Learning the Shakuhachi

[brandon]

A few weeks ago I decided to learn how to play the Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute).. I'd been wanting to learn a new, completely different, instrument for a few years (used to play classical guitar, but have mainly written electronic/computer music).. Never played a wind instrument before and hadn't considered one until now. It's really interesting and fun!

The Shakuhachi is lovely. They're traditionally made from the root end of a specific kind of bamboo, and treated with a lacquer made from a certain kind of sap. They have 4 finger holes and 1 thumb hole, and the blowing edge is just a sharpened part of the rim. They were played by Zen Buddhist monks.. the fellows who wore baskets over their heads.

The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the shakuhachi was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the fuke shakuhachi (普化尺八). [...] It was used by the monks of the Fuke Zen of Zen Buddhism in the practice of suizen (blowing meditation).

The instrument is tuned to the minor pentatonic scale.

The name shakuhachi means "1.8 shaku", referring to its size. It is a compound of two words:

1. shaku (尺) is an archaic unit of length equal to 30.3 centimetres (0.99 ft)) and subdivided in ten subunits.
2. hachi (八) means "eight", here eight sun, or tenths, of a shaku.

Thus, the compound word shaku-hachi means "one shaku eight sun" (54.54 cm (21.47 in)), the standard length of a shakuhachi. Other shakuhachi vary in length from about 1.3 shaku up to 3.6 shaku. Although the sizes differ, all are still referred to generically as shakuhachi.

Shakuhachi are usually made from the root end of madake (Phyllostachys bambusoides) bamboo culm and are extremely versatile instruments. Professional players can produce virtually any pitch they wish from the instrument, and play a wide repertoire of original Zen music, ensemble music with koto, biwa, and shamisen, folk music, jazz, and other modern pieces.

Much of the shakuhachi's subtlety (and player's skill) lies in its rich tone colouring, and the ability for its variation. Different fingerings, embouchures and amounts of meri/kari can produce notes of the same pitch, but with subtle or dramatic differences in the tone colouring. Holes can be covered partially and pitch varied subtly or substantially by changing the blowing angle. The Honkyoku pieces rely heavily on this aspect of the instrument to enhance their subtlety and depth.

I bought a beginner's one from an Australian guy who makes them out of local Aurea bamboo. I don't know how it compares to antique Japanese ones :) But it sounds beautiful and I love it.



That Wikipedia article isn't kidding about how versatile these flutes are! The range of notes and timbres you can make seems amazing for something with only 5 holes.. I love its classic "breathy" sound, but you can play cleaner, purer tones, muted sounding tones almost like a clarinet or oboe or something.. even didgeridoo-esque vocal flourishes, and strange warbling sounds and overtones. Minute alterations in the configuration of your lips, angle of your head, exact way you're covering holes with your fingers, even the speed at which you lift or place your fingers, all changes the sound... I had no idea of any of this when I started.. It's going to be a long quest to become a Shakuhachi master. =) Took me 2 weeks (of trying a few minutes a day) to even get a sound out of it! Of course there are similar traditional flutes from lots of different countries and they're probably all just as cool.

For the moment, I'm not doing any kind of proper structured learning, or trying to play any specific songs...just improvising... I watched a few youtube videos and am spending little moments throughout the day experimenting with it. I can make sound no worries, but my consistency is all over the place. Most of the time I can't play the upper octave (which is done by changing embouchure) except by accident.... but some days ALL I can play is the upper octave. Just in the last couple days I started getting very nice sounding classic openly breathy sounding notes... Some days, everything sounds horrid and squawky. I will eventually buy a book and try to follow specific techniques - I would like to try to learn some of the traditional Honkyoku pieces - I really like how they're more like sound paintings than songs - but at the moment I'm concentrating on my posture, finger and lip positions, and BREATHING (I need to do EE). It's profoundly relaxing and satisfying. Wish I had somewhere to play where I wouldn't bother people... maybe somewhere with a nice natural reverb.. I tend to inadvertently play an overly-muted sound, maybe because I try to play quietly...

