May 7, 2010

Hi everyone,

It’s been over a year since I wrote my introductory blog to you all. Wow, time goes by so quickly…so it’s time for a new entry – this time on the Indonesian suling!  There are numerous informative articles online about the suling, so instead of presenting a technical description of the instrument and it’s scales, I will give you my insight into the suling based on my own experiences with this flute. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the suling, I think, as players of the Native American flute, you will enjoy reading about this wonderful instrument.  It is also a fipple flute and quite simple to play with no thumb hole or pinky hole, is most often played with a pentatonic scale and has a lovely sweet sound in the smaller higher flutes, and a dark haunting sound in the larger flutes.

I was fortunate to be given an amazing opportunity to spend three weeks in Bali, Indonesia this past February as a resident fellow of APPEX (Asian Pacific Performers Exchange), an amazing program that brings together eight performing artists from Asia with eight from the U.S.  We had six musicians, seven dancers and three theater/puppetry artists from Cambodia, India, Thailand, Java, and the U.S.  During these three weeks our focus was to share our artistic processes and in workshop settings, create numerous new works that were cross-cultural and cross disciplinary.  What a fascinating and inspiring experience this was.

And being in Bali, well, I can’t say enough about this magical island. The spirit of the people is so strong and so apparent in daily life, it is life-changing to experience their devotion, their rituals and their many ceremonies.  And how the arts are a part of every day life for just about everyone is a true inspiration and how I feel life should be.

Our local hosts were Cudamani, one of the foremost gamelan ensembles on the island (http://www.cudamani.org). This dynamic ensemble brought us to a village called Tunjuk, a 45-minute drive from Ubud, the cultural capital of the island, but years apart in development. The villagers were unaccustomed to Westerners and treated the APPEX artists as honored guests. This special evening was the purification ceremony that the village holds every six months and we were treated to four hours of food, music, ceremony and dance. At midnight, they brought out the sacred masks of Barong, the mythical beast that represents good, and Rangda, the evil witch. During this ritual dance we witnessed one of the villagers and one of the female dancers going into a deep trance. We watched the priest sprinkle holy water on them while pulling their hair to bring them out of trance. One of the elders of the village, an internationally known Indonesian composer and musician, told us afterwards that we had witnessed a very special trance, and that trance is considered good, and an honor to experience and witness.

After studying music and trance while I was a student of Ethnomusicology at UCLA, this was a huge gift for me to witness this powerful transition of spirit through music and dance.  The sulings played a huge part of this experience.  The lead suling player played the small, high suling and the other two players played the larger, lower and more unusual sulings. Their repetitive overlapping lines create a hypnotic effect that is distinct from the style of other gamelan pieces. The flutists played constantly and were very tuned in with the energy of the dancers.

I shot a few short videos on my iphone.

The priests (in white) are administering the holy water to bring the man out of trance.

In gamelan music there is often just one suling player, sometimes several, and sometimes none. The flute is an accompaniment instrument rather than a solo instrument. The flutes embellish the melody lines and float in and out above the gamelan, and all, yes repeat, ALL of the suling players are men. Cudamani is now teaching suling classes and are teaching young girls. They also have a girls gamelan orchestra. The girls usually dance and sing but only very recently, as in the past few years, have they been taught the suling. I asked an expert on Indonesian society and culture why this is and he said it was because it was considered phallic and inappropriate for females to play the flute. I’m glad that their views are changing and that the culture is opening up to new ideas. While I was in Bali I performed many times for the communities and they were indeed fascinated with a female flute player. I also gave an impromptu workshop for the young suling class and their teacher. What a captive audience!

The suling is the bamboo flute of Indonesia.  It is a fipple flute with a very distinct and unique design and timbre with either four or six finger holes.  The body of the flute is made from thin walled bamboo.  A slice of rattan (palm, as in rattan furniture) is wrapped around the blow hole creating the embouchure hole on the side of the top of the flute.  The wrapped rattan is then either cut (Balinese style) or tied in a decorative knot (Sundanese/West Java).

