Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

david · 2007-05-23 14:16:20

HEY ALL,
NOT HAVING ANYONE TO TEACH ME SHAKUHACHI AND NOT HAVING A LOT OF TIME TO PRACTICE IS A REAL BUMMER!
I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST WATAZUMI SIZED SHAKUHACHI AND I STILL DON'T KNOW ANY SONGS!
WHAT IS A GOOD TRADITIONAL, SIMPLE SONG TO LEARN?!!
I'M TRYING KYOREI...SLOWLY...AND THE SHEET MUSIC DOESN'T SEEM TO MATCH WHAT I THINK I SHOULD BE PLAYING!
ANYWAY...IS KYOREI DIFFICULT? SHOULD I NOT BE STARTING WITH THAT?

Rick McDaniel · 2007-05-23 17:35:44

Kyorei is probably a good piece to try. It was the piece I began working on first, and I found the flexibility of setting my own rhythm a good way to begin.

I made the mistake initially of reading a bend as a half-hole, so you might take note of the difference. A bend is a half-hole from the side, in the notation, rather from top to bottom.

amokrun · 2007-05-24 09:24:08

Rick McDaniel wrote:
I made the mistake initially of reading a bend as a half-hole, so you might take note of the difference. A bend is a half-hole from the side, in the notation, rather from top to bottom.

By bend, do you mean the part where you play Tsu-Re------U----U meri? I've seen a whole bunch of different versions now and most of them have no trickery whatsoever except for that part. All the recordings I've heard seem to play it so that the other transitions are smooth but the U---U meri is typically either a slight vibrato betwen U and U meri that ultimately stops at U meri or a nayashi from U to U meri and then back to U meri. Personally I just meri the U with a chin tilt, take it back up to U and then drop it again to finish the phrase in U meri. Since I learned the piece strictly from notation and by listening to tapes and the piece isn't even part of what my teacher teaches I could be wrong about that. If you have had someone explain it to you I would love to hear the "right" way to do it. It could be that I'm just cheating on nayashi by leaving the holes alone and just doing a good old chin tilt. It always seemed easier for me that way.

Last edited by amokrun (2007-05-24 09:24:32)

Rick McDaniel · 2007-05-24 11:51:52

I am not a student of the Japanese language. I do not use all the Japanese terminologies, so I cannot say what I mean in Japanese terms.

I simply misinterpreted the fingering chart I had, in how to play the note, as I read it as a half-hole, rather than a bend. (To me a bend is where the finger is placed over the hole, in close proximity, but not covering, which changes the pitch/tone.)

I was corrected by a teacher, in that regard, who clarified the difference in the fingering chart for me. I have since discontinued lessons, as I had insufficient time to devote to the instrument, as my primary instrument is Native American flute. I now only play around with the shakuhachi, as time permits, and hope that I can gradually improve my playing skills over time, on my own. I do NOT seek to learn traditional shakuhachi, in the traditional manner, as that is entirely too rigid a process for me, personally.

kyoreiflutes · 2007-05-28 02:45:09

I WOULD LEARN ANY SONG YOU THINK YOU ARE CAPABLE OF LEARNING.

It's really quite simple.

-E

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2007-05-23 14:16:20

WHAT IS A GOOD EASY SONG TO LEARN?

#2 2007-05-23 17:35:44

Re: WHAT IS A GOOD EASY SONG TO LEARN?

#3 2007-05-24 09:24:08

Re: WHAT IS A GOOD EASY SONG TO LEARN?

Rick McDaniel wrote:

#4 2007-05-24 11:51:52

Re: WHAT IS A GOOD EASY SONG TO LEARN?

#5 2007-05-28 02:45:09

Re: WHAT IS A GOOD EASY SONG TO LEARN?

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