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#1 2009-10-12 10:21:01

Owloon
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From: Experimental Farm, Ottawa
Registered: 2006-02-08
Posts: 19
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What features give more timbres?

The thing that obsesses me most about playing and making flutes is to get as much timbre variation as I can.

I'm curious about people's ideas of what features might give a shakuhachi more timbre possibilities - from hooty to buzzy to reedy to dark to whispy to a big honkin Ro to whatever - what gives the most timbral range in one shakuhachi. I'm wondering about things like hole size -  bigger, smaller, medium; bore width and how much taper; utaguchi angle and size, and the shape of the edge. Or maybe the bamboo itself. Maybe larger or smaller flutes have different possibilities. If the harmonics between Otsu and Kan are lined up just perfectly, are there more timbres available, or maybe something interesting happens if they're just a bit off.

And, if you've noticed, is there anything sacrificed? Maybe stability of pitch will be blown (har-d-har). How about volume? Maybe one looses one's favourite timbre to get a larger range of possibilities. Or maybe there are features that give lots of flexibility to one register but not the other(s), or at one end of the bore but less so at the other.

I'm not really thinking about ease of playability here, but the world of possibilities that are available - I'm not really worried about if the range of timbres are access or take more skill.

I'm entirely thinking that the most important thing is that the flute be well-made, but I'd still love to know if there are specific things that anyone knows - or suspects - increase the possibilities at hand (and lip).


"Whether you are [playing] in the bar, the church, the strip joint, or the Himalayas, the first duty of music is to compliment and enhance life."   -- Carlos Santana, via _Zen Guitar_ by Philip Toshio Sudo

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#2 2009-10-12 11:07:48

Mujitsu
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From: San Francisco
Registered: 2005-10-05
Posts: 885
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Owloon wrote:

The thing that obsesses me most about playing and making flutes is to get as much timbre variation as I can.

I'm curious about people's ideas of what features might give a shakuhachi more timbre possibilities - from hooty to buzzy to reedy to dark to whispy to a big honkin Ro to whatever - what gives the most timbral range in one shakuhachi.

Kim,

One thing I have noticed which helps give a shakuhachi more variety and complexity of tone are
irregularities along the bore profile. I don't mean a large difference in the general bore taper itself but
rather minor protuberances along the bore walls. A wider bore and larger holes broadens the tonal palette
as well.

In contrast, a very smooth, thinner bore can result in a more focused, pure, clean tone.

The trade off for a complex tone can mean a flute which is a wilder horse to manage or requires more
involvement to fix tuning issues, etc. The trade off for a smoother bore can mean an overly mechanical
tone. Of course these can also be seen as advantages depending on taste. Go figure!

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#3 2009-10-12 12:20:36

Owloon
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From: Experimental Farm, Ottawa
Registered: 2006-02-08
Posts: 19
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Awesome! Thanks, Ken!


"Whether you are [playing] in the bar, the church, the strip joint, or the Himalayas, the first duty of music is to compliment and enhance life."   -- Carlos Santana, via _Zen Guitar_ by Philip Toshio Sudo

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#4 2009-10-12 14:19:05

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
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Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Your question looks like the 'Holy shakuhachi-Making Grail' to me.

One of my initial thought responses is that a lot of timbral changes are due to the detail of blow as much as, or more than, the bamboo.

But, as ken indicates, the bamboo resonator plays its part. Bore profile.
My understanding of what timbre means is 'the blending of the fundamental with the harmonics', and again, this is caused as much by your blow as the bamboo.
The way my blow hits the utaguchi edge, the width and depth of the edge, the narrowness or broadness of the blow in combination with its speed and shape of embouchure.
Regarding the bamboo, I think aspects such as the amount of tapering, width of choke, 'to Bell or not to Bell', surface texture, hardness of the culm and primarily the aspect ratio in general.
A higher aspect ratio seems to favour the volume of the higher harmonics while a lower aspect ratio favours the lower harmonic volumes.

Now back to the Holy Grail, every flute I have made has presented its individual personality. That is something I particularly enjoy.

Kel.


Kia Kaha !

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#5 2009-10-13 14:51:22

Owloon
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From: Experimental Farm, Ottawa
Registered: 2006-02-08
Posts: 19
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Kel - Yes, I did feel a bit like I was saying "I want to make a shakuhachi - you know, a good one". Thanks for your thoughts.


