Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

that's pretty cool ed!!!

do you have slides like that for all the notes?  I honestly did not know what either of those notes were, but the slides helped to clarify.  I am going to run now and try and make those notes... well, I will have to be quiet, as it's almost midnight

Thanks, folks for the interesting feedback on this (to me) confusing subject of how to play these two notes.  I've been confused about this because in the Masayuki Koga book he gives the fingering for go no ha as follows: thumbhole halfway open and all the other four holes totally closed, played meri.  In staff notation Koga shows this note as corresponding to a high D.

However, what is confusing to me is that in Tanaguchi's book he gives the fingering for ha as follows: thumbhole opened just slightly and the other four holes totally closed, played meri.  In staff notation Tanaguchi shows this note as also corresponding to a high D!   

It would seem to me that based on the feedback I've received from the other players on this forum, and also on the two books that I have consulted, there are differing opinions among shakuhachi teachers about (1) what note ha or go no ha should correspond to, and (2) the fingering to be used for these two notes.  Does anyone have any further comment on this that might help me to resolve these differences?  Is either Koga or Taniguchi inn error in their books?

Thanks very much!
Eric

ejevan wrote:

However, what is confusing to me is that in Tanaguchi's book he gives the fingering for ha as follows: thumbhole opened just slightly and the other four holes totally closed, played meri.  In staff notation Tanaguchi shows this note as also corresponding to a high D!

I don't know anything about notation, but that fingering makes sense to me. With all holes closed it's hard to jump up into the next register, so you crack open the thumbhole a little to make it easier. But, cracking the thumbhole open also raises the pitch some so you have to correct with a little meri.

In that David Sawyer tutorial he has that note labeled as Go No Ha in Kan. I'll leave it to you guys to sort out what should be called what, I'm already happy I learned something from this thread.

edosan wrote:

Stick with this: The Ha shown here is almost invariably used as a grace note, preceding Ro Kan--in a figure called 'Ha-Ro'. It's a common convention in Kinko Honkyoku (for example, it begins the fifth line of Honshirabe).

Go no Ha is almost invariably used as one of the fingerings for the pitch D, top of second octave (you could also call it Ro dai Kan). It makes little sense to use that fingering for the D at the top of the first octave because it is essentially identical in sound to Ro Kan. I'm hardly the last word on this, but I've never seen it used in that way, so forget about it. Wizened ones, please correct me if I'm wrong on this one.

Only having a couple of bamboo years under my breath, I didn't feel I should post a response. However, your above description is how I think of the two notes as well... <keeps fingers crossed that it's not a mistake>

Zak -- jinashi size queen

chikuzen wrote:

De-mystified EDO-san,
    You're constantly shrouded in mist but getting dry shouldn't be hard in Utah. Although I can see clarity in your thus mistyless explanation you remain a mystery only wise Buzz (EDO-san's dog)can decipher.

  The note explanation is right on.

Not to put TOO fine a point on it, but Buzz passed into the great void 4 years ago; the current sidekick is Buster 


                 


                                 Nonetheless a mystery, however....

eB