhachi.What ever you like...
Play them by ear.

Also, learn shakuhachi pieces by ear.Thats different approch. You will develp a lot of skills in that way. And is more fun..

Geni

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#5 2006-09-12 09:30:03

amokrun
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 413

Re: What to play next?

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Kyorei was suggested by several people. After going through it over a few days, it seems to be quite a nice piece indeed. With all the different types of meri thrown in, it should be very helpful to practice.

As for non-shakuhachi pieces, I actually play those all the time. One great source of music comes from old games. If this sounds odd at first, consider that unlike popular music, game music aims to be an exaggeration of whatever it tries to sound like. Pseudo-japanese music doesn't just borrow some elements, but actually tries to copy the whole thing to a point where it gets silly. As such, you can easily find games that contain the kind of music you like and then play those.

Either way, I most often learn by playing no particular song at all. Instead, I try to figure out what works with what. At first I would just randomly play notes and it would never sound particularly good. Over time, I came up with combinations of notes that sounded sad, happy, eerie etc. I never tried to figure out what makes them so. I just learned to play without thinking about it and still got the kind of results I wanted. This, in fact, has always been my goal with shakuhachi, or music in general. I want to be able to just play something without thinking about it and get the kind of melody that I was looking for. Reading through notation and listening to songs helps me to pick up ideas. Sometimes a song contains an interesting pattern that I will memorize and then occasionally use myself.

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#6 2006-10-05 21:40:41

Kamesan
Member
Registered: 2006-09-28
Posts: 14

Re: What to play next?

Daniel Ryudo wrote:

Hi Amokrun,

I'm not going to suggest any particular piece but rather a slim volume with a green cover called Shakuhachi Dokushu ("doku" meaning self, and "shu" as in shugyo, or training), which you can order from Mejiro.

Does "Mejiro" have a catalogue or website?  It's in Tokyo, right?

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#7 2006-10-06 01:39:17

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

Re: What to play next?

Yes, they have a website at www.mejiro-jp.com.  I just checked it for Shakuhachi Dokushu and the book wasn't listed in the English language website, but you might ask them about it as I've ordered copies of it from them over the last few years.  Concerning the aofu sheet music for Chikuyusha sankyoku pieces, there was a notice that said that due to the large number of overseas requests recently, many pieces were out of stock or temporarily out of print.  Monty's site, as someone on this forum recently pointed out, also has some of the Chikuyusha pieces.

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