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#1 2008-04-11 23:26:50

Caligium
Member
Registered: 2008-03-02
Posts: 28

Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

Well my family is going to plant bamboo in the back yard. Is there a variety that I would probably find at my local garden shop that is good for flute making?

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#2 2008-04-12 11:23:32

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

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

Caligium wrote:

Well my family is going to plant bamboo in the back yard. Is there a variety that I would probably find at my local garden shop that is good for flute making?

The best bamboo for shakuhachi making is:
Phyllostachys bambusoides. It is often called "Japanese Timber Bamboo" as well as "Madake."

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#3 2008-04-12 13:08:42

gmiller
Member
From: Ozello Trail, Fla
Registered: 2005-10-10
Posts: 109

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

Best to do a little research. Phyllostachys bambusoides is a temperate zone bamboo and does not do well in the tropics. It is also a "runner", not a "clumper". The American Bamboo Society can provide a lot of solid info including growers..... As Ken states; it is THE bamboo for Shakuhachi....

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#4 2008-04-19 13:29:28

Caligium
Member
Registered: 2008-03-02
Posts: 28

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

I got bamboo from this old man that is wide enough for flutes and it grows about 20-30 feet. I could take a picture of it when it grows so I can find out what kind it is.

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#5 2008-04-19 15:33:42

Lance
Member
Registered: 2008-01-18
Posts: 74

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

I think what makes 'Madake' THE bamboo of choice is the thick walls, whereas Black bamboo and others is sometimes used but is thinner walled (affecting the tone, potential to crack, etc)


“The firefly is a good lesson in light, and darkness”

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#6 2008-07-18 18:06:49

Curator
Member
Registered: 2008-07-17
Posts: 2

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

Mujitsu wrote:

Caligium wrote:

Well my family is going to plant bamboo in the back yard. Is there a variety that I would probably find at my local garden shop that is good for flute making?

The best bamboo for shakuhachi making is:
Phyllostachys bambusoides. It is often called "Japanese Timber Bamboo" as well as "Madake."

hi, I was looking around and read this, and wondered if you might know what is the best variety of Phyllostachys bambusoides? I mean from what ive found, there are dozens of different varieties that fall within those guidelines...and from what ive seen Madake actually refers to about 3 different varieties within that family...or at least has been used to refer to them, whether legitimately or not... so basically, i guess what im asking is, what is the best variety within that family to use? thanks.smile

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#7 2008-07-18 19:05:25

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

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

Curator wrote:

hi, I was looking around and read this, and wondered if you might know what is the best variety of Phyllostachys bambusoides? I mean from what ive found, there are dozens of different varieties that fall within those guidelines...and from what ive seen Madake actually refers to about 3 different varieties within that family...or at least has been used to refer to them, whether legitimately or not... so basically, i guess what im asking is, what is the best variety within that family to use? thanks.smile

Here is a page from Tom Deaver's website which describes (in detail) the bamboo selection process. Very informative.

http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~shaku100/bam.html

Tom mentions the following although there is much more information if you follow the link.

"Although shakuhachi may be made from a number of various materials including wood, plastics, ceramics, glass and so on, the most preferred material in Japan is Japanese Giant Timber Bamboo, called madake and scientifically, Phyllostachys bambusoidies Zieb et Zucc. This bamboo is commonly found throughout the Japanese countryside and in isolated urban areas from the northern Kanto (Tokyo) region south and west to the lower end of Kyushu. It is one of the most abundant of all the bamboos in Japan."

You might want to contact Tom for more information about the exact variety of Phyllostachys bambusoidies if necessary. 

Good luck!

Ken

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#8 2008-07-22 23:30:04

Curator
Member
Registered: 2008-07-17
Posts: 2

Re: Good variety of bamboo for flute making?

Thanks Mujitsu! I really appreciate the information!!!

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