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i am wondering if there is a youngest age that a child can learn the Shakuhachi (mouth size/finger length may determine)> I have a 6 1/2 year old son whom I would very much love to introduce to shakuhachi for many reasons. (a digeridoo player myself, so usually don't go with the 'norm').
Many thanks,
Lachlan :-)
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Hey Lachlan,
check out this link to Perry Yung's blog
scroll down to the bottom of the page. I don't know what size shakuhachi these children are playing but I am fairly certain they are not like we have seen Tairaku playing
I hope this helps answer your question, maybe Perry can make your son a shakuhachi like these.
Damon
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Hello Damon,
thanks for that, I have posted a request on Perry's. Will wait for a reply - if anyone has any other suggestions = all comers welcome.
Thanks again,
Lachlan
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I am the adult pictured with the kids on Perry's blog.
We started our group with eight students and two parents two years ago. All the students were 2nd-4th graders at our elementary school and had previous experience with the Native American flute in another class I taught. I had them come to my home/garage and we made our own shakuhachi from PVC pipe...1.3 Gm for the students and 1.8 Dm for the adults. When they were able to hold a tone for 15 seconds and play the scales in Otsu, I worked out a deal with Perry for bamboo 1.3s. By this time, four students, one parent and I remained in the group. We started using Take-no-Michi by Tokuyama Takashi as a study guide. We met weekly.
At the beginning of the second year, two students...a 3rd grader and a 5th grader remained along with the 5th grader's mother. We started using Stan Richardson's Kyorei CD lesson as a guide. I gifted all three with Yuus and longer bamboo shakuhachi...either Chikusing shakuhachi by Perry or Chinese rootends by Ken LaCosse. We continued to meet weekly.
This year, the 3rd/now 4th grader has decided not to continue with the shakuhachi. The 5th grader/now middle schooler and his mother have moved on. We still play Kyorei together occasionally and they play together daily.
I am not a skilled shakuhachi player. We all learned together. Things might have worked out differently.
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Hey James,
Looks like you did a very good thing. You have to plant a lot of seeds to grow a few plants. Some of the people who fell away might come back later. All we can really do here in the West is intruduce people to the shakuhachi, the rest is up to them.
Regards,
BR
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James, that sounds like it was a great experience for, both you, and the children/parents. I think more children should be introduced to music early on, especially more esoteric instruments and genres. I wish I had been exposed to shakuhachi at that early an age (maybe I could play better today than I do).
Thank you for sharing this experience with us, its quite inspiring.
Damon
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Hi James,
Defenetly inspiring! If more people were introduced to other cultures through something as universal and incredibly moving as music we would defenetly live in a better world. It's also great knowing of people actually DOING things rather than finding excuses not to do them.
Talking about inspiring initiatives, I read about this and I thought it was great. Music to close gaps between people: http://explorersfoundation.org/glyphery/203.html
Salud y felicidad para todos
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Lachlan wrote:
Hello Damon,
thanks for that, I have posted a request on Perry's. Will wait for a reply
Hi Lachlan, Thanks for your interest. I just read your post. I can not access my blog at the moment because I updated my system and lost some settings. Please contact me at perry@yungflutes.com and we can discuss some options.
james wrote:
I am the adult pictured with the kids on Perry's blog...
I am not a skilled shakuhachi player. We all learned together. Things might have worked out differently.
James, I have special memories of those who have shared their valuable insights with me when I was very young. Even if I didn't hear it at the time, I would like to think that I am a better person for it today. There are a few very special teachers that I would love to find and thank for helping me find my path.
Namste, Perry
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jamesnyman wrote:
I am the adult pictured with the kids on Perry's blog.
We started our group with eight students and two parents two years ago. All the students were 2nd-4th graders at our elementary school and had previous experience with the Native American flute in another class I taught. I had them come to my home/garage and we made our own shakuhachi from PVC pipe...1.3 Gm for the students and 1.8 Dm for the adults. When they were able to hold a tone for 15 seconds and play the scales in Otsu, I worked out a deal with Perry for bamboo 1.3s. By this time, four students, one parent and I remained in the group. We started using Take-no-Michi by Tokuyama Takashi as a study guide. We met weekly.
At the beginning of the second year, two students...a 3rd grader and a 5th grader remained along with the 5th grader's mother. We started using Stan Richardson's Kyorei CD lesson as a guide. I gifted all three with Yuus and longer bamboo shakuhachi...either Chikusing shakuhachi by Perry or Chinese rootends by Ken LaCosse. We continued to meet weekly.
This year, the 3rd/now 4th grader has decided not to continue with the shakuhachi. The 5th grader/now middle schooler and his mother have moved on. We still play Kyorei together occasionally and they play together daily.
I am not a skilled shakuhachi player. We all learned together. Things might have worked out differently.
Hi James,
thankyou for responding to teh post in this way. I think it is great o introduce kids to such a diversity of sound and scale. I have contacted Perry ( or rather he - me through ths excellent communication forum) and look forward to introducing conor to the world of the shakahuchi - interestingly he has apre occupation with Japanese culture. To me music transverses culture, creed and race and is simply up to the taste of the indicvidual. Personally I have been involved in various ways in playing'performing a variety of instrumens and all have added o who I am towards and through adulthood - including tibetan bells and bowls, harmonic singing, piano, guitar, north american indian flute, digeridoo ( which i have settled with for over 2 decades) , as well as a range of alternative instruments such asa thighbone trumpet, tingshaws and others.
however the sound and nature of the shakahuchi hauns me , and has done for some time.. maybe I will 'snavel' conor's little flute and keep i for myself ..lol
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Hi Lachan,
I think the most important thing in a young person taking up shakuhachi is his or her level of attention and concentration. The size of the flute can always be created for the person. I recently had a mother bring her 4 year old son to me for shakuhachi lessons, but his attention span was not yet at a level where he could hold it to derive any benefit in learning. Perhaps age 6 or 7 may be a better age. My youngest student so far was 11 (now he's 16 and still playing.) But he was pretty precocious for his age. Most young people are interested in things that respond more quickly to them........
By the way, been playing didgeridoo for many years myself and make agave dideridoos. www.bamboo-in.com/about-us/agavepolestar.htm. Next World Shakuhachi Festival is in Syndey, Australia! Look forward to didging and shakuhachi-ing out in 2008!
Very best,
Alcvin
www.bamboo-in.com
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Takegawa wrote:
I think the most important thing in a young person taking up shakuhachi is his or her level of attention and concentration.
I agree. I posted a message about this in an other topic (see here).
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