Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

A lot more women are taking it up now, including Japanese women. There were a lot of tremendous female performers at the festival, including the 17 year old winner of the "Young Performers" competition.  In the past it was just a matter of tradition.

Yes good to hear Brian.

But lowonthetotem, the disproportionate number of men to women on the forum was what first made me first wonder about ratio of male to female shakuhachi players. 

Maybe the women just don't prefer to do the forum gig as much?

Tairaku wrote:

It's an open forum, I guess they're just not interested.

Hey guys, wouldn't it be a good idea to just ask the woman on the forum what they think about the highly male-like way the discussions are going on this forum?

Tairaku wrote:

I think it would be safe to say that men outnumber women in almost all musical endeavors. More men make music and when they make it they're more aggressive about getting out there with it and exploiting it.

Tairaku, thanks this is a nice example of simplification, but as a woman I think there is more to it. And just keeping it at the shakuhachi will do fine; I'm curious too. I started my lessons in a group with more woman than man, and ended up playing in groups with only man. To continue in rectilinear simplicity, might it be that woman have less longcapacity, so making the long lines and loud tones is much harder work?

Dun Romin wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

It's an open forum, I guess they're just not interested.

Hey guys, wouldn't it be a good idea to just ask the woman on the forum what they think about the highly male-like way the discussions are going on this forum?

Tairaku wrote:

I think it would be safe to say that men outnumber women in almost all musical endeavors. More men make music and when they make it they're more aggressive about getting out there with it and exploiting it.

Tairaku, thanks this is a nice example of simplification, but as a woman I think there is more to it. And just keeping it at the shakuhachi will do fine; I'm curious too. I started my lessons in a group with more woman than man, and ended up playing in groups with only man. To continue in rectilinear simplicity, might it be that woman have less longcapacity, so making the long lines and loud tones is much harder work?

Thanks Dun Romin, I think we've taken appropriate measures to reduce the amount of macho posturing on the forum. Maybe you're talking about the events of a few months ago? Recent posts have been civil. Anyway controversy is not exclusively male, look at Kiku Day! She likes a good brawl.

Regarding your other point, shakuhachi is more about breath control than sheer strength (although that's a plus). Women can develop that if they want to.

Dun Romin wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

Regarding your other point, shakuhachi is more about breath control than sheer strength (although that's a plus). Women can develop that if they want to.

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant with hard work. Now only remains the question of how much strength, fatigue and time you have to put to your excersising, just to keep up with the mens tone, since the other way around seems not the custom. I heard f.e. Véronique Piron doing that great.

I have a student who is 6'8" and 300 Lbs. and he has a soft tone because of asthma. Remember Japanese as a race are tiny and some of them are fierce blowers. Anyway there's more than one approach to shakuhachi. There are valid quiet styles. Strong blowing is overemphasized nowadays. Concentration is more important than just spewing a bunch of noise (although that describes what I do pretty well )

Basically it is proven that women can play shakuhachi well so I don't think it's a debate any more, they just have to determine to do it. No reason to hesitate. Everybody is responsible for their own expression.

The aborigines say that women should not blow didgeridoo and if they do they will become infertile.

Bruce Hunter wrote:

Interesting thread so far. Maybe someone with statistics experience could determine what a sample size would need to be and then poll teachers/dojos/studios/schools for student statistics?

My experience has been about 50/50 male to female ratio among students.

Weren't there some Ph.D. candidates taking statistics about shakuhachi playing recently? I know I filled out a few polls and questionnaires.

As I understood our Ph.D. candidate is pretty busy with shakuhachi-measures right now. But it sure would make a nice study. I'm practically curious though: what is going to be done when the results are conform the observation that started this thread? And what is going to be done about the picture when it's not?

Tairaku wrote:

The aborigines say that women should not blow didgeridoo and if they do they will become infertile.

Hi All,
I was trying to learn how to throat sing once with a Buriat Mongolian throat singer and asked if women throat sing. He said they do not otherwise they would not be able to have babies. His partner, a Buriat women, was in the room and she nodded in agreement.

I once took a workshop with Kifu Miitsuhashi in Japan. It was mostly a room full of older men except for two young ladies...and they certainly did not look infertile.

Peace, Perry

I don't know about Japan, but in the West I don't know any teachers who refuse to teach shakuhachi to women, except one whose wife is jealous and won't let him!

Dun Romin wrote:

That's no superstition, only a good point for a wife who knows her husband well!

Yes I'm sure there's a history there.

One other shakuhachi teacher told me, "The most unethical thing a sensei can do is to have sex with his student. I know because I've done it!"

Seriously though, humans have limitations as individuals, not because of their gender, race or whatever. Some women may not have the strength to blow shakuhachi but same goes for some men. Most of the gender inequality is based in tradition or general social trends unrelated specifically to shakuhachi.

When I started I could barely squeak out an entire phrase and I couldn't believe the length of some phrasing my teacher did. Now I can do it. That's practice and developing strength, endurance and control. Women can do that as well as men.

I am a woman, but I am a newbie so I keep quiet and try to learn.
Michele

I for one would encourage you to put in your two cents, especially in this thread, given its theme.  Maybe this is an example of the student being a good teacher.