"Whether you are [playing] in the bar, the church, the strip joint, or the Himalayas, the first duty of music is to compliment and enhance life."   -- Carlos Santana, via _Zen Guitar_ by Philip Toshio Sudo

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#6 2009-10-25 20:16:59

Alan Adler
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From: Los Altos, California
Registered: 2009-02-15
Posts: 78

Re: What features give more timbres?

My experience is with smooth cylindrical bores of metal or plastic.

Smaller bore gives reedier tone.  Larger bore gives a more pure tone with fewer harmonics.  My favorite bore diameter is about .80 inches or 20.3 mm.

I also find that wide blowing edges enhance harmonic content.  My flutes have a blowing edge as wide as the bore diameter.

See http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=3373

Best regards,

Alan

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#7 2009-10-25 22:34:09

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
Registered: 2006-02-12
Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

In my  first couple of years at making Shakuhachi I experimented with a ceramic flute I called the 'Cerute'.
see http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=636
I have been a potter for nearly 30 years so was keen to check out this medium. Ceramic is harder than steel and the inside of the bore is glazed so is probably about as hard and smooth as you could get.
the sound is very clean and bright, I like it and should get back to making some more except, as ceramic is so hard, it is extremely difficult to work on after final firing, whereas bamboo is relatively easy and a lot softer.
Also, clay shrinks up nearly 20% from start to finish and this had some serious impplications on upper register tuning !

Kel.


Kia Kaha !

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#8 2009-11-15 01:59:36

Toby
Shakuhachi Scientist
From: out somewhere circling the sun
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 405

Re: What features give more timbres?

Ah! this is a complex subject acoustically. Basically, the closer the resonances are to integral multiples of the fundamental frequency, the more the harmonics can participate in what Benade calls the "regime of oscillation". There is a phenomenon called "mode locking", by which it is usually impossible for harmonics in a sounding note to be inharmonic. Even if  tube resonances are somewhat off, all the resonance peaks will cooperate and move around to get themselves locked into correct integer relationships within a few cycles of the initial transient. But the farther a resonance is from the correct relationship, the less it can actually take energy from the regime of oscillation and participate in it.

It is an acoustical fact that with increasing volume, the participation of the harmonics increases as the square of the harmonic number, so that--for instance--when the volume of the fundamental is doubled, the octave increases 4x (2^2), and the twelfth increases 9x (3^2), etc. What this means is that the sound of a flute is only resonably "pure" (i.e, sinusoidal) when playing softly; as a matter of course, the harmonics will become more prominent the harder you blow. But if the resonances are not well aligned, and the harmonics are weak to begin with, it will be more noticeable at higher dynamics, because there is relatively little harmonic participation at lower dynamincs anyway, no matter how well the resonances are aligned.

So the single most important fact for timbre, acoustically speaking, is that the tube resonances be well aligned, and this is mostly dependent on the bore geometry. I'm finding that this can be well-predicted by using what are called "W curves" in Rayleigh perturbation theory, FWIW.

Apart from that, it is true that a narrower bore will give more prominence to the higher partials (at the expense of the lower). Changes in bore profile in the top third of the tube will also affect the composition of the partials more or less globally, but changes in this area will also affect the mode resonances, so that octaves may no longer be true.

Toby

Last edited by Toby (2009-11-15 21:36:19)

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#9 2009-11-16 07:23:13

Peter Kororo
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Registered: 2008-06-21
Posts: 82
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Re: What features give more timbres?

My opinion is based on experience, not math; I think Ken's is too. And I agree....this is why I prefer flutes made from before WWII, though there are exceptions both ways. But in those days flutes were more "hand made" than nowadays where most makers use a profile and stick with it.

The bore diameter does matter, but as an example, I've owned five 1.8 shakuhachi over the years by one great Meiji-Showa maker, and while they all have a similar quality, their sounds are quite different. Some of that is from the bamboo differing. My two by another great maker are very different, as are the five flutes by another I've owned. The first maker's have medium bores, the second larger, the third very large. I have two by a Kyushu player-maker, one of Watazumi's teachers, so koten honkyoku oriented, with even larger bores (20mm for the 1.8, 22mm for the 1.9) and they are also very different-sounding, though in part that's because the 1.8 is kanjiri-shibori (closes down at the very end).

