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July 23, 2007
Shakuhachi Testimonials
Hi All,I get a lot of emails and I struggle to keep up in my replies as every minute on the computer means time away from my children!:)
But I wanted to share these with you this week:
When the doorbell rang, I was very happy to see that not only was her Harry Potter book being delivered but that the delivery person was also holding the long box with my new Shakuhachi from you. I wasn't expecting it to get here so soon!
Wow! This 2.5 Earth model is one special flute! It seems to want to produce the sasa buki shaped notes on its own - I'm not even thinking about it. I love how this flute is long enough to produce very low sounds yet short enough that I can play it with the standard fingering. Those low notes seem to swell up from nowhere with just a sigh and the resonance is truly remarkable...
I don't know how you do it but I'm very glad you do it and I'm glad that you seem to enjoy your work so much. I think that the positive energy you put into creating these flutes really does come along with them. Maybe some day I will be in the market for one of your more expensive flutes but for now I feel very fortunate to get such a wonderful instrument at such a reasonable price.
Thank you!
Craig T., Arizona
Craig first purchased a pair of Earth model 1.8s for him and his wife. I made a mathcing pair, one dark, one lighter. They felt like a Yin and Yang pair. What a great activity for a couple!
Perry, you've been much on my mind these past days. I've sat down at the
keyboard to write to you several times, but the words simply wouldn't come.
The short, unvarnished, inarticulate, non-poetic version of what i wanted to
say: I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new shakuhachi bamboo flute!
The shakuhachi arrived just as i took on the task of planting a little
orchard out in the field. What a surprise to see it at the door at the end
of a day of digging! I carefully unwrapped the packaging, and slid out what
can only be described as a work of art.
But it's so much more than just a work of art! Art can be inert, objective.
But a few puffs of breath and this artwork comes alive!
As i've been planting up the orchard, it's occurred to me that its harvest
will one day nourish my body, while this shakuhachi is already nourishing my
soul. And it's good for my body too! I love the feeling in my body as i
play ...
In any event, i'm blathering on, which is what i was afraid i would do. :)
I can not possibly thank you enough, Perry. I had a strong feeling this was
the shakuhachi i was meant to have, and it completely exceeded my
expectation.
With great admiration, fondness and gratitude,
Barbara, CA
Barbara sent me a check with a letter that started with "Isn't life wonderful!". She has a Root end Chikusing 2.3.
Perry,
I just want to drop you a quick note and let you know that I'm in Shakuhachi heaven. The 1.8 you made for me is amazing. I've not had any urushi reaction, so that's some additional good news. It's nice and humid here in Jacksonville, so I've been playing on the porch, in the evenings. The sound attracts birds, squirrels, and lizards. I even had a snake come to visit me on the porch, as I was playing. Cool!
I wish I didn't have a day job so that I could practice all the time. Oh well, got to pay the bills.
Phil, FL
Phil has a YUNG Model 1.8.
I am very lucky to be able to connect with people all over the world. Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 07:10 AM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2007
Basement Bamboo
Here is a photo of my recently delivered stock of bamboo harvested specially for me in Guangzhou, China. It is Madake bamboo. Madake is the traditional species of bamboo used to make quality shakuhachi in Japan. The best quality Madake for shakuhachi making is difficult to obtain. It is up to the skill and ability of the harvester. Picking quality pieces of bamboo according to the proper age, density and dimensions comes with experience. That's why Japanese harvested bamboo costs about $100 each (starting). This stash is a cumulation of seven years of working with my harvesters to locate the best root end pieces in a grove for shakuhachi making.
It would be difficult for an average shakuhachi person to be able to distinguish between my highest quality Chinese Madake and high quality Japanese Madake.
After the harvest, the bamboo needs to yellow in the sun for a week or two and then stored in a cool dry place to dry slowly to prevent cracking. This piece came from a shipment five years ago. It had a crack so I let it go at a very friendly price. Cracks flutes can play as well as non cracked ones. Some professional believe that a repaired bound flute can play better because the tension in the bamboo has been released and the bindings add to vibrations. This theory is obviously very difficult to prove since a shakuhachi feels different every time you pick it up!
This stash will dry for at least three years in my basement before I use it to craft a flute. Some may crack within that time, the ones that don't will usually resist cracking, but one never knows where a finished flutes ends up. A dry climate would not be the best place for a shakuhachi to go.
Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
My Friends
Here is a photo of my friends in a bamboo grove in Taiwan
The one paying is Zak and the one being played is a 3.3. I wish I could be there to join them.
Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 08:19 AM | Comments (2)
July 13, 2007
Jinashi 1.8 Japanese Madake.
Here is a new Jinashi 1.8 recently finished from a piece of Japanese Madake that was very old. Difficult to say how old as it came through Kinya from an family who picked Shakuhachi in Kyoto for generations.
I intended to make a modern 2 piece 1.8 or 2.0 but there was a hair line crack on the back of the top so I decided to make a one piece, nobekan, flute. This turns out to be one of the best jinashi 1.8s I've made to date.
I decided not to do an inlay. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I feel this flute is a natural singer and belongs to no ryu.
Just bindings and a thin wash of shuai (translucent) urushi lacquer.
Sound file coming soon.
Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Pipe Bomb or Shakuhachi?
Here's what I picked up from the post office the other day. It was sent registered mail.
The postal clerk gave me a funny look as did everyone in line on the way out.
I'd prefer that future flutes be sent to me in packages that look less like pipe bombs.
Thanks! Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 11:33 PM | Comments (2)
July 09, 2007
Taimu Duet
Hey All, Thought you might enjoy a photo of me and Ken LaCosse hanging out doing a Taimu duet.
We thought we were on a cool groove until we saw Sasa's response!
It was a lot of fun chewing the fat with Ken.
Peace, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)