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June 28, 2004
Shakuhachi bore work
I am on a little haitus from New York City right now. Since I was going to have some time to focus, I thought it would be the perfect time to work on some shakuhachi 1.8s with jiari bore. The idea is to create a bore shape that allows for an overall balance in timbre, volumne and flexibility. This allows the player to make timbral choices which would reveal both the player's individuality and the flute's neiro - tone color. Contrary to what most people think, jiari work is not about pitch tuning. The pitches are rarely tuned by bore work, that is done through hole placement. Jari work is about tuning the bore throughout by removing and adding material so that the final shape of the bore reacts to the player's technique with a wide flexibility in timbral control. Sometimes a note might be tweaked through bore work but this drastically affects the tone color.
I am the first to admit that I am far from being a virtuoso player, but practicing daily for two hours before I begin to tune helps the bore work. This way, while I'm in my top playing mode, I would be able to tell whether it's me or the flute that needs the work. The flute I practice on before tuning is the 1.8 I made with Kinya in Japan.
Shakuhachi making in this way is not a science, it is both methodical and intuitive. It reminds me of my days as a fine art painter. A painting is done in the same way, with a sense of color control, composition, and idea of the final image but whether the painting will be successful depends on the many components that guide and influence the making in it's various stages. A shakuhachi can ceratinly be influenced by emotional state just as many paintings are. This is why one maker can produce a dark sounding shakuhachi or a brighter one. Rarely will two shakuhachi made by the same maker play exactly alike. They may have the maker's trademark neiro but certainly not play exactly the same. Shakuhachi making is not a craft, it is an art. We can not guaranty uniformity in the same way a rug weaver or a candle maker can. Not all of Vincent Van Gogh's works are masterpieces. Making one, or, letting one reveal itself is the thrill I get from shakuhachi making.
Posted by Perry Yung at June 28, 2004 10:45 AM