The flute from the west part of the island of Java (Sundanese) has four holes allowing for the five-note Pelog scale.  The Sundanese suling music is called Kacapi suling and is my favorite style.  The kacapi is a Sundanese stringed instrument similar to a zither or a harp and this is the suling music probably most known around the world.  During my first visit to Bali over 20 years ago, I would hear Kacapi suling played in all of the cafes.  Turns out it was one particular recording being played throughout the island.  I bought the cassette tape.  The second time I visited, about six years ago, I heard the same music still being played in the public places such as hotels and cafes.  I then bought the CD (a collection with many of the same recordings).  This recent trip I STILL heard the same music being played and saw the same CD being sold in the markets.  It is a classic, called “Landangan,” Kacapi Suling Instrumental. The melodies are simple and haunting, with short repeating phrases and numerous ornaments. I ever tire of listening to this music.  Another beautiful suling style from Sunda is Degung with suling and gong style instruments…also gorgeous.

The Balinese gamelan plays in a very different style from the Javanese gamelan orchestras whose style is very slow and stately. The Balinese suling playing reflects the  dynamic and energetic Balinese gamelan .  The flutes have six holes and are able to play several types of scales and are tuned to match the tuning of the gamelan orchestra that it plays with.  Every village has it’s own gamelan with it’s own distinct tuning.

The premier suling player from Cudamani is also it’s flute maker and I had the honor of spending an afternoon with him while he showed me his flutes and his flute-making skills.  I watched him make a suling from the beginning stages and then he gave me the flute! What a treat.

If you are interested in purchasing a suling, please let me know. I brought a batch home and they sold very quickly. If enough people are interested, I will place another order. This time I think I will order custom made Sundanese style flutes from him.

Here is a photo I took of Cudamani in performance with their dancers and the suling players are playing their huge sulings! (The gold decoration is a the unique trademark of Cover’s flutes).  What a thrill it was to experience this performance close up with fewer than 30 people in the “audience” at their compound.  Their mastery is inspiring. They play together almost every day and live and work together in the village and often in or near the Cudamini compound. The bond they have can be heard in their music.

Here is a video of the performance.

Sulings with dancer

I am so in love with Bali, it’s culture and it’s people, that I am planning to bring a group of people over there to experience the island in a retreat setting, experiencing the spirit and culture of the island as well as enjoying the Bali Spirit Festival 2011 (http://www.balispiritfestival.com) in which I will be performing. If you would like to receive more information as plans develop, please send me an email! suzteng@mysticjourney.net. The dates will be around the last week of March, 2011!

Well my friends, thank you for reading this blog. I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to the suling as seen through my recent journey. I leave you now with a piece we wrote that is on our CD Miles Beyond. The melody was inspired by those days in the cafes listening to the magical sounds of the suling wafting dreamily through my body, mind and soul…and it’s title is, what else…”Suling!” Enjoy!

Suling – written by Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy

Peace to you,

Suzanne

www.suzanneteng.com

I just got back from Musical Echoes in Florida a couple days ago. This was my first time there and I had a wonderful time. This trip included a lot of “firsts” for me and I thought I’d share some of the weekend with everyone.

As always, the days leading up to a trip to perform are always busy. This is more so when I’m not driving as I have to figure out how to get all my stuff to the location. The week before I shipped product, forgetting to pack my Anasazi book. Then I had to borrow a better suitcase so my shirts and coats wouldn’t get too wrinkled. They always do anyway.

The next morning when we arrived at the terminal the TSA line snaked back and forth in a landing above the ticket counter, out the door down to the next terminal and then doubled back on itself. I thought sure I was going to miss my flight. However after spending over an hour in the line I made it to the gate just as boarding started.

I had to stop at DFW, which was much easier to deal with than LAX even though I’d never been there before. They had a train that connects all the terminals like a lot of newer airports. From DFW I boarded a 50 seat jet and head to Ft. Walton Beach.

As I headed toward the baggage claim area there was my “ride”, David waiting for me. David is one of the organizers and I liked him right away. A musician himself, he had a strong southern accent and welcomed me to “LA”

“LA?”, I replied in confusion.

“Yeah, Lower Alabama, that’s what we call it down here”.

I felt right at home.

We drove by the park where the festival is held, right on the water of a channel behind a barrier island. I met the sound guy and some others. Everyone was really friendly. Then he dropped me off at my room, which was too nice for the likes of me, and said to call when I needed a ride in the morning. I grabbed a bite for dinner, read some of the book I brought and went to bed. It had been a long day.

