Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Hey there everyone.

I'm Josh, I'm 21 and my hobbies include playing Wadaiko (Japanese drums) and more recently the shakuhachi and yokobue.
I'm Vice President and Instructor of Taiko Drum, the Wadaiko group here in my home town of Hobart. It's great fun and really energetic. I'm new to the shakuhachi, I've just recently had my first lessons with Brian "Tairaku" Ritchie, but before that I was self taught for about 6 months on a homemade (not by me) "shakuhachi" I've been told should be used to poke fires with. So needless to say it didn't help much.

I'm a uni student, studying Japanese, Chinese (Madarin) and Asian studies, I'm also doing Psychology as an elective.

I have issues where I think too much, I can't switch off, the only time I can stop thinking is when I'm listening to music I love. However when I heard the shakuhachi, I wanted to play it! I love the sound of the shakuhachi, when I play alone, not trying to complete exercises, it's another way I can stop myself from thinking, of anything, of everything, it gives me a clear mind.  Corney I know.. but ask any one who knows me, I'm rarely seen without my headphones and a couple of my housemates have told me to leave cause I'm too loud and it's flaring their migrains. hehehe. I believe that the term Tairaku told me today was "If they were hip Jazz cats they'd have told you to go woodshedding!" I like that.. think I'll keep it.

Anyway, I'm an open book with clean pages and my only active ambition with the shakuhachi is that I just want to be able to express myself through it... and maybe learn Soran bushi hahaha.. Have no particular style I want or don't want, any experiance is good experiance to me.

so, with nothing left to be said,

Let's be friends!

Josh