Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

dstone · 2006-10-20 18:33:10

Hi all. Let me throw a real philosophical question out here...

I'm fishing for words of wisdom from experienced makers who (I assume) struggled at one point (or still do) with "when do I stop subtracting bamboo, before I wreck this 'pretty good' flute?"

I have jinashi flutes that I've made and that I think are good, but that can be improved. I believe in learning from mistakes, but root-end bamboo, especially in nice proportions and longer pieces, isn't so cheap that I can make lots of mistakes. And when I'm talking about opening up the bell or removing more node membranes, etc... some mistakes are difficult (but certainly not impossible) to undo.

e.g. 3.2 jinashi, made 6 months ago and played a lot, nice tone, reasonably tuned, some notes unbalanced (volume) compared to others, overall extremely quiet, lots of node membrane left, finger holes smaller than normal (9.5 mm across the board), narrow root opening -- I play it and like it very much, but there's the temptation to open up holes for comfort/technique, nodes/root for loudness, etc...

General or specific thoughts on "when to stop subtracting" are appreciated... Thanks!

-Darren.

Mujitsu · 2006-10-21 01:42:58

Great thought provoking question Darren. I don't think this addresses your question in a technical sense, but it gets me thinking about some things.

One thing I've found with jinashi flutemaking is that as the flutes get better over the years, one gets better at not screwing flutes up as much by overworking them. Maybe the educated guesses become a little more educated. I think one also gets better at deciding when to stop on a problem flute, put it on the back burner and get going on the next one.

Since mistakes are always happening at some level, I like having many generations of failed flutes around me. It gives me time stamped evidence that things are improving!

I've messed up plenty of flutes on nice bamboo. It's frustrating when I'm feeling attached to the bamboo. I feel I'm working at my best when a costly failure doesn't bother me.

Ken

Karmajampa · 2006-10-21 02:04:45

Hi Darren, I am probably at a similar flutemaking stage to yourself, so my reply is not from a matured experience. What I have noticed for myself is that my flutes improve as my playing improves. Some that I thought did not perform have later turned out reasonable because my own playing ability has developed. And in turn my flutemaing improves.

Kel.

Yungflutes · 2006-10-21 16:08:40

Hi Darren,
I'm assumming that you want to make the best Jinashi you can for shakuhachi music.
The simplest advice I can offer is let your playing skills be your guide. Play your favorite piece of shakuhachi music and be overly critical on how well the techniques work according to musicality (or feeling). Applying the specific blowing and fingering techniques will allow you to judge how well your flute plays as a Jinashi shakuhachi (as opposed to an endblown bamboo flute that plays the Pentatonic Scale). While playing your favorite piece, be aware of the least desirable spots you may find. Is it a Dai Tsu Meri? A Chi Ru? What ever it is, find the fingering that bothers you most and think to yourself whether it's worth investigating the entire flute to make that one spot more to your liking. Be aware that another player might not find that same spot an issue.

Being able to play the shakuhachi at a highly proficient level will obviously help the maker make these kinds of decisions. I regard my shakuhachi lessons as the most prized and used tool of my shakuhachi tool box.

I have a huge tin of bamboo dust and an endless supply of glue:)

Namaste, Perry

Last edited by Yungflutes (2006-10-21 16:29:23)

philthefluter · 2006-10-22 16:21:23

I try to keep accurate measurements of my successes and failures. This includes bore details, number of urushi coats, tools and techniques used, etc. In this way, I can review my progress every now and then and make new targets.

I take note of the node points before opening up a new piece and compare these to the critical points (see Ken's pdf or Neptune's chart on his website). I have a chart in which I record pitch and volume details as I made changes (removing nodes, adding ji, etc.).

You have to make mistakes to learn. Don't be afraid to experiment. We're all beginners in this game. Phil.

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2006-10-20 18:33:10

When is a flute "done"?

#2 2006-10-21 01:42:58

Re: When is a flute "done"?

#3 2006-10-21 02:04:45

Re: When is a flute "done"?

#4 2006-10-21 16:08:40

Re: When is a flute "done"?

#5 2006-10-22 16:21:23

Re: When is a flute "done"?

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