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Tube of delight!

#1 2008-10-30 02:07:25

airin
Member
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Registered: 2008-10-17
Posts: 303
Website

First Lesson!

I had my first shakuhaci lesson today with Alcvin Ramos.  What a wonderful experience it was!  As folks here on the forum have said, Alcvin is a warm guy and a very skilled teacher.  I felt instantly at ease with him and was impressed with his teaching skill.  He had me blowing my first notes within fifteen minutes of starting the lesson.  And what a magical feeling that was.  It was thrilling to start a relationship with this beautiful flute.

When it came to covering the holes to work on the basic scale I found my fingers were often letting air leak in so this will be my challenge for the coming weeks: to practice total coverage of the holes without a death grip on the shakuhachi.  Its late now and my partner has already gone to bed or else I'd be putting in a little practice time right now. Can't wait to get back together with the flute. 

Oh yeah, that was another highlight, getting my own shakuhachi!  Alcvin had a flute there for me to 'borrow' and he offered it to me to buy at the end of the session.  We ran out of time so I didn't get the whole story on the maker of this flute or its age....that will have to be for another lesson.  In the meantime I have this lovely, honey coloured bamboo flute sitting on the bookshelf, within easy reach, right here in my living room. 

Tomorrow is my day off, guess what I'm going to be doing?!

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#2 2008-10-30 12:38:31

airin
Member
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Registered: 2008-10-17
Posts: 303
Website

Re: First Lesson!

I'd like to try to post a few pictures of my shakuhachi.  First try on this forum so bear with me it is doesn't work....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2987186002_177fa14cd0.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2986327605_d5fca86579.jpg


Anyone know who this maker is?

thanks,
Erin

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#3 2008-10-30 22:45:16

geni
Performer & Teacher
From: Boston MA
Registered: 2005-12-21
Posts: 830
Website

Re: First Lesson!

hi Eirin,that shakuhachi looks Great!
Have fun with it.

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#4 2008-10-31 15:02:11

airin
Member
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Registered: 2008-10-17
Posts: 303
Website

Re: First Lesson!

geni wrote:

hi Eirin,that shakuhachi looks Great!
Have fun with it.

Thanks Geni!

I'm still hoping someone on the forum can identify the maker of this shakuhachi for me.  Maybe I'll post the pic of the seal in a different thread......

Last edited by airin (2008-10-31 15:37:39)

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#5 2009-02-08 06:02:55

KOBUDO
Member
Registered: 2009-02-07
Posts: 1

Re: First Lesson!

華山?sorry,I don't know.

Last edited by KOBUDO (2009-02-08 06:07:12)

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#6 2009-02-08 08:35:31

Yungflutes
Flutemaker/Performer
From: New York City
Registered: 2005-10-08
Posts: 1061
Website

Re: First Lesson!

Hi Erin, I seem to remember this hanko on another thread. It reads as Kazan - Flower Mountain. The Chinese in America may interpret it also as Wa San - Chinese Mountain.

I've played a Kazan flute before. It was a great instrument. You must be making a lot of great discoveries with it.
Namaste, Perry


"A hot dog is not an animal." - Jet Yung

My Blog/Website on the art of shakuhachi...and parenting.
How to make an Urban Shakuhachi (PVC)

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#7 2009-02-08 17:04:37

airin
Member
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Registered: 2008-10-17
Posts: 303
Website

Re: First Lesson!

Yungflutes wrote:

Hi Erin, I seem to remember this hanko on another thread. It reads as Kazan - Flower Mountain. The Chinese in America may interpret it also as Wa San - Chinese Mountain.

I've played a Kazan flute before. It was a great instrument. You must be making a lot of great discoveries with it.
Namaste, Perry

Hi Perry, thanks for your help with this hanko.

Yes, I am really enjoying this flute.  It is a tough but kind teacher!

I attended a little robuki session with some local shakuhachi players last week and one experienced player gave my Kazan shakuhachi a short try.  He commented on the thickness of the bamboo and the deep tone of the instrument and also demonstrated its ability to offer all the notes of the third register.  Dang, there goes my excuse for not being able to hit those high notes!

take care,
Erin

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#8 2009-02-08 21:31:55

Jeff Cairns
teacher, performer,promoter of shakuhachi
From: Kumamoto, Japan
Registered: 2005-10-10
Posts: 517
Website

Re: First Lesson!

Hi Erin,
If you wouldn't mind sending a photo of that hanko to me (straight at the camera would work best), I'll find out what I can and add it to the hanko data base.
cheers


shakuhachi flute
I step out into the wind
with holes in my bones

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#9 2009-02-08 21:54:14

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

Re: First Lesson!

airin wrote:

... and also demonstrated its ability to offer all the notes of the third register.  Dang, there goes my excuse for not being able to hit those high notes!

All the notes in the 3rd register? I know my playing ability is limited too, as it is in most beginners, but I'm under the distinct impression that those fingering charts that go up to the high D (technically that means "welcome to the 4th register!") are only for master players playing only the finest flutes. I know those notes must exist on some flutes otherwise there wouldn't be fingering charts for them, but it seems that acoustically most shakuhachi just aren't physically capable of it. If he got it up to the third octave G I'd say he was doing darn good and it must be a pretty good flute. But that's just me, I wouldn't mind hearing other opinions from more experienced people. Heck, I wouldn't even mind hearing stories from other beginners about how they got one of those super-high notes once, but never again, just enough of a hint so that they know it's there.


