I caught the bug. Uh-oh. It annoys me that I got into it about a week after the NYC international shakuhachi festival, since I live an hour and a half north of the city. But anyway, I find that playing the whistle and flute prepared me for a nice embouchure on the shakuhachi, and I find the tone mesmerizing. It’s so rich and full. It makes my Irish flutes seem thin in sound. Anyone else have this particular interest? It seeems fitting that I should get into it after years of loving sushi.
(I am going to post this on the flute forum, too, as there are lots of people who go only there, and lots of people who come only here.)
In the right hands (and lips) the shakuhachi is an astoundingly good instrument. I’ve got one and can make some decent sounds with it, but I’m by no means proficient.
I met a guy who makes shakuhachis when I was on vacation in Maui this summer. I was totally embarassed when I couldn’t get a sound out of them. I just couldn’t get the embrochure right. Doubly embarassing was that both of my daughters could at least get that basic blowing over a bottle sound.
Angelo
JessieK, Are you playing any tunes on it? With the 4 holes, how does that work? That is, do you play a diatonic scale on it or does it play more of an Eastern Scale of sorts? Maybe I should go and check out Riley Lee, that starman mentioned, on Amazon (if he’s there) to get an idea for the sound. -mike
The shakuhachi definitely plays an Eastern, pentatonic scale. It’s cousin, the South American Quena is blown in a similar way and is diatonic.
Both of these flutes can be made from PVC plumbing pipe, for those who like to tinker.
I had fun playing one when I visited a B&B in Berkley that had one. I was lucky they also had a tape I could imitate. It’s owners thought I was brilliant as they’d never had a sound out of it, but any whistler on here could have played it after a few minutes of noodling.
There are five holes (the top on is on the back). The scale is minor pentatonic, the ame as on a Native American flute, although the shakuhachi has more than two octaves.
It is possible to play the western scale on it with half-holing and alternate blowing angles/techniques, but I am not playing Irish tunes on it. I have Irish instruments for that. Zen shakuhachi music is called honkyoku, and it is incredibly moving and beautiful.
The shakuhachi in the picture above is an extremely low budget one. Higher end ones are more interesting to look at and play better.
Here’s a link to a site with some pictures. Scroll down and click on any of the instruments to see a bigger image of it.
The PVC Shakuhachi aren’t really a true shak. The internal bore on a bamboo instrument is very carefully shaped and contoured by carving and filling in areas with laquer. The bore starts out fairly wide, then narrows then gradually widens out again to the bell.
If you are asking a Japanese aquaintance about shakuhachi, be warned that the word is also slang in some regions for a certain form of oral sex.
Words of experience there!
If you are serious about getting one then get a root end model with a laquered bore and a horn insert in the “mouthpiece”.
Tai Hei Shaks by Monty Levenson are very nice instruments that have a polymer coated bore to ensure accurate recreations of the nicest shaks available. They are durable and play beautifully.