The next morning I woke to clear, sunny skies. I grabbed some breakfast at a Waffle House (another first) and then David swung by to take me to the festival.

There I met Dave McCullen in person, we had only dealt online before (another first). Dave, for those of you that don’t know, makes amazing PVC rim blown and oblique blown flutes. He has been doing so for a long time. Second perhaps to Michael Graham Allen. I have one of his PVC Hopi flutes. He doesn’t sell flutes, but gives them to those lucky few. He works under the name Warrior Wind Flutes. While we were talking I was expressing how lame I felt since I hadn’t shipped a blanket for my table. Dave said he could get one and took off. He returned about five minutes later with a really nice blue fleece with a “Native” design on it. When I asked who let him borrow it he replied “I bought it for you”. I was so touched, but insisted that I pay him back. He took the money I gave him and promptly bought a copy of Radiant Sky from me! He later came by the both with a Ney and a Kaval. Several of us were lucky enough to get flutes by him. What a treat. I got a Ney and a Kaval and another Hopi flute and an oblique blown flute with a NAF tuning. The last two I can play, the Ney and Kaval, not yet.

Mark Holland had a booth near mine, Jeff Ball showed up later and set up next to me. Also there was Jonny Lipford and Michael Searching Bear. I’d met Jeff and Mark and Jonny before. Jeff I’ve been lucky to know since 2002 and Mark I met in 2007 I think. They are both great guys and as we all know great flute players. Jonny I meet at the last INAFA convention. He’s really coming up with his career and I hoped to get a chance to talk to him sometime during the weekend.

During the day there was a flute competition and then the performing began. All this time the nice sunny sky was becoming darker and darker, the air turned cold and rain threaten to start. I took the stage at 6 PM and as I was playing I could see lightening to the west. It started to drizzle. The sound guy, Bob, told me to keep playing while they dismantled the lights in front of the stage and the speaker stacks. I slogged on as best I could as the lightening got closer, thunder started to clap, the rain increased, and the sound guys yelled back and forth as they lowered the lights in front of me. Finally the rain got so hard it was time to shut everything down. Even with all the commotion I felt lucky. At least I got to play. All of the evening performances were canceled. Once I stopped the brave few that were still in the audience rushed for cover and we all headed out.

Performing during the lightening, thunder and rain
Photo by Cynthia McDonald

The lightening storm was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much lightening in one storm. We don’t get a lot in LA. A bunch of us went to dinner. Myself, Katy Owen, Deborah Peterson, Lynn Lipford, Michael Searching Bear and his band, and the 2nd place winner of the flute competition, Traci Conley Junge and her family, were just part of the group. While at dinner Katy told us that she’d been hit by lightening three times!

We all hoped for better weather the next day…

(After I wrote this I got a call from David. Ft. Walton Beach could be hit by the oil spill any day now. He asked that I keep them in our thoughts. Thought I’d pass it along. The more the better.)

This month there will be two prizes up for grabs, which means that two lucky subscribers will receive a special treat!

The prize drawing is open to all subscribers.  Not a subscriber?  Learn how you can participate in the drawing and support the Flute Portal at the same time!  Click HERE for more information.

Prize # 1:   Keith Oberdieck of  Burning Wood Flutes has contributed a gorgeous creation in the key of G# made from Padauk, with custom burn rings, woven and beaded ties, and Bear block with turquoise inlay.  I’ve played this flute and it is very sweet, with a full, strong voice and clear tone.  Absolutely top notch.   Here are some pics:

Prize # 2:  A contribution from Earth Tone Flues (me!).  This flute is made from Black Limba with a Raven block and endcaps made from Wenge.  It is in the key of mid-F.  Here are some pics:

Hello again, Flute Portal! It’s been a while since my last post, but a very interesting and eventful time…details to follow in successive posts. For now, I’m going to talk a little about my recent trip to India and share some creative ideas.

In early February I traveled to Varanasi, India, where I was staying in the home of my teacher, Pandit Vikash Maharaj. a maestro of the Sarod (a fretless, plucked-string instrument more akin to the guitar than the flute). I originally sought his guidance in 2001 to learn how to apply Indian melodic ideas to my guitar playing. In the last several years, however, I’ve been working on applying sarod-style techniques to bansuri playing. The process brings up some very interesting ideas that I think anyone can apply to their own studies.

