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I'm thinking about buying the first of the Bruce Huebner teaching DVDs, Kinko Shakuhachi for Beginners. There are reviews on the Shakuhachi.com site, but I never fully trust those kinds of reviews.
I'm really curious if this DVD has a decent amount of info on how to get into the 2nd octave? That's my weak spot right now. There doesn't seem to be much info on this.
Does anyone here have these, or have you seen them? I tend to learn by example, slowly, and it sounds like this DVD could be what I'm looking for. Any opinions would be very helpful.
Thanks!
-Eddie
Last edited by kyoreiflutes (2006-02-13 18:31:28)
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I own Bruce's first video of the set and am very happy with it. The information contained is all very basic. It starts from the very beginning and assumes that you have never touched a shakuhachi. Bruce spends a good amount of time addressing sitting, the holding of the flute, and simple notation.
There are a couple of exercises for getting a better sound and developing the 2nd register, some mention of atari and meri/keri and some tone color examples. He also plays through a few classic pieces and explains their notation.
All in all, if you are an absolute beginner, this is probably a good choice. If not, perhaps one of the later volumes would be more appropriate (I have not seen them however).
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Eddie,
If you can't get into the second octave, you should seek out a teacher. He/she will teach you how much faster than you can by yourself. A DVD is not interactive.
Regards,
Tairaku
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Eddie, you live in an area where you have teachers, and even have a choice of teachers! Take some lessons and you will get much more out of it than watching a video or reading. Of course, the videos and reading will help but nothing can replace one on one instruction.
Most people outside of Japan do not have teachers nearby so you should take advantage that you are in one of the few areas in the US where you can recieve instruction. Go for it!
phil
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You're all right, of course...I'm just broke, and trying to go for the best way I can, and an instructional DVD sounded like a better thing to spend my money on than just one lesson. However, I do need that interaction.
Okay, I'll get lessons. Thanks all.
-E
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Hey Eddi
There is something else too you can do...(my 2 cents;-)
The concept of playing woodwinds is the some in all of them (of course they have their diferences..)
So, playing in the second octave.
So try get togethere with a flute player, sax player or clarinet player. They dont have to be teachers.Students is fine.
Ask them how they produce second register,Let them play the Shakuhachi.
There are a lot of good people around. Tell them about your love for music and shakuhachi. They will undestand,
Play along with them. Do you read music? Get a flute book, ther are some cheap ones. The concept is the some.
I never had a shakuhachi lesson and I could play second register etc. Now I am taking lesonds with Phil James Nokai.
(the concept is the some)
geni
Last edited by geni (2006-11-07 01:57:37)
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kyoreiflutes wrote:
...I'm just broke, and trying to go for the best way I can, and an instructional DVD sounded like a better thing to spend my money on than just one lesson.
I purchased Bruce's first DVD a few months back (I belive it was nearly $40.00) and it was a big help. However, I the one lesson I have received from Phil James (which wasn't much more expensive than the DVD) was much more valuable than the DVD will ever be -- even if it was just one lesson. Instructional sets are nice for having some baseline from which to judge your playing, or to learn about some aspect of playing, but can not replace even a small amount of face to face time with an instructor. If I had the option of spending $20 on another DVD, or $100 on a lesson, I would take the lesson every time.
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Well, I'm going to try and set up some time with Larry soon, as my girlfriend gave me a nice Valentine's gift: $100 worth of shakuhachi lessons. She is too sweet.
Thanks for the advice, folks, and happy Valentine's Day!
-E
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I have volume 3. It goes through the entirety of Hi fu mi hachigaeshi, phrase by phrase, in detail. Nearly all of the fingerings are explained as well as some 'unspoken' or convention-related things not explicitly in the notation (playing tsu as tsu meri, placement of atari, etc.) I recommend it, but I think it's too advanced for me at this point. I'm working from the Carl Abbott book and CD right now - the introduction with minyo recordings is very useful for reading notation and working on playing full songs in real time. Even though I can play kan notes fairly easily in isolation, going from ri to ro kan quickly, for example, is somewhat trickier. When I get a good grasp on most of the minyo and sankyoku in the Abbott book I'll probably take another look at the DVD.
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