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#1 2006-09-29 08:40:47
- amokrun
- Member
- From: Finland
- Registered: 2006-08-08
- Posts: 413
How to train without a flute?
Greetings to everyone,
I just got back from Thailand. We spent a bit over week in there. I was afraid that my flute would not like the change and decided to leave it home. Now that I'm back, however, I noticed that I had some trouble blowing properly. I normally train every day, even if just for a bit. Few hours of trying did the trick, so it's not a big problem as such.
What I would like to ask is, how do you keep up with training in places where you have no access to any instrument? I do regular breathing exercises, but that only helps so much with actual blowing technique. Is there something that would be close enough to the real thing that could be done with little or no additional equipment?
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#2 2006-09-29 16:08:24
- Karmajampa
- Member
- From: Aotearoa (NZ)
- Registered: 2006-02-12
- Posts: 574
- Website
Re: How to train without a flute?
Some ideas......
Do Yoga, this will help strengthen your breathing, co-ordinate your breathing, and develop your posture.
Breathe in your nostrils and out your tightly pursed lips.
Make yourself a flute from some bamboo, it is not too hard to do. Check out information under the 'flutemaking' section of the forum. Take this flute with you when travelling.
Listen..........deeply.
Kel. ยง
Kia Kaha !
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#4 2006-10-01 11:17:54
Re: How to train without a flute?
Dear Amokrun,
How about chanting scales or peices?
Michael Gould is agreat advocate of this, and he could explain it much better than me. But I've tried it and it has many interesting parellels to playing on the shack, and the breathing from the stomach required: some similarities are obvious, some not so obvious.
You pronounce the name of the note on pitch and control the note/ breath from the stomach... I think that is more or less the idea. Its quite interesting practice in its own right.
Regards,
Harry.
Last edited by Harry (2006-10-01 11:28:20)
"As God once said, and I think rightly..." (Margaret Thatcher)
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#5 2006-10-06 10:14:39
- mrosenlof
- Member
- From: Louisville Colorado USA
- Registered: 2006-03-01
- Posts: 82
Re: How to train without a flute?
This is from another musical school of thought, but here are some breathing exercises from Arnold Jacobs, a noted Tuba player.
http://www.windsongpress.com/jacobs/bre … ercises%22
if the link doesn't work, try Google on "arnold jacobs breathing exercises" with or without the quotes it was the first hit in either case. These were recommended by my silver flute teacher, but are applicable to Shakuhachi also.
The chanting/singing idea is also a good one, advocated by many teachers. My difficulty with this is that the shakuhachi has a considerably wider range than my singing voice. Probably all the more reason for practice.
Mike Rosenlof
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#6 2006-10-29 12:45:15
- xiao_guy
- Member
- Registered: 2006-10-25
- Posts: 16
Re: How to train without a flute?
It helps to have an extra knock-about flute for travels, preferably a cheap & sturdy one. That way you can impress the locals & try out the acoustics of bus depots, etc.
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