Edit - P.S. Thinking about it, I might be off base saying that the high D is "welcome to the 4th register". It would be "welcome to the 4th octave". The 4th register I think would technically (by technically I mean acoustically) start at the G or A in in the 3rd octave.

Last edited by radi0gnome (2009-02-08 22:09:58)


"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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#10 2009-02-09 10:27:44

airin
Member
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Registered: 2008-10-17
Posts: 303
Website

Re: First Lesson!

Jeff Cairns wrote:

Hi Erin,
If you wouldn't mind sending a photo of that hanko to me (straight at the camera would work best), I'll find out what I can and add it to the hanko data base.
cheers

Sure Jeff, I'd be happy to do that.

thanks,
Erin

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#11 2009-02-09 13:58:31

Dun Romin
Member
From: Holland
Registered: 2008-04-19
Posts: 136

Re: First Lesson!

radi0gnome wrote:

All the notes in the 3rd register? I know my playing ability is limited too, as it is in most beginners, but I'm under the distinct impression that those fingering charts that go up to the high D (technically that means "welcome to the 4th register!") are only for master players playing only the finest flutes.

Mmmm, I think it has mainly to do with the way our embochure functions/mouth is shaped. I play a old flute and by accident hit the 3th octave all the way, before I was able to play the 2th. Still keep having more problems with the second. That's pretty nasty, because the 2th is used a lot in pieces and from the 3th I found only the Es an E somtimes.


Tomorrow's wind only blows tomorrow. (Koji)

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#12 2009-02-09 14:27:28

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

Re: First Lesson!

Dun Romin wrote:

radi0gnome wrote:

All the notes in the 3rd register? I know my playing ability is limited too, as it is in most beginners, but I'm under the distinct impression that those fingering charts that go up to the high D (technically that means "welcome to the 4th register!") are only for master players playing only the finest flutes.

Mmmm, I think it has mainly to do with the way our embochure functions/mouth is shaped. I play a old flute and by accident hit the 3th octave all the way, before I was able to play the 2th. Still keep having more problems with the second. That's pretty nasty, because the 2th is used a lot in pieces and from the 3th I found only the Es an E somtimes.

I'm not certain. At one time I thought it was mostly just my skill level, but Toby wrote some very informative posts on this thread  http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=2967 that leads me to believe that at least some of the problem with those extreme high notes is the flute, and that many flutes aren't capable. I've personally come to the conclusion that I'm never going to get notes out of the flute higher than I can get the harmonics to go, even if I can only get a hint of a squeak up there it kind of suggests the flute should be able to go there. Some flutes don't even yield that little hint, and none that I've played get close to hinting that the high D is obtainable. But of course, that viewpoint may change after I gain more experience.


"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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#13 2009-02-09 15:25:57

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

Re: First Lesson!

Different flutes will often require different/unusual fingerings to get notes in the third octave.

Some experimentation required...


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

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#14 2009-02-09 15:51:14

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

Re: First Lesson!

edosan wrote:

Different flutes will often require different/unusual fingerings to get notes in the third octave.

Some experimentation required...

No doubt, but it's that high D (first note in the 4th octave) on that fingering chart you gave me that floored me. Can you get it? Do you know anyone who can? And most importantly, can most flutes get there, or is it only those $3000 flutes? Another thought... can a Yuu get up that high? It's probably the most standardized shakuhachi out there.


"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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#15 2009-02-09 16:42:17

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

Re: First Lesson!

radi0gnome wrote:

...it's that high D (first note in the 4th octave) on that fingering chart you gave me that floored me. Can you get it? Do you know anyone who can? And most importantly, can most flutes get there, or is it only those $3000 flutes? Another thought... can a Yuu get up that high? It's probably the most standardized shakuhachi out there.

I've never known any good player who could get comfortably and musically above Re dai kan or Chi meri dai kan, and I'd want those
who claim to get notes above that to sit in front of me and show me. As with most instruments, as you go higher in pitch, it gets more difficult to
clearly discriminate the half-steps from note to note. I've certainly not seen it all, but I've seen no traditonal music that even goes that high; perhaps
some Shinkyoku does.

I also don't think the cost of the flute has much to do with third octave notes.

Last edited by edosan (2009-02-09 16:43:01)


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

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#16 2009-02-09 17:23:20

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: First Lesson!

In betsuden shika no tone quite a lot of 3rd octave playing is used. The highest pitch is a little flat of ro in 4th octave.
Otherwise it is rare to see that much 3rd octave in honkyoku - yes.


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

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#17 2009-02-09 17:36:51

Tairaku 太楽
Administrator/Performer
From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
Website

Re: First Lesson!

edosan wrote:

I've never known any good player who could get comfortably and musically above Re dai kan or Chi meri dai kan, and I'd want those
who claim to get notes above that to sit in front of me and show me..

John Neptune uses some of those notes pretty well.

Here's a tip sheet from Nyokai about this subject. http://nyokai.com/tips/index.php?n=Tips.DaiKanNotes

I have this taped on my music stand for reference. Of course some of these are used in the traditional repertoire and we should all be able to access at least those (for example re dai kan) at will. But if you can't check your flute because a lot of flutes don't have re dai kan. The rest you can learn and practice but you'll have to figure out how to incorporate into the music.

John Singer told me he used ri dai kan to irritate dogs at the beach.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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