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October 16, 2004

What is Concert Tuned?

Here's another response to a inquiry about whether a flute is concert tuned. Again, the name has been changed to protect the innocent ;-)

Hi Hans,
Thanks for your email

>Is your Golden shakuhachi concert tuned? Can you make me one in Black bamboo that is concert tuned?

In a nutshell, yes, the Golden shakuhachi is concert tuned. But, it is not as simple as that. I know you are an absolute beginner so I think what you really mean to ask is, "Is it concert quality?" before I get into this, let me tell you where I'm coming from. I play many kinds of shakuhachi flutes for many different applications; recordings for films and CDs, live music with tuned instruments, underscoring theater and my favorite, alone in a room late at night. Each requires a different kind of shakuhachi, one that the situation calls for. A concert tuned shakuhachi is not always used, even in concert.

To ask if a flute is concert tuned means that you either will play it in a concert with other musicans, study with a teacher, or just want to know if it's a "good" shakuhachi. All very valid reasons. The first is for modern players who play in traditional ensembles or who play modern music with Western tuned instruments. Professional players need concert tuned instruments. I need them. The second reason is for shakuhachi teachers so that they can teach proper techniques and know that the flute can handle them. They need to know if the student is playing flat or sharp and not the flute.

The third meaning in your question can imply that there is a standard to what is consider a good shakuhachi. It can imply that if it can be played on stage in Westen tuning, that it is a good shakuhachi. This is a little problematic as it confuses the judgement ctriteria on what a good shakuhachi is. I've had the fortunate experience of trying many many shakuhachi, more than most shakuhachi players ever will in a life time. I find that the ones I am drawn to are the older ones that are made for solo playing. These are usually not in Western tuning. There are some very very expensive shakuhachi out there ($10,000 and up) that are not only not in concert tuning but are not well tuned to themselves. In other words, some of these very expensive flutes need embroucher adjustments to be able to play in tune ( this issue is out of the scope of this response and will have to be dealt with in a future blog).

Of course, I'm not saying that all old flutes are great flutes. I am refering to ones that are well made. Well made old flutes have a wider timbral range than the modern shakuhachi. There are many many old flutes that are not well made. They fall in the same catagory as modern shakuhachi that are not well made, "the not so well made shakuhachi" catagory (I hate to say bad because it's very difficult making good shakuhachi and in the end, even a bad shakuhachi will serve someone well).

Whether a shakuhachi is concert quality is up to the experienced player to decide. That is mostly dependant upon the choice of style and piece of music to be performed.

If I am performing a classical shakuhachi piece, I need to first know what the piece of music is. Is it a Gaikyoku with Koto and shamisen? Is it Minyo? Or, is it a Zen Honkyoku? Each requires a different kind of shakuhachi. Long natural Jinashi flutes such at the 2.4 you won are favored by Zen players. These are different from the modern shakuhachi. Modern players will want a flute to play louder and easily in perfect Western pitch so they can play with other western tuned instruments and not have to struggle to be heard. A Zen Honkyoku player will play a completely different flute in concert from that of the modern player. It would be a solo concert with no other instruments playing at the same time and therefore doesn't have to be as loud. It just has to have tonal character.

After studying with several masters ( still at it), I've thus far learned that judging a shakuhachi is not as simple as "concert quality". There are piles and piles of concert tuned shakuhachi put away in bins because they are simply not inspiring. The same is true of "Antique" shakuhachi. What it really boils down to is, " Is it a well made shakuhachi, or, not so well made? And, how does one know if it is well made? One of my teachers is one of the best players all around. He can sound exactly like himself on any flute he plays regardless of quality. He will play a very expensive flute in concert right next to a "simple" flute. He's after a sound quality. The simple flute does something for him that the expensive one can not. What that is takes years to discover, cultivate, understand and appreciate.


So, back to your question, yes, I can make you a "concert tuned" flute in Black bamboo. But, you must tell me what kind of music you plan to play in concert.

Thanks again Hans, Hope this helps.

Sincerely, Perry

Posted by Perry Yung at 09:44 PM | Comments (1)

October 07, 2004

Shakuhachi Tuning? Modern or Zen

I like to post emails asking about shakuhachi since there are so many angles to every aspect of shakuhachi . Here's one asking about tuning. Again, the name has been changed to protect the innocent.

Hi Roxanne,

> I was interested in learning to play the Shakuhachi,
> and I had some questions for you if you don't
> mind...I live in Boston.
> - I was told a good size for a beginner is in the
> key of D, I Shaku Ha Sun, 1.8'. Would you agree?

I don't agree but that's a personal choice. A 1.8 is good if you want to study Japanese court music such as Gaikyoku or Sankyoku. This music is played in a trio with Koto, shamisen and shakuhachi. If you want to play the Zen Honkyoku repertory, then any longer flute is better. I like Honkyoku so I prefer longer flutes. Most teachers in America only teach on a 1.8 and most learning materials have accompanying CDs with examples played on 1.8 flutes. There is one exception. Chikuzen has a four CD set of Hokyoku music with notation and music for longer flutes of various lengths played by Taniguchi. You can find this through Michael Gould.