BTW I don't particularly know anything about Zen Buddhism (though the Tao Te Ching made perfect sense to me when I read it, it was the first religious type thing I read that thought the same way I did), for me this is mainly about sound. Any meditative benefits are a lovely bonus.

I arrived at the Shakuhachi in a silly roundabout way... Its simplicity, the mindfulness required to play it, and the fact that it's all about breath, are what attracted me to it... But the way it jumped out at me was, I was reading some science fiction novels - David Zindell's 'Neverness' series - in which a main character plays Shakuhachi and carries it with him everywhere.. I liked how the books described the character's love for the instrument, and how the music he made with it was like elemental nature. When I looked up what this instrument was, I realised I'd heard it before, a LOT....... because there's a famous sound sample of a Shakuhachi which was part of a sound library, and was used in HEAPS of music, particularly 1990's jungle/drum'n'bass which I was into in my misspent youth. Ohhh, it's THAT flute sound! I even used to use that sample in my own electronic tracks as a teenager, it was one of my favourite sounds to use...

Here are a few Shakuhachi pieces I like..

Here's a cover of Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe: Hey Joe, by Cornelius Boots - Bass Shakuhachi, Nature Blues 尺八

And this other guy I found on Bandcamp, I think he's not as good a player as the previous ones (who are all proper grand masters!), but I like his improvisational style.. this piece is all slidey and bendy: Present in Transformations, by Shakuhachi Spirit


And, OK well, here are a couple little recordings of me playing... just random noodling... I'm an absolute beginner. I added a lot of reverb because it makes me sound better than I am. I also overlaid recordings of the creek near my house, because it sounds nice. Not brave enough to actually play down by the creek yet :D The 3rd file is just Shakuhachi without reverb, so you can hear what it really sounds like.. These were recorded on a little old Minidisc condenser microphone, nothing fancy... I figured out it sounds nicest if I place the mic next to my mouth, but don't have a mic stand so had to hunch over awkwardly instead of sitting/standing tall...

View attachment shakuhachi-cave.mp3
View attachment shakuhachi-cave-2.mp3
View attachment shaku-raw.mp3

Thanks for reading / listening! If anyone else plays Shakuhachi or something similar, you are most welcome to post about your adventures here too..

 

[Mililea]

Woooooww Brandon... that sounds really, really amazing, especially with the creek thank you for sharing.

 

[Emerald Rob]

Hey Brandon - ha! I knew ye had the music in yourself ;) Thats great- so glad youve connected with the shakuhachi.
Im sure you will have much fun discover so much on many levels by playing it. The fact that you enjoy playing -improvising /noodling is usually a good indicator at least it was in my case -after a few years I did get some less from some of the best over here :)

I never regret picking up a guitar and baglama -

looking forward to hearing how its all unfolding

“Bulaí fir!”

 

[Lukasz]

I really like the sound of this flute. It has so soothing effect. Perfect for relax and yet enhancing concentration at the same time.

Thanks for sharing your recordings. I like second one the most. And you're definitely not sounding like an absolute beginner.

Good luck on your Shakuhachi journey!

 

[Jones]

Nice sounds, brandon. Seems very calm and relaxing.

I don't know much about the instrument, but I did a breathing workshop once many years ago that was hosted by a Shakuhachi player. The exercises he was giving us were apparently exercises used by Shakuhachi players to improve their ability and skills to play. I don't remember much about the exercises other than that they were quite a workout that had me shaking and sweating at times, but got easier on each repetition.

Maybe some of the different breathing exercises or patterns helped to get different effects out of the instrument?

 

[Voyageur]

I'm an absolute beginner.

Could have fooled me.

Took me 2 weeks (of trying a few minutes a day) to even get a sound out of it!

Wow, well done! Thanks for sharing this and your tracks laid down.

I've similar flute given to me (well to wife really) from a Japanese family for taking care of their kid. It is beautiful, but I just can't play it, can hardly manage two notes strung together, if I can squeeze them out at all. One would think it easy, not!