In all of the above the bores are irregular, somewhat, but also it appears each bore was shaped in accordance, to some extent, with the piece of bamboo. In other words the maker didn't add more or less ji to get the same bore profile. This is why I don't think you can just apply a mathematical formula or two to explain the sound of shakuhachi....better to play as many old flutes as possible to learn better what makes them sound like they do. The age and density of the bamboo matters too, soft bamboo gives a soft sound, dense bamboo a harder, more ringing tone, and IMO the more a flute is played the better it sounds, within its own limitations of course, so the above factors are more important.

The bores on these older ones also aren't round....in the old days they said a "tamago" (egg-shaped) bore was best, and taller than wide on the great old ones that I've check out, at least. So wider bamboo feels better in the hands, but taller may well sound better, there's a life lesson in there too.

Mouthpiece shape matters too, wide and shallow like many Tozan flutes imparts a reedier tone IMO, one I personally don't care for but "de gustibus....." Kodo/Kindo type are pretty much a semi-circle, which is my favorite, whereas quite a few older Kinko flutes have a slightly V shape, which focuses the tone more and makes them easier to play for people without a lot of wind. 

Bigger holes make the tone brighter, so I like shakuhachi with a larger bore but holes that are "classic" size (10mm +/-) vs. 11 +/-. I feel such flutes "hold the sound" more and that may make the tone nicer. Again that's somewhat a matter of taste.

Last, I feel the maker's character and thus intention in making is important: are you devoted to shakuhachi? Do you love the culture(s) it came out of (love implies understanding, I don't mean infatuation)? Are you sincere in learning to make shakuhachi? Do you want to make the best flutes you can, even if it takes years to learn to do that? Or do you want to take short cuts, and/or make money quickly and easily, or become famous, etc? In other words how much of it is about YOU, how much about the sea of shakuhachi we're all waves in?

As a beginner, a senior player said a maker's character is in the flute, and I didn't believe him, though I do now. I've looked carefully (but not measured, though I would like to get the measurements someone else did of my best flutes some day, just out of curiosity) at many bores, and sometimes two flutes look identical on the inside but sound very different, some of that is I believe due to the makers' characters being different.

I don't make flutes, not yet any way, thus my perspective may differ from that of experienced makers. So I hope that clarifies more than it obfuscates.

[Edited for spelling and (relative) clarity]

Last edited by Peter Kororo (2009-11-16 07:33:40)


“Many people come, looking, looking. Some people come, see.”
                        —Nepalese saying

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#10 2009-11-16 12:26:59

edosan
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From: Salt Lake City
Registered: 2005-10-09
Posts: 2185

Re: What features give more timbres?

I would aver that, the more a particular flute is played, the better the player sounds.

Bamboo can change with time, but not nearly as much as a player...and probably not enough to make a perceptible difference.


Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.

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#11 2009-11-16 15:28:24

Tairaku 太楽
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From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
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Re: What features give more timbres?

edosan wrote:

I would aver that, the more a particular flute is played, the better the player sounds.

Bamboo can change with time, but not nearly as much as a player...and probably not enough to make a perceptible difference.

I once asked John Singer how much he thought the tone changed due to the flute being played a lot and he said "5%". This is based upon having had the experience of playing (for example) Yamaguchi Shiro flutes which sat in a cupboard unplayed for 50 years against ones that had been played constantly.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#12 2009-11-16 15:52:23

Tairaku 太楽
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Peter Kororo wrote:

My opinion is based on experience, not math; I think Ken's is too. And I agree....this is why I prefer flutes made from before WWII, though there are exceptions both ways. But in those days flutes were more "hand made" than nowadays where most makers use a profile and stick with it.

Comment about modern makers would apply mainly to those who make jiari of course.

To varying degrees. I've noticed that Yamaguchi Shiro flutes for example vary quite a bit, even to the extent that many suck. On the other hand the Shigemi flutes seem to carry two different but uniform bore profiles and they are consistently good.