When playing any instrument, there are phrases that seem to come naturally as a result of the way that the human hand interfaces with the physical tasks involved with making music on it. I think it’s a good idea to learn to make the most out the types of ideas that come naturally on your instrument. I also think it’s a good idea to try to break out of your patterns by emulating the styles of other instruments. At Berklee College of Music, we were encouraged to learn saxophone and piano riffs on guitar as a way of expanding our melodic vocabulary beyond the usual “guitaristic” types of ideas. When I started learning bansuri with Vikash Maharaj, I decided to try to apply the same concept to bansuri playing.

Sarod players use only two fingers of their left hand for playing notes on the fingerboard. This is a self-imposed limitation that actually leads to enormous creativity. While deprived of the guitar-like ability to play complex shapes that are only possible with all four fingers, sarod players compensate by developing a very complex rhythmic language enabled by a fierce right-hand picking technique. Simply put, sarod style is fewer notes played with incredible rhythm.

Lets say that you’re going to play on one string with only two fingers. For the purposes of this example, let’s ignore the fact that you can play up and down the fingerboard. Thus, you would have the open string (no fingers) and two more notes that you can add (one for each finger). How many ways can you play those 3 notes? Let’s take a look at how complex this can actually be. Try choosing 3 notes on your flute and playing through each line below, with each note given equal duration (i.e. all 8th notes). Go at whatever speed you’re comfortable with and repeat each line several times before moving on:

11111112
11111121
11111211
11112111
11121111
11211111
12111111
21111111

11111212
11112121
11121211
11212111
12121111
21211111

11112113
11121131
11211311
12113111
21131111

Notice how each rhythm feels different? Which ones sound good to you? Now try again and substitute 3 for 2 and 2 for 3. Or substitute 3 for 1. Or chop off the last note and work with 7 beat phrases (or 6 or 5 or 13 for that matter). All of a sudden the permutations multiply and endless combinations become possible – with only 3 notes! And this is really just the beginning of the kinds of patterns you can explore. Make up your own and try them!

One favorite of mine is to use the rhythmic template of 3 beats + 3 beats + 2 beats as in:

12312312
13213212
12313212
13212312

12212212
13313313
12213312
etc.

Turn them upside down and it sounds like this:

32132132
31231232
32131232
31232132

32232232
31131131
32231132
etc.

You can also try them backwards or upside down and backwards…and any other way you can think of!

The idea of all of this is not to reduce music to a math problem. The point is to use your brain to create variations of an idea, then try them and see how they sound. Most of them you will forget, but a few of them will stick and become part of your vocabulary. With practice, you will be able to improvise with these kinds of ideas in a real-time musical environment – often with very satisfying results. When you start with a simple concept and explore variations of it within an improvisational paragraph, the other musicians and the listeners can follow your thought process easily and you will have communicated something. When that energy comes back to you amplified through the creativity of the other musicians and the feelings of the audience, that’s what we live for!

I hope you find this useful and inspiring. If so, please let me know, and I’ll be sure to follow up with more. In my next post, I’ll get into applying sarod-style right-hand techniques to flute playing as well as telling some more about my trip and some exciting career developments that have taken place very recently.

osiyo

Last November, we did a trio concert at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD.  Janice and me and Lenny along on guitar.  The college tv station crew taped it and have put a thirty minute version up at YouTube.  It has some of the new material we’ve been working on in the studio, in a kind of “unplugged” version.  Here’s the link…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moriDb0pBdk

Let me know if the link works… thanks! 

Most folks are familiar with basic studio concepts like tracking, editing, samples, mixing, etc.  But “mastering” sometimes gets overlooked.  You can think of mastering as that last bit of polish that goes into a project.  A skilled mastering engineer will use equalizers, compressors and other tools to boost or reduce particular frequencies and otherwise tweak the final mix.  While they may not be able to fix an incompetent mix, they can take a good mix to another level.

They also have the task of bringing the dynamic levels of all the tracks on a project to a similar range so that the listener doesn’t have to continually fiddle with the volume setting on their system.  All the tracks are of a similar loudness.  The overall loudness of a CD can be boosted as well, so that the CD will “pop” when it’s played and will be as loud as other CDs on the market that are in a similar style.  I usually will put a master CD of a new project into my CD player with several other discs and hit “shuffle” to make sure about this before we send it off to the manufacturer.