Thus, the compound word shaku-hachi means "one shaku eight sun" (54.54 cm (21.47 in)), the standard length of a shakuhachi. Other shakuhachi vary in length from about 1.3 shaku up to 3.6 shaku. Although the sizes differ, all are still referred to generically as shakuhachi.

Okay, noticed a couple shown were longer than the standard length. The one at home is a few 16th's greater than 19.25 inches, or 48.89 cm - see below.

You've inspired me to keep trying.

 

[brandon]

Thanks everyone! And, cool @Voyageur! The piece of info I personally was missing in actually making a sound was, you sort of have to seal almost all of the blowing end of the flute (with your lower lip/the bit just below your lower lip), leaving only the Utaguchi (blowing edge) open. Well, that's what the guy in the tutorial video I finally found said. Until then I hadn't really understood the mechanics of it and was leaving it far too open. At first it felt unnatural, like I had to press the flute really hard onto my lip/chin.. But once you get used to it and can make sounds, you get a feel for it and can loosen up and try different things while still finding the sound..

The guy in that video also described how to shape your lips as: like you have your mouth almost completely closed, then smile slightly so it tightens your lips.. And again, once you get a feel for that you find there's a wider range of lip configurations which "work". But for me at least, those two tips were a good way to start.

Stringing notes together, or playing very long notes..you kind of have to release your breath, rather than blowing.. A meditation type breath.. I always get excited and accidentally breathe all my breath away too quickly..

About not sounding like a beginner - hehe thanks, but it's one of those things where the more you learn, the more you realise you don't know. When I first listened to shakuhachi recordings without a notion of how exactly it was played, I just thought "nice music, I like this instrument"....they make it sound effortless.... but since I started to play it, when I listen I go "wow, HOW are they doing that? that seems impossible!". Currently, it mostly still seems impossible to me. Which is fun :) Looking at the first video I posted above, seeing exactly how that man plays...if I try to emulate his forceful and precise finger and head motions, I simply can't do it. Yet!

edit: Aha, this was the specific video that got me started. The first one I found who explained enough for real, real, real beginners :)

 

[loreta]

I will take my time reading this thread and listening all the videos and audios. I have to say that I am in love with this type of sound, I had a cd with Shakuhachi music that I putted every night before sleep, and when fireworks outside, I putted this music for my dogs and it calms them. Now the CD is too old, so many nights during years listening to it!

Superb! Thank you!

 

[Glenn]

Nice recordings brandon.

 

[PERLOU]

Merci, joli son agréable à écouter... Je ne connaissais pas cet instrument... Merci

Thank you, nice sound pleasant to listen to... I did not know this instrument... Thank you

 

[brandon]

My shakuhachi goes well.. I'm getting more consistently able to make nice sounds.. Can do kan notes (the upper octave) on purpose now! Though not well or for long. And they sound quite harsh, which is to be expected since they need a higher pressure airflow, but it's definitely possible to play nice sounding kan, eventually. Gotten much better at controlling my breath.. Also, got a second shakuhachi, a longer deeper one, about 2.3 feet, tuned to B flat instead of D. It's harder to play but so lovely..

I'm often at my grandma's house and it turns out she enjoys hearing the shakuhachi. She has a big airy room with nice acoustics and a great vibe, big windows looking out on tree-tops - it was grandpa's art studio.. So I practise there whenever I get the chance.. Amazing how much difference a bit of natural reverb makes. Obviously it extends the sound and makes it fuller, but also it's like instant feedback which makes it easier to adjust your sound to be better... I've also taken to playing outside at the park, or in the forest around grandma's house.. these instruments seem just made for playing outside! In the forest I was getting a beautiful reverb, and I don't know where it came from.. tree trunks? The distant mountains? I was expecting the notes to just vanish away into the air, but nope.

Here's a recording (audio only) of part of an improvisation from 3 weeks ago which I like, again with my creek sounds (I gotta do some new field recordings!), on the longer flute. This 19 minutes sort of came out like a coherent "piece", at least to my mind. Minimal & ambient - think of it as a soundscape, not a song. I'd like to learn to play it again.