Peter Kororo wrote:

The bore diameter does matter, but as an example, I've owned five 1.8 shakuhachi over the years by one great Meiji-Showa maker, and while they all have a similar quality, their sounds are quite different. Some of that is from the bamboo differing. My two by another great maker are very different, as are the five flutes by another I've owned. The first maker's have medium bores, the second larger, the third very large. I have two by a Kyushu player-maker, one of Watazumi's teachers, so koten honkyoku oriented, with even larger bores (20mm for the 1.8, 22mm for the 1.9) and they are also very different-sounding, though in part that's because the 1.8 is kanjiri-shibori (closes down at the very end).

Indeed closing the end down is one of the largest factors in the overall tone and impact of any shakuhachi. Changing that one factor can make a massive difference in how the flute presents itself.

Peter Kororo wrote:

In all of the above the bores are irregular, somewhat, but also it appears each bore was shaped in accordance, to some extent, with the piece of bamboo. In other words the maker didn't add more or less ji to get the same bore profile. This is why I don't think you can just apply a mathematical formula or two to explain the sound of shakuhachi....better to play as many old flutes as possible to learn better what makes them sound like they do. The age and density of the bamboo matters too, soft bamboo gives a soft sound, dense bamboo a harder, more ringing tone, and IMO the more a flute is played the better it sounds, within its own limitations of course, so the above factors are more important.

Strewth! (this is Australian slang for "it's the god's truth). It is the combination of real, not only theoretical, factors that make the flute what it is.

Peter Kororo wrote:

The bores on these older ones also aren't round....in the old days they said a "tamago" (egg-shaped) bore was best, and taller than wide on the great old ones that I've check out, at least. So wider bamboo feels better in the hands, but taller may well sound better, there's a life lesson in there too.

Interesting, I have not heard this theory before. I like the feeling of the ones that are wide horizontally vs. the ones that are wide vertically. I have two similar jinashi flutes by Okubo Kodo which fit both profiles and the egg shaped one which is taller has a beautiful and hollow tone. The other one is even better but it's a more complex and fatter tone.

Peter Kororo wrote:

Bigger holes make the tone brighter, so I like shakuhachi with a larger bore but holes that are "classic" size (10mm +/-) vs. 11 +/-. I feel such flutes "hold the sound" more and that may make the tone nicer. Again that's somewhat a matter of taste.

That's a fair generalization but a lot of it depends on what room you're playing in and it is really a matter of taste. Some large holed flutes sound incredibly sweet in a room that's large enough to let the sound open up, but harsh in a small room. I have two tea houses I play in and one is tiny. In that one I only use small holed flutes which sound incredibly sweet in the tiny space and don't overwhelm. But they sound dead in other rooms.

Peter Kororo wrote:

Last, I feel the maker's character and thus intention in making is important: are you devoted to shakuhachi? Do you love the culture(s) it came out of (love implies understanding, I don't mean infatuation)? Are you sincere in learning to make shakuhachi? Do you want to make the best flutes you can, even if it takes years to learn to do that? Or do you want to take short cuts, and/or make money quickly and easily, or become famous, etc? In other words how much of it is about YOU, how much about the sea of shakuhachi we're all waves in?

As a beginner, a senior player said a maker's character is in the flute, and I didn't believe him, though I do now. I've looked carefully (but not measured, though I would like to get the measurements someone else did of my best flutes some day, just out of curiosity) at many bores, and sometimes two flutes look identical on the inside but sound very different, some of that is I believe due to the makers' characters being different.
]

Not knowing the characters of the older makers it's hard to say.......I've heard weird things about one of my favorite vintage Kinko makers. But with the contemporary makers I know I'd agree that their personality comes out in the flutes as much as a player's personality comes out in their playing i.e. a lot and in ways that are not all apparent on the surface. But I think it's as much about their love of the bamboo as it is about their love of Japanese culture that makes their flutes have or lack integrity.

Good post Peter and many good observations. What makes a flute what it is goes way beyond theory. In any case the early makers certainly had theories but they would be different than the ones which are discussed by contemporary flute theoreticians. We're getting into the realm of archaeology here applying math to something that had more to do with feel.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#13 2009-11-16 16:13:51

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
Registered: 2006-02-12
Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Something that hasn't been discussed much on this forum is the concept of 'rooms', as described in Karl Abbotts book "Blowing Zen". There are 7 rooms along the length of the bore, they differ in length and in there relative influence on how the flute sounds.
Perhaps this concept was practiced by earlier makers.
I am curious as to how they evolved and why each division has particular influence.