There are other things that happen at the mastering session as well.  We can make final decisions and adjustments on the fade outs at the end of tracks.  We can decide how much time there will be between the tracks.  The final track order is laid out and other necessary techie info is burned onto the master disc, info the manufacturer needs to set things up right.

Some engineers get so good at this that they become known as mastering specialists.  Keith, the guy who mastered the new project I’ve been taking you through, does nothing but mastering.  Lenny (our guitar player/producer) and I sat in for the mastering session.  I mostly sat back and just enjoyed hearing Keith do his thing.  Lenny, as producer, had a few questions along the way, but we both quickly realized that the project was in very good and experienced hands.

Next time, I’ll tell you about Leonard Stevens and his duel role as musician and producer on the project.  In the meantime, those of you in the Washington, D.C. region might want to check out his powerhouse classic rock band, Big Mouth.  You can find them on Facebook.

Hope to see some of you at the Potomac Flute Festival this weekend.

good journeys

Ron

Shovel, shovel, shovel.  I know some of you out there are used to 30 inches of snow almost all at once, but here in the D.C.- Baltimore region, it brought things to a complete standstill for a week.  And, of course, that meant everything got backed up for a while.

For one thing, I was invited to sit on a selection panel for some arts projects funding through the National Museum of the American Indian.  The meetings were scheduled the week of the blizzards, so that got pushed into the next week or so.  There are some very cool creative music/multi-media projects going on in Indian Country, but that will have to wait for another time.

Also, we were on a deadline (self-imposed) to have the new CD project out to the manufacturer by the beginning of March.  The band is playing at Potomac Flute Festival  in Arlington, VA at the end of the month.  We’ll be doing a lot of material from the new CD, so we wanted to have it on hand.

By the time things got moving again, we were up against it.  We had tracked the rhythm section, piano, lead flutes and lead vocals at the main studio, but still had a lot of layering to do.  Working with rough mixes of these parts, our guitar player/producer, Leonard, laid in his guitar parts and some nice keyboard pads and organ bits at his basement studio.  I tracked some traditional percussion (hand drums and shakers) at my place along with a few backing flute parts and even a couple of Janice’s secondary vocals.  We finished up backing vocals and an extra flute solo at Leonard’s, then it was back to the main studio to put it all together.   Then it was on to a final mix in record time, a mastering session and out the door.  Whew!!

One of the most important decisions along the way is track order.  This probably matters less these days in an iPod world, but a lot of our listeners still like to play a CD from beginning to end, so I always put a lot of thought into what order the songs will be in to provide the most satisfying listening experience.  I like to try and make music that rewards careful listening and track order certainly contributes to that.

In the middle of all this, Janice and I came up with a design concept for the packaging which the graphics folks at the manufacturing house turned into reality.

I love the full creative control of being a proud and complete indie, but with that comes a lot of extra time commitment and leg work doing those necessary things that some labels do for some of their artists.

A number of you have responded that you enjoy the info about studio recording, so in the next week or so, I will try to get back on here and write a bit about a couple things in the process that might be less familiar to those who don’t spend much time in the studio – mastering a CD project plus the role and importance of the producer.

Wado (thanks) for reading.  Good journeys.

Ron

Congratulations to Charles Koci, the winner of this months drawing!

This months subscribers prize has been donated by John Kulias of Meadowlark Flutes.  John specializes in creating his beautiful flutes from clay, and using the ancient technique of  pit firing them to make them into unique works of visual art that look as good as they sound!  You have to see and hear these flutes to believe them–totally amazing.

John explains:  “The process begins by creating the shape of the flute and finding its voice. Once the flute is kiln-fired and tuned for a second time, it is then pit fired to attain its earthy colors. The pit firing process is one that is done in a large, outdoor open pit. This fire gives the flutes their color by infusing gases from organic materials being ignited in the fire. Using this process, no two flutes will ever look the same!  Another feature of a ceramic flute is they will never have issues with “wet-out”. The clay absorbs the moisture from the breath. They can be played outdoors in widely varying temperatures and never have “wet-out” be an issue.  There is no special care required except to give them lots of playing time and enjoyment.”

This flute is in the key of high B. Would you like to see some more pics and hears some sound samples?  Just click HERE to go to the Meadowlark Flutes web site.