(BTW it's a pretty quiet/dynamic recording, I didn't use compression to make it all loud, I prefer the more natural sound.. so you have to turn it up loud to hear it properly :))

After that I began recording all my practice sessions. Mistake! I found that while recording, my playing got worse! Was disheartened for a few days, until I tried again without the recorder, so no self-expectations... and was suddenly better again. It reminded me of this thread: Does anticipating something reduce its probability? ... I was anticipating playing some good music, trying to capture and hold onto the moment. (Just THINK of all the "likes" you'll receive on the internet, brandon!).. so, good music did not happen. I was unable to relax. Shakuhachi needs a combination of relaxedness and alertness. But when I just pick it up and play without trying to KEEP what I've played, it flows freely... If that makes sense (I bet it does to musicians). So anyway I've banned myself from recording for now. Instead I will breathe & practise & enjoy the moments while they happen. OK well I'll record sometimes...but not most times...special occasions...

Here's an amazing modern player I found yesterday, Mamino Yorita. Wow...

 

[Mililea]

Sounds really, really good! Like Meditation Music. I can feel your inner peace when I hear it.
I know that problem with recordings... there are special days for recordings...
Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece with us!

 

[brandon]

Thanks Mililea! And PERLOU too for the comment you left on youtube. Thanks very much for listening and replying, it means a lot to me. :)

I wanted to know how the shakuhachi actually works, so found this video which I thought was very interesting. Not just in a shaku-specific way but of waveforms & physics in general... It's just basic physics I guess, but I had no idea. Basically, the angle of your breath onto the blowing edge splits the breath in two. The side of the split which has less air is lower pressure, so the other side tries to move in to fill it.. which makes the OTHER side lower pressure, so the air tries to move back.. back and forth, back and forth, a vibration, which sets up a standing wave inside the flute.. (Imagine the same thing at wavelengths of hundreds of thousands of years+ / cosmic scale.......!!)

 

[tschai]

Hey Brandon - ha! I knew ye had the music in yourself ;) Thats great- so glad youve connected with the shakuhachi.
Im sure you will have much fun discover so much on many levels by playing it. The fact that you enjoy playing -improvising /noodling is usually a good indicator at least it was in my case -after a few years I did get some less from some of the best over here :)

I never regret picking up a guitar and baglama -

looking forward to hearing how its all unfolding

“Bulaí fir!”

Just purchased the album on ITunes- R Carlos Nakai is a favorite of mine, I didn’t have this one-Thank you!

 

[brandon]

Here's a little video of the least worst bits from last night's shakuhachi practise.. just random improvisation as always, I've still not really tried to learn any actual pieces.. Though I do attempt to play parts of some Honkyoku I like...so far, very badly ("putting the 'honk' back in honkyoku"!)... haven't figured out how to play some of the weird notes and note transitions they use. But really enjoy trying to achieve the feeling they put into it... As usual, when I tried to record myself, I went silly and couldn't relax, forgot to breathe properly. You can see my hands are quite tense.. but, you can get the idea of where I'm at so far... Unlisted video because it's kinda embarrassing! But I'll share it with you guys...

I've started to sometimes be able to naturally incorporate head movements to control the sound.. though often still fall back into forgetting I have a body and staying motionless... it's very interesting physically, a combination of breath control, posture, fingers & head movement plus precise mouth shapes required..all working in concert with one another. I have bad posture, and playing shaku seems to be somewhat helping me fix it because slouching really does impede the good sounds. It's like giving yourself an instant treat for being good - stand up straight and you get to make a cool sound! I also have very inflexible ankles.. Usually I play standing up, but when I play in this room which has thick carpet, I kneel Japanese style, which I'm not at all used to. But it's easy to have good posture like that.. hopefully I'll limber up! Was playing kneeling for 45 minutes or so last night and when I got up...ouch...my feet aren't good at bending that way :)

Here's some different style shakuhachi music I've really gotten into.. 'Kyotaku', very long and deep instruments.. Slow and dark music but I find it very soulful..