Perhaps this requires a new topic heading.


K.


Kia Kaha !

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#14 2009-11-16 16:51:14

Tairaku 太楽
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From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Karmajampa wrote:

Something that hasn't been discussed much on this forum is the concept of 'rooms', as described in Karl Abbotts book "Blowing Zen". There are 7 rooms along the length of the bore, they differ in length and in there relative influence on how the flute sounds.
Perhaps this concept was practiced by earlier makers.
I am curious as to how they evolved and why each division has particular influence.

Perhaps this requires a new topic heading.


K.

Thank Kel,

Perry has discussed this in another post somewhere in the archives. Yes it's a good topic idea, why don't you post the starter? When I play I frequently find my thoughts wandering with my breath down and around the bore, exploring the different rooms. Especially on flutes where the end is closed down and the sound stays inside the flute for a while before exiting.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#15 2009-11-16 16:54:53

Lorka
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Registered: 2007-02-27
Posts: 303

Re: What features give more timbres?

Do these 7 rooms you speak of have anything to do with the fact that the shakuachi (in its ideal form) has 7 nodes?  Or is this a coincidence?


Gravity is the root of grace

~ Lao Tzu~

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#16 2009-11-16 19:30:53

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
Registered: 2006-02-12
Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

No, nothing to do with the nodes, in fact from rough recall, between tghe blowing end and the first node there are two to three rooms. The first room is about 2.5cm, that first node can be 150mm..

K.


Kia Kaha !

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#17 2009-11-16 19:35:42

Lorka
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Registered: 2007-02-27
Posts: 303

Re: What features give more timbres?

interesting stuff.  I'm guessing there is some kind of funky room near the thumbhole. Two of my flutes have what looks like a wad of bubble gum stuck down there.  I've been told it was to help the tuning.


Gravity is the root of grace

~ Lao Tzu~

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#18 2009-11-16 19:37:09

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
Registered: 2006-02-12
Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

I did a search for 'rooms' and came up with something about 'cheap hotels' so will go back, but, yes, I will post a new topic dedicated to this one.

K.


Kia Kaha !

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#19 2009-11-17 05:21:09

Toby
Shakuhachi Scientist
From: out somewhere circling the sun
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 405

Re: What features give more timbres?

I know that no one into the mysticism of it all wants to hear this, but it is completely, 100% about bore profile and smoothness. Sound is a physical quantity, and as such is determined by physical parameters. Like it or not, the bamboo itself doesn't vibrate enough to influence the sound in any perceptible manner. Nor does playing the flute more or less have anything to do with anything unless it somehow changes the bore.

That being said, there is no way in the world, even with a supercomputer, that anyone can predict the sound accurately to more than a rough approximation through modeling the bore. It is still an art, and as you all know, minute variations can have a large effect.

But the theory is very well understood, and anyone who knows it will be able to predict where and how much to make adjustments in order to change the mode resonances in order to bring the harmonics into alignment, and fix notes that do not sound well or are weak. I'm talking about W curves in Rayleigh perturbation theory. This is already being used in the design of Western wind instruments, and an understanding and implementation of it would give shakuhachi makers a powerful tool in their craft.

If anyone is interested in learning more, there is a paper online by the acoustical scientist Arthur H. Benade. Although it refers to Western instruments, the concepts apply to shakuhachi as well. Go to:

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/marl/Benade/  then go to Writings>70s and under 1977 download the pdf entitled "Acoustical evolution of wind instruments".

Sorry if this takes all the romanticism out of it, but it is a very valuable piece of knowledge for any wind instrument maker. A further development can be found in Benade's book "Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics".

Toby

Last edited by Toby (2009-11-17 05:22:22)

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#20 2009-11-17 13:06:53

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
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Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Thanks Toby, I always appreciate your technical understanding, though it takes me some mental manipulation to transpose it into lay language.

Alongside the 'Tech', I think the development of a 'good ear' helps.

K.


Kia Kaha !