The prize drawing is open to all subscribers.  Not a subscriber?  Learn how you can participate in the drawing and support the Flute Portal at the same time!  Click HERE for more information.

We have our February winner!  Congratulations to Penni Hall!

This months Subscribers prize drawing features a  hard flute case donated by Mark Slater of The Flute Case Store (www.flutecase.com)!  After talking with Mark we decided that an empty flute case really needs something to fill it up, so I donated a custom bird head flute to go with it

Not a subscriber?  Want to qualify for the prize drawing?  To learn how to subscribe, click HERE.

Case Details: The single tube flute case was designed for the flute player who wants to transport a single small to moderately sized flute.  It consists of one 3-inch crush resistant PVC pipe covered in dense Cordura Nylon and lined with a soft tan polar fleece. Each has a nylon carrying strap for easy transport. To reduce the risk of damage, each flute case has 3/4″ of dense foam padding in the top and bottom. Each case is 28″ long.Please note: It is highly recommended that the flutes be placed in flute bags within the tubes prior to transport. Flute damage can occur due to rough handling or from forceful contact with the PVC tubing.

Flute Details:  Alaskan Yellow Cedar, key of mid A with Ebony “Fledgling”  block and nipple-style mouthpiece.  Custom burn rings and black leather tie.  Birdhead is dyed (not painted) with inset glass eyes, and interior done in black lacquer.  Comes with a soft, fleece bag.

Here are some pics:

Reflections on Teaching Shakuhachi

Well, it’s been a while! I hope everyone’s winter is going as well as possible. My winter has been quite introspective, but busy nonetheless with teaching and flute making. So writing has been on the back burner. But now that the weather is getting bit warmer, my brain is revving up with it so I feel like writing again.

I am so thankful for the shakuhachi as it has made my life deeper and has opened me up to worlds of beauty and wonder.

It seems today that everything is so disconnected, fragmented, split apart; everything from families, to minds and bodies, to our relationship with nature and the cosmos. Ironically, the internet is creating a strange kind of unity with consciousnesses and countries and cultures that is quite fascinating to observe. With the rapid rise of popularity of the internet, most of my students now, I teach via internet. This is a kind of mixed blessing because since I live so far from the city it is very convenient for me to stay at home to teach, but much is lost in this process. Such is the way of life today. Traditionally shakuhachi is taught face to face, teacher and student together. The student listens and repeats whatever the teacher plays. This process goes on until the student learns the piece. In the old days, no notation was used and there was no explanation of how to do the techniques or difficult passages. That was up to the student to work out. It was not uncommon to take us much as 3 years to learn one piece. Today we use notation and use much talking to explain technical details. And now internet is becoming a common practice and it is really great for those who don’t live near a teacher. So anyone, anywhere in the world can learn shakuhachi now! However, there is no substituting the pleasure and benefit of actually learning face to face. On the internet (e.g. using Skype, iChat, etc.) one cannot hear and feel the actual sound or the teacher so it is difficult to really know if the proper sound is being produced. Also, it is impossible to play together since there is a slight delay in the connection and so it is impossible to feel the mind/breath flow of the teacher and piece which is important in the learning process. So to solve this problem, I record the piece on mp3 for the student and they can play on their own in their own time. But person to person is the best way to learn so I offer retreats at my home for students to come and train. If money was not an issue, I would teach students for free and build a shakuhachi monastery where people can live and learn shakuhachi for free in exchange for their personal donations or whatever they can offer. The only prerequisite is a deep desire to learn shakuhachi.

I am eternally grateful for all the students I have. They are the ones keeping the tradition of shakuhachi alive and flowing. I learn something new from every student and it deepens my relationship with the honkyoku (original pieces).

When you become a student of shakuhachi, you also become a member of an international community that is growing every day. This community extends throughout the world. It consists of hundreds of your fellow students.

The Dojo

Shakuhachi lesson at Taniguchi sensei's dojo, Japan.

The word dojo literally means “place of the Way”. The dojo is a place of learning; a place to respect, keep clean, and to care for. A place to be made special for practicing a special art.

Shakuhachi can be taught anywhere and everywhere; in living rooms, garages, community centres, next to a running river, in your living room on the internet. It is important to remember that the place where shakuhachi is practiced becomes, at least symbolically, a dojo, a sacred space, and should be treated as such. This is part of the reality and tradition of shakuhachi. Eventually you will come to appreciate its inner value.

