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#1 2007-06-15 15:41:14

Moran from Planet X
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From: Here to There
Registered: 2005-10-11
Posts: 1524
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Taimu 2.35 jinashi shakuhachi

As a shakuhachi student with three or so years experience, I offer this review:

http://www.chrismoran.com/dark2.35_cm.jpg
Taimu 2.35

The depth of the Taimu 2.35 (A-Ab) which I bought recently is remarkable, both in tone color and pitch accessibility. Brian says that Taimu are "alive". I couldn't say it better. The Taimu I am playing is like playing a tree ... still rooted in the ground.

It is an experience unto itself in flute playing.

As a shakuhachi it has a strong foundation in history from the ancient, wide-bore komuso flutes that Ken has studied from John Singer's (and presumably others') collections to the furniture-thick, super-wides of Watazumido and his descendants such as Okuda. The Taimu is a very wide flute with a very wide bore, large finger holes and a surprisingly accessible blowing edge for an instrument of its size.

The 2.35 can achieve very rich round sounds when played with focus. When pushed from flat-A to A it is resonant, penetrating and booming. It can also be played softer in the flat-A to Ab range, although I think A-20cents is about perfect pitch for the flute.

Played more openly the breathy "wind in the grass" sound can easily be pushed to become "wind in the pines" and work its way up to a turbulent "wind through the canyon". Muriaki? Many, many different colors, attacks, durations possible. Nayashi, furi, suriage and just plain note bending is extremely flexible.  Komi-buki on the flute is wonderful -- you can perceive an echo _inside_ of the flute.

The diameter at the mouthpiece is 53mm with a substantial ikigaeshi to make playing as comfortable (or more so) than an average 2.4. The bamboo itself is very thick, but not so thick and dense as to dampen the inherent resonance of the bamboo. Definitely thick enough to give the sound great depth and glow.

Holes are in line which works perfectly for me. Because of the physiology of my hands I literally cannot play offset (on the upper-hand) flutes without major cramping. And even so, I use the alternative fingering of the little finger on the chi on anything longer than a 2.1 or 2.2.

Holes are really big! This allows wonderful variation in pitch and tone color. Works fine even with thinner fingers, like mine -- 'though less fast than if you had big paws.

If I am playing with proper relaxation, I can play fairly fast passages. This flute teaches the necessity of relaxation during performance. It demands it, but it also teaches it.

Kan is very accessible and smooth. I am currently taking it as high as go-no-Hi and go-no-Ha regularly.  Tsu-meri and dai-Tsu-meri in kan and otsu are easily attainable. U in otsu is magnificent and rich. San-no-U  (in kan) is easily attainable and penetrating. Ru is strong and present. Chi-meri and dai-Chi-meri are very strong and easy to attain. Otsu Ro, Ro-meri and dai-Ro-meri are strong, broad and have great presence.

That's all I have for now.


"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I am all out of bubblegum." —Rowdy Piper, They Live!

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#2 2007-06-15 16:24:42

amokrun
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 413

Re: Taimu 2.35 jinashi shakuhachi

Looks lovely. I think it would be nice to get more flute reviews here. Although every single flute is certainly unique one could still learn something about the maker in general.

I must admit that this particular flute still bugs me since I would have bought it if my financial situation would have been better at the time. In fact....

amokrun wrote:

As a side note, it bothers me to hell and back that just when my financial issues are starting to look a bit better but not quite good enough Ken comes up with this:

http://mujitsu.com/images/dark4204.JPG

Naturally it'll be sold by the time I get enough money together to buy it while still having some left for the mundane things such as buying food occasionally. Such is life.

If you get a chance to do so, I would love to hear a sound clip. Doesn't matter what it is as I'm mostly just curious how the flute sounds.

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#3 2007-06-15 18:24:05

Moran from Planet X
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From: Here to There
Registered: 2005-10-11
Posts: 1524
Website

Re: Taimu 2.35 jinashi shakuhachi

amokrun wrote:

I must admit that this particular flute still bugs me since I would have bought it if my financial situation would have been better at the time.