I was lucky to have been indoctrinated to the shakuhachi world by a very experienced player who inspired me with his vast collection of "professional" to "homemade" shakuhachi. I put those word in quotations because there is confused meaning behind each when refering to shakuhachi. An explantion would be better served in a doctoral thesis because the terminology alludes to ideology. There are basically two camps in the shakuhachi world. The Modern and the Zen. Again, it would take an inch thick manuscript to explan the two approaches but since your question addresses the issue, I have to put it into context. In a nutshell, the modern shakuhachi should be louder and be able to play with Western tuned intruments since the design in construction of this instrument happened during Japan's period of modernization. The Zen shakuhachi is played solo and the bamboo vibrations should feel incredible to the player. I use the shakuhachi in both situations. I play the shakuhachi in front of an audience with electric guitars and drums with my performance group. I also play alone in a room late at night. I use a different flute for each situation

> - Are your Earth Shakuhachi's, just for meditation
> purposes, or can one learn technique on them? Are
> they tuned to themselves or absolute pitch (Western
> standards). Can they be tuned to learn with?

EARTH Shakuhachi means completely natural so they are "luck of the draw". They are meant for meditational purposes since people who meditate only blow notes to feel vibrations and not play modern music so perfect Western tuning is not even an issue. In EARTH shakuhachi, what matters is the tone or timbral characteristic of each note. Basic shakuhachi techniques can be employed on EARTH model flutes, but the advanced ones in the high second octave may not be. BTW, it would take years of study to be able to play advanced techniques.

Having said that, I still make my EARTH models so that they are working intruments and play well in tune with themselves. And, most are in Western tune. But, I think the issue is not whether they are in perfect pitch since shakuhachi, by nature of the constuction, is an instrument of relative tuning. This means that the player and maker decides how well in tune it is. A decent maker can make a flute that plays in tune according to his/her blowing strength but the player will play stronger or softer, thus affecting the pitch. What this boils down to is that each instrument requires a small learning curve. The player has to have a digital tuner so that he can check the pitches to the intensity of his/her blowing strength. Blowing harder means getting the note sharper, blowing slofter means getting a flatter note.

I am making a 2.4 shakuhachi now for a teacher in California. He requests that the flute be made a little flat because he like to play Kari (sharp), meaning, he likes to blow with intensity. Since this raises the pitch, he wanted a slightly flat flute so that he can still play with tuned instruments at the level of intensity that he likes. An inexperienced player might pick up this flute and think, "Hmm...I this flute is flat, it's only good for solo playing." An experienced player would probabaly say, "Oh, this flute is good for players who play Kari all the time."

On some flutes, some notes may require more adjusting than others to get the proper pitch and some modern players may be not understand why. The reason could be that the maker decided a particular note's tone color sounded better softer but the player doesn't know that. A player might think that note is sharp because he/shes blowing hard to be heard in a modern situation. In reality, the maker probabaly made that flute a long time ago in his quiet room playing by himslef. Some amazing old flutes are not in Western tuning but the sound is amazing so the player would have to learn how to adjust or adapt if he was to play with other "tuned" instruments. It also takes a very very experienced player to be able to judge whether the flute is in tune, or, just not made well. Again, different players of the two camps will probably disagree.

What most people mean by "tuned" is whether the flute has a tapered bore to handle strong technical blowing, whether the flute has a bore shaped to be responsive to the kind of technical playing that creates the overtones associated with classical shakuhachi timbres. Tuning is somewhat relative, but a responsive bore is not.

> - Are your Earth flutes meant for a beginner or a
> more experienced player?

EARTH Models are meant for beginners who will not study Gaikyoku or Sankyoku shakuhachi with a teacher. But some experienced players of Honkyoku who lean toward the ZEN approach might prefer an EARTH model.

Most EARTH model shakuhachi are made from the upper part of the bamboo, not the root. This means that they do not have tapered bores. Root end shakuhachi has a natural tapered bore so I use these for my advanced models.

>
> - There is a maker out West, Monty Levenson, who
> makes these meditation Shakuhachi's with a natural
> bore of just the bamboo. He says they are not
> appropriate for learning on because they are tuned
> to themselves. He does make a student Shak with a
> cast bore that are for learning proper technique on.
> This model can be tuned to learn on.
>
> - So, I noticed your meditation flutes have a black
> lacquered bore...is that just for protection, or
> does it help with the tuning?

The lacquer seals the bore for moisture protection only. Lacquer does not affect the tuning but will brighten the timbre. Many people in the shakuhachi world confuse lacquer with Ji paste. Ji paste is a filler material use to build up the bore for tuning. Lacquer only seals the bore.
>
> - I don't know if you are familiar with Monty's
> instruments, but if you are, are both of your
> meditation models the same in terms of what can be
> played on them?

I know Monty but have only sampled some of his flutes. Each handmade bamboo flute is different to some degree regardless of maker and model. There may be some similarities, or, they may be drastically different. The timbre of shakuhachi made in the traditional way is largely dependant upon the bore work, blowing edge and piece of bamboo.
>
> - WIll you be having any of the meditation Shaks in
> D for sale on Ebay at some point?

I make flutes by the batch and they usually get "pick" because of emails such as yours. What doesn't get picked by the time the flute is finished goes to my dealers or to EBAY. This doesn't mean that they are inferior in any way. I am very proud of each flute I make.

> Many thanks,
>
> Roxanne (not actual name).

Please feel free to ask any more questiosn you may have. What you have to decide is what camp you belong to. Good luck on this decision.

Thanks again,
Namste.
Perry

Posted by Perry Yung at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)