The student sits in front of the teacher. Traditionally in Japan, seiza (“sitting with legs folded sitting on your feet”) is often practiced. For most westerners (and modern Japanese), this is very difficult. So sitting on chairs, isuzo, is usually done. Loose fitting clothing should be worn to enhance the free flow of energy through the body. Many teachers teach strictly privately in a private room. Others practice a more open form of teaching where all the students gather in one room as the teacher teaches each student one at a time while the other students observe the lesson and wait their turn. The lesson begins with a formal bow and the expression of onegaishimasu, which means “please” or “I ask a favor” and at the end of the lesson arigatou gozaimashita, or “thank you” is said.

Without a qualified teacher to guide one in the shakuhachi path, it can be extremely frustrating and slow, and will perhaps lead one to quit before ever witnessing your art blossom. Even with a teacher, seeing progress can be quite slow. Patience is so essential. A common phrase in Japan which all teachers say to students when one undertakes a difficult path is, ganbatte kudasai, which roughly translates as “hang in there, do your ultimate best”.  So true for shakuhachi!

In the end, the study of shakuhachi is what you make it. The world of shakuhachi is deep and broad. You can tread a purely musical, intellectual road with it or you can dive into the profound realms of meditation and spiritual development. Each student maintains control of their individual training level. Shakuhachi can be enjoyed by both the player and listener but to understand the shakuhachi one must hold and blow the instrument. You must listen to the sounds of nature because it will continually provide you with different stimuli and a feeling for the traditional pieces. During the learning process, you must always strive to keep an open mind. By doing this your technique will become more diverse and take on more meaning.

One of the hardest things to overcome for the beginning student is the feeling that you are not “good” enough in playing. This is erroneous thinking. Shakuhachi is a most humbling path. It requires great patience and the ability to let go much of what we have learned in the past and open ourselves to a new and different way. We must re-learn our most basic skills of breathing, listening, sitting, and moving. This may be the most challenging and perhaps the most rewarding of experiences. Learning something of great quality never comes quickly. Just as a finely crafted piece of art takes time to create, the learning of shakuhachi requires years of study. We must develop patience with ourselves and then add to that by learning patience and understanding of others.

Until my next post,

Ganbatte kudasai!

Blowing good energy to you!

As we continued our visit to the Minheng District Museum of Shanghai, Chinese Folk Musical Instrument Exhibition Hall, I was amazed at the quality of the flutes in the collection.

Chinese Mouth Organs, Sheng and Hulu si

In the photo above there are some beautiful examples of Chinese mouth organs. The ones on the back wall are multi-reed pipes called sheng and the gourd shaped one in the front has only two pipes and is called the hulu si. The hulu si has one pipe that is simply a drone and the other has finger holes that can play melody. 

Chinese transverse flutes (dizi)

Here is a beautifully carved jade dizi (Chinese transverse flute). Notice the interesting finger hole pattern in the flute to the right. At first look it doesn’t make any sense. Some Chinese players play the flute right to left instead of left to right and this finger pattern might be a strange hybrid of both.

Chinese Xun (egg shaped ocarinas)

The xun is an egg shaped ocarina made of clay. This flute does not have a fipple like a South American ocarina but instead the player has to blow across the top like on a soda bottle. This flute produces a beautiful earthy tone and employs all the fingers of the player except the pinkie on the right hand. Even both thumbs are used.

Double reeds (Suona, Guanzi)

In this display case we have some double reeds. On the right we have a very ornate suona. This instrument has a trumpet like bell and rather a kazoo type tone.  Almost like a coloratura soprano cross bred with a mosquito. On the middle stand we have the guanzi which has sounds similar to a saxophone.  In 2002, I was involved with a concert in China where we did collaboration with a guanzi player who was studying jazz and we performed a piece in the style of George Benson’s Affirmation.

pitched bamboo pipes

Aside from a comprehensive offering of woodwinds, the District Museum also has a great complement of strings and percussion. The string collection includes bowed, hammered and plucked instruments of all shapes and sizes.  Some instruments normally the dimensions of  a small banjo were the size of double basses and there was also a wide array of gongs and metallophones.