Yes, I think of you and that post, good man. Normally when stuff like this comes up I have no cash myself and a massive dental debt, recently acquired (shakuhachi players _do_ need their teeth).

I just happened to be on a long aimless vacation from work with absolutely nowhere to go. I almost sold one of my 3 shakuhachi but fortunately no one ponied up the cash, so I went to Plan B: I sold practically anything and everything of any value whatsoever on eBay for 3 weeks. Vintage JT30 and Turner crystal harmonica mics, vintage Masco amp, an old Leica, entire collections of books, old magazines, a couple of great Hawaiian guitars. I now have a closet worthy of a zen monk. But it was worth it.

(Ken's flutes would cost twice as much if they were "made in Japan".)

Press on. Ken has some great Taimu in the $1200 range too. I believe he has a 2.6 in G and a 2.4 in A currently. The binding and outer lacquering (in that order) would proably not be that much extra and you would have a Ready-for-Finlandia flute.

Perseverance Furthers,

Chris

Last edited by Chris Moran (2007-06-15 18:26:13)


"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I am all out of bubblegum." —Rowdy Piper, They Live!

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#4 2007-06-15 18:47:09

amokrun
Member
From: Finland
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 413

Re: Taimu 2.35 jinashi shakuhachi

Chris Moran wrote:

(Ken's flutes would cost twice as much if they were "made in Japan".)

The flute I enjoy the most was made by him and it was cheaper than most plastic flutes are. I can see why flutes made by famous makers are expensive, especially if they are dead and thus there won't be more of them. Yet it's always good to keep in mind that once you blow into a flute, all that disappears and the sound either is or isn't good. Who made it has nothing to do with that. It's all about whether or not that particular flute is good (and obviously about your own skill, of course). Back when I started and knew nothing about any of this I used to think that a flute made by some special guy who meditated for 70 years on mount Fuji would be automatically great. Having tried various flutes over the few years now I've come to realize that the best flute in the world could very well be made by some guy who drinks beer twice a week.

Chris Moran wrote:

Press on. Ken has some great Taimu in the $1200 range too. I believe he has a 2.6 in G and a 2.4 in A currently. The binding and outer lacquering (in that order) would proably not be that much extra and you would have a Ready-for-Finlandia flute.

I decided a while ago that the next shakuhachi I'll get will be "perfect". Currently I have a couple of fairly cheap shakuhachi from different makers. Now that I have a decent idea of what I do and don't like I figured that I should aim for something that really matches my playing. I'm putting some money aside so that I can afford what I want the next time I see it. I don't want to repeat this experience again. :-)

Anyhow, enjoy the instrument and do post a sound clip if you have time and equipment to make one. I'm really curious if the sound of that thing is anything like I figured it would be.

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#5 2007-06-15 20:18:56

Moran from Planet X
Member
From: Here to There
Registered: 2005-10-11
Posts: 1524
Website

Re: Taimu 2.35 jinashi shakuhachi

amokrun wrote:

Chris Moran wrote:

(Ken's flutes would cost twice as much if they were "made in Japan".)

The flute I enjoy the most was made by him and it was cheaper than most plastic flutes are.

I spoke with a musician and collector (not Brian) earlier this year who said that Ken was one of the best, also but one of the most underrated shakuhachi makers on the planet right know. The more I play, the more I understand and agree with him.

Previously I had only seriously played Ken's Chinese madake instruments, some of which I dubbed (and rightly so) "Poorman's Shiro's". One of them was on loan from a friend and one (a 1.65) I still have and I would never let go of it. His Japanese madake instruments are in a league of their own ... but Ken is a very humble man, a rarity in Shakuhachi-maker-dom --- and probably to a fault.


"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I am all out of bubblegum." —Rowdy Piper, They Live!

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