Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Toffe · 2006-06-14 20:24:53

I'm working on a flute with rather big bore (haven't got any numbers in my head now). It aboout 62cm long.
I've only made the first hole. I'm not sure what key the flute is in. I get a clean B and if I lean the flute back it's a clean C. It seems to play abit easier in C.
The problem is the first hole. When playing in B the first hole is D and it sounds good in both octaves. But when playing in C the hole is Eb in the low octave (which is good) and D in the high octave.

So the first hole plays a D in the 2nd octave even when it plays a Eb in the first. How do I adjust the hole to make it lower in the high octave?
Weird problem....

waryr · 2006-06-14 22:43:10

Methinks you may have an aspect ratio problem lending itself to the tuning when playing with the flute in the meri (?) position. Is the flute rootend (conical bore) or non-rootend (straight bore)?

evan kubota · 2006-06-15 01:03:18

I seem to recall you mentioning something earlier about using a non-root piece. It's much harder in my experience to get a well-tuned kan (upper) octave with a straight bore piece. The tapered bore of a root piece helps give better tuning in the higher octave.

Toffe · 2006-06-15 03:11:46

So when making non-root how should a attack this problem?

This is a pretty straight bore. It's rather wide and acctually a few millimeters wider at the bell end than at the utaguchi end.
Should I always try to make the flute the other way around? With the node closer to the rootside of the bamboo as mouthpiece and the end that is thinner and at the top side of the bamboo as bell end? Thus making it kind of up-side-down...

I hope you get my question... second language here

edosan · 2006-06-15 09:01:35

Toffe wrote:
So when making non-root how should a attack this problem?

This is a pretty straight bore. It's rather wide and acctually a few millimeters wider at the bell end than at the utaguchi end.
Should I always try to make the flute the other way around? With the node closer to the rootside of the bamboo as mouthpiece and the end that is thinner and at the top side of the bamboo as bell end? Thus making it kind of up-side-down...

In a word: Yes, where it's possible.

Especially with a wide bore flute, which has a lower aspect ratio to begin with (aspect ratio is the relationship between the size of the bore and the length of the flute--higher aspect ratios, where the bore is smaller for a given length, will generally be easier to tune). The tapering of the bore towards the non-blowing end is also beneficial, although there are limits to this.

The material on this page may help, if you can sort through it:

http://www.navaching.com/shaku/synthesis.html

It's a summary of shakuhachi tuning principles.

And for a huge amount of shakuhachi-related information, look here:

http://www.navaching.com/shaku/shakuindex.html

[BTW: Your English seems to me to be quite good...]

Last edited by edosan (2006-06-15 09:02:32)

Toffe · 2006-06-15 17:02:30

thanks alot!
I've been looking there. It's an awsome site!

Toffe · 2006-06-16 06:42:25

But is there any techinque I can use when tuning the holes to make them as high in the 2nd octave as in the 1st?
I drilled a few more holes on this one. I'm using it to practise thi under the worst conditions .

Now I'm making it a C flute. In the first octave it's C, Eb, F but in the second it's C, D, E.
Is there a way I can move, taper or shape the holes to make the notes play the same in both octaves?

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2006-06-14 20:24:53

Problems tuning a hole

#2 2006-06-14 22:43:10

Re: Problems tuning a hole

#3 2006-06-15 01:03:18

Re: Problems tuning a hole

#4 2006-06-15 03:11:46

Re: Problems tuning a hole

#5 2006-06-15 09:01:35

Re: Problems tuning a hole

Toffe wrote:

#6 2006-06-15 17:02:30

Re: Problems tuning a hole

#7 2006-06-16 06:42:25

Re: Problems tuning a hole

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