Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Matthew wrote:

I'm thinking of leaving the inside pretty much alone and then playing them for a good long time before touching anything.  What do you think I should leave to start off with in terms of millimeters so I have something to work with down the line?

That's a head scratcher Matt. Regardless of philosophy and/or science of approach that goes into flute making, the relationship of stuff happening in the bore seems to be a  large part of what makes a shakuhachi.

Here are a few thoughts that come to mind:

One way to go at the bore is to grind the membranes flush, presumably to avoid impedance in the bore.

Another way, like you stated, is to leave some of the membranes and let them do some of the bore work for you. To do this, it helps to have an understanding of the science of flute acoustics.

For me, better flutes seem to be a result of better listening. Your idea to leave some of the membranes for a period of time might be helpful. One way to do this is to grind very little away just until the flute plays with a decent tone, then stop. (with this method, the exact amount of membrane left will vary and depends on your ears) This way, you'll get used to the sound. Days or weeks later, when you make adjustments to the membranes, you're likely to hear the difference. Bank enough of those educational moments and you'll gain an understanding of the many relationships happening in the bore.

As always, there are many, many ways to go about this. Hope this way helps.

Good luck,

Ken

Thanks for your thoughts…I realize this is going to take an endless amount of experimentation.  Fortunately, I am in Japan and have permission to get bamboo from a nice big madake grove nearby so I have an ample supply of bamboo to mess up (although finding a great piece is another story). 

Anyway I guess much of this is going to involve learning through failure or disappointment, but that’s okay with me.  I’m just going to keep on trying until I get something I’m semi happy with…that may take a while.

Matt