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#21 2009-11-17 22:49:51

Toby
Shakuhachi Scientist
From: out somewhere circling the sun
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 405

Re: What features give more timbres?

Karmajampa wrote:

Thanks Toby, I always appreciate your technical understanding, though it takes me some mental manipulation to transpose it into lay language.

Alongside the 'Tech', I think the development of a 'good ear' helps.

K.

I agree. "Neither this nor that" as the saying goes.

The 'good ear' is tricky, since, as I say, there is no way to calibrate the nervous system for consistent response to a given stimulus. Personally what I think is important is to cultivate the ear while still understanding that it is not reliable. All of the acoustic scientists who are or were at the forefront of research were also accomplished instrumentalists. That allowed them to identify subtle aspects of sound and response which might not have been evident to less experienced people. The further step that they took was in having the knowledge and experience with which to pinpoint and analyze phenomena with experiments designed to eliminate other variables.

Of course sound production is so complex that there is no way to analyze it completely, but if you become a bit familiar with their work, it will give you valuable points of reference from which to practice the finer art of making and adjusting instruments. Traveling only by map, one misses interesting and wonderful sights, but without a map it is easy to get lost and end up going around in circles.

Toby

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#22 2009-11-17 23:17:41

Karmajampa
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From: Aotearoa (NZ)
Registered: 2006-02-12
Posts: 574
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Re: What features give more timbres?

One of my 'map' experiences was with a Fostex 4track years ago. I would lay down a piano track, then a Bass track, a guitar track, then vocals, sometimes 'bounce' and lay down some more. Through this focus balancing and blending what I felt was a good mix I noticed that I was listening to other music mixes with a grater clarity as to what was in them. I was surprised, how could I not have heard all that previously ?

On this reflection, it is possibly a useful practice to blow Shakuhachi in a variety of acoustic environments and listen to what is happening on any particular flute. The good old tile bathroom test.

Another is to slowly approach a large glass window while blowing, go up as close as possible and listen to how the reflection alters in timbre. A lot of those higher frequenncies get absorbed in softer spaces.

Well, one thing I have learned through this thread is how the partials are increased through volume increase, it was kind of obvious but to that extent was not so clear. I think I now understand why one of my 1.8's is a good 'honker'.

K.


Kia Kaha !

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#23 2009-11-18 01:47:07

Toby
Shakuhachi Scientist
From: out somewhere circling the sun
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 405

Re: What features give more timbres?

For me the amazing thing about shakuhachi is the fact that each flute is really an individual: not only on the outside, but on the inside. While the acoustic fundamentals are well understood, there are so many extremely complex, interactive factors that it is impossible to make a flute by scientific means. A good flute can only be finished by "feel", although knowledge can be helpful in assisting.

I have an old 1.8 that "breaks all the rules" (as I know them). A very wide bore but good, centered clear (and big) sound, and it goes all the way up in the dai-kan. I have a handmade silver flute, also, with an exceptional headjoint. In both cases, either art or luck (or both) has led to various acoustic parameters reinforcing rather than fighting each other.

Toby

Last edited by Toby (2009-11-18 01:51:59)

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#24 2009-11-19 18:50:03

Horst Xenmeister
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From: Germany
Registered: 2007-05-26
Posts: 69
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Re: What features give more timbres?

Toby wrote:

I know that no one into the mysticism of it all wants to hear this, but it is completely, 100% about bore profile and smoothness. Sound is a physical quantity, and as such is determined by physical parameters. Like it or not, the bamboo itself doesn't vibrate enough to influence the sound in any perceptible manner. Nor does playing the flute more or less have anything to do with anything unless it somehow changes the bore.

Wrong.

I am Horst. I am Zen Master, thus Horst Xenmeister.

With wurst as mit shakuhachi outsid is vary imprortanting. Would eating wurst from plastic oder bone outside? Thinking not. Natural casing esential for gut wurst. Bamboo is esensial for good shakuhachi. Jinshi good, jari beter, cast form BEST WAY.

Ugtuchi not imprortant. All shape good. End of history.


i am horst

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#25 2009-11-19 19:30:48

edosan
Edomologist
From: Salt Lake City
Registered: 2005-10-09
Posts: 2185

Re: What features give more timbres?

And thus endeth the pissing contest....


Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.

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