Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

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Tube of delight!

#1 2007-12-22 07:46:47

Windom
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2007-12-21
Posts: 19

I call it a not-chiku

Hi.

The shakuhachi has long been my favorite traditional instrument. I was content to enjoy recordings, as I had the idea the instrument is next to impossible to play (I've never seen let alone gotten an opportunity to try one). A couple of days ago I happened upon a few PVC transverse flutes I'd made a few years back that didn't play worth a damn (I'm not a flutist; merely a curious music fan with a thing about DIY), and on a whim I googled a closeup photo of an utaguchi, took a hacksaw and sandpaper to one of the flutes and re-cut the mouth end to see what happens. Much to my surprise I got real sound out of it!

I went and bought some more PVC pipe. Though I like bass instruments, my choice of bore went a bit too far, and aspect ratio considerations led me to a 3.45 shaku instrument in C#. I made the holes smallish with considerable offsets to make it manageable, and I've been playing it for three days now; I'm floored by its responsiveness and I'm having a blast exploring embouchure control of timbre and intonation. There's a minor third of kari-meri latitude. Lip tension gets me from Pharoah Sanders to near sine wave. I blew a very quiet long ro and could hear my pulse modulating the pitch. I can't get more than a minor tenth out of it, but for such an ad hoc first attempt it's certainly encouraging.

Next I'll make one in E, but the hardware store won't open til wednesday. Until then - what's the honkyoku equivalent of Chopsticks?

Last edited by Windom (2007-12-22 07:50:44)

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#2 2007-12-22 10:49:34

edosan
Edomologist
From: Salt Lake City
Registered: 2005-10-09
Posts: 2185

Re: I call it a not-chiku

I LOVE this post!



eB


Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.

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#3 2007-12-22 11:17:38

Mujitsu
Administrator/Flutemaker
From: San Francisco
Registered: 2005-10-05
Posts: 885
Website

Re: I call it a not-chiku

Windom wrote:

Next I'll make one in E, but the hardware store won't open til wednesday.

The birth of a flutemaker!

Keep that attitude every day and you can't lose! Best of luck!

Ken

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#4 2007-12-22 11:47:51

Musgo da Pedra
Member
From: South of Brazil
Registered: 2007-12-02
Posts: 332
Website

Re: I call it a not-chiku

Our heart pulse as the birds flows , as the bamboo grows to the high blue sky... We blow and awake...   
 
Keep your heart on every step on the way... And keep it light with peace, so your sound pulses will emanate a blessing of love... 
 
 
A big hug... 
 
Peace


Omnia mea mecum porto

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#5 2007-12-22 12:23:54

axolotl
Member
From: Los Angeles
Registered: 2007-11-16
Posts: 215
Website

Re: I call it a not-chiku

Wow.  Can you post a sound file, Wisdom?  I would love to hear the phat bass!

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#6 2007-12-22 13:01:56

nomaD43
Member
From: Portland, OR, USA
Registered: 2006-07-22
Posts: 96

Re: I call it a not-chiku

Windom,
If you haven't yet, I would recommend reading through all of the "Flutemaking" topics. I'm sure there would be a wealth of wisdom to be gleaned from there for you. As for me I wouldn't know an A# from a G unless they came at me with a label. I'm certain that I could hear the difference, but I wouldn't know which was which and a Pharoah Sanders? Is that a distant cousin of Tut? Give me a shakuhachi and I'll play Kyorei for you. If you give me sheet music, make sure it is Japanese (Kinko) notation, because anything else is completly alien to me.
At any rate, welcome to the site and hold on to that spirit. The shakuhachi is a wonderous journey, filled with so many divergent paths.
Peace,
Damon

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#7 2007-12-22 14:35:09

Windom
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2007-12-21
Posts: 19

Re: I call it a not-chiku

Thanks all for such a warm welcome!

Here's a little bit I just recorded with the pentatonic goalpost: http://rapidshare.com/files/78373216/notchiku.mp3.html
There's no post-processing. I tried to play quietly to not upset the neighbors. The cheap dynamic mic and its proximity effect certainly don't flatter the thing much.

I've been scrutinizing both the flutemaking forum and the shakuhachi site at navaching.com. There's a fabulous amount of material here.

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#8 2007-12-22 15:57:07

radi0gnome
Member
From: Kingston NY
Registered: 2006-12-29
Posts: 1030
Website

Re: I call it a not-chiku

Windom wrote:

Thanks all for such a warm welcome!

Here's a little bit I just recorded with the pentatonic goalpost: http://rapidshare.com/files/78373216/notchiku.mp3.html
There's no post-processing. I tried to play quietly to not upset the neighbors. The cheap dynamic mic and its proximity effect certainly don't flatter the thing much.

I've been scrutinizing both the flutemaking forum and the shakuhachi site at navaching.com. There's a fabulous amount of material here.

I'm impressed! Keep up the great work... and welcome to the forum!!!!!!


"Now birds record new harmonie, And trees do whistle melodies;
Now everything that nature breeds, Doth clad itself in pleasant weeds."
~ Thomas Watson - England's Helicon ca 1580

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