Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

purehappiness wrote:

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this style flute and if it plays similar to shakuhachi. It looks interesting and since I can play shakuhachi I would think the anasazi should be easy to play. I am wondering how it sounds in comparison too.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q … =&aq=f

I am thinking it may be like a cross between a shakuhachi and a native flute. It might be nice to have to play on occasion.

Cannot change the pitch by meri and kari, at least not on the one I tried. And only a few cross-fingerings worked.

I have been playing Anasazi as well as shakuhachi for 4 or 5 years. You can meri and keri on the Anasazi, but to a limited degree due to the mouthpiece, if any, being a lot shallower than the shakuhachi. Most of the ones I play only have a rim and no "mouthpiece" formed in the flute.

The sound is soft and sonorous, especially when miked and amplified. This is due to the aspect ratio being very near to the overtune flutes made and played in the Balkans.

Be advised, the scale of these flutes is very different from shakuhachi. They do grow on you, however!

Dave McCullen

The flutes will differ from maker to maker and so will the blowing edge.

I have been looking at the Earthtone flutes hungrily for a little while now.  I've been thinking of getting some low flutes, and came to the realization that they didn't have to be shakuhachi to satisfy my urge for a deep low sound. 

This was a clincher video for me: 

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

Just lovely.  Scott August really seems to know what he's doing.

axolotl wrote:

I have been looking at the Earthtone flutes hungrily for a little while now.  I've been thinking of getting some low flutes, and came to the realization that they didn't have to be shakuhachi to satisfy my urge for a deep low sound. 

This was a clincher video for me: 

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

Just lovely.  Scott August really seems to know what he's doing.

Huge amount of signal processing on that...different kettle of fish playing it in your own living room.

Jim Thompson wrote:

edosan wrote:

Huge amount of signal processing on that...different kettle of fish playing it in your own living room.

Ed makes a good point. Not to impugn the guys work, it's actually quite beautiful. But there is enough delay and reverb to make a belch fascinating.

Isn't that to simulate the echo in the canyon's the Native American's played them in? It's probably the way they were supposed to be heard. When they were invented living rooms weren't even considered.

I have had an Anasazi flute by Eriktheflutemaker now for a year. My advice; if you are going to buy an Anasazi flute, only buy form him if you are fine with having a 1 and a half octave flute rather than the two octave normal. Also, he makes the flute with the same mouthpiece as the Quena.

As for the previous comment about the load of reverb: That's true, that recording has more reverb than you would actually find in a real canyon! But I have seen and played an Earthtones Anasazi flute and they actually have very good resonance.

This is the full range that an Anasazi flute can play according to Scott August:

http://www.cedarmesa.com/members/member … scale.html

I swore I wouldn't buy any other types of flutes until I mastered the kan register.  Well, it's not 'mastered' per se, but it's pretty good.  (This week I will try to wrestle dai kan re out...we'll see about that one.)  This means I am free to buy anasazi flutes, moxeños, fujaras, contrabass High Spirit NAFs and everything else on my wish list!  ...of course there are bills to pay first.

Were I to run out and buy an Anasazi flute tomorrow, I wouldn't get any Mojave or Quena style modifications.  I'd go straight for Coyote Oldman's original G# flute based on the original instrument.  Is best way.

I started rim blown flutes(and the whole Native American immersion being part Native myself) on both Anasazi and Hopi,Mojave flutes before moving on to the shakuhachi. I love the sounds and history of the Anasazi and it's relatives,the Hopi and Mojave. They are a bit easier to play than the shakuhachi but a bit tougher to achieve loudness on. I currently own three Coyote Oldman flutes,pictured below: The Anasazi,the Mojave and then the Hopi.







They are beautiful flutes and well worth the money.Compared to most shakuhachi they are a bargain.I have done well with playing and recording these flutes so that helped in my transition to shakuhachi.But I will say the shakuhachi is indeed a lifelong of learning whereas the native rims are mastered more quickly. If interested in more Native flutes,try the Flute Portal (many here already know about it) at:

http://forums.fluteportal.com

Jim
Vancouver,Washington USA