Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

World Shakuhachi Discussion / Go to Live Shakuhachi Chat

You are not logged in.


Tube of delight!

#1 2006-02-18 00:31:47

Yungflutes
Flutemaker/Performer
From: New York City
Registered: 2005-10-08
Posts: 1061
Website

Good Lips Bad Lips

Do you have good lips or bad lips for shakuhachi embouchure?

I've been guiding people into making their first shakuhachi note for years. One of the first things I look at  on a newcomer is the shape of their lips. Believe it or not, what nature provides for shakuhachi ability favors some more than others.

Let's take a look at this illustration:

http://www.yungflutes.com/logphotos/anatomy.jpg

The area designated by the letter A is called the central vermillion tubercle. For some, it protrudes as in the photo below.

http://www.yungflutes.com/logphotos/badlips1.jpg

This protrusion makes it difficult for the player to create the tightly focused air stream that is required to hit the utaguchi spot on.

http://www.yungflutes.com/logphotos/badlips2.jpg

This means that the air stream gets splayed.

http://www.yungflutes.com/logphotos/goodlips1.jpg

On lips with a smooth central tubercle, such as the one in the photo above, the air stream can be focused and directed well.

A good pair of shakuhachi lips here.

http://www.yungflutes.com/logphotos/perfectlips.jpg

This famous musician can have a second career when he retires.

If you have a heighten protrusion on your central tubercle, no worries. You can still learn to play the shakuhachi and excel. What you should do is learn how to direct the air stream from one side of the protrusion. I have guided several people on how to do this and they are all capable of blowing strong flexible notes now. Just how do you direct the stream to one the side? Well, have you ever noticed how some smokers can carry on a conversation and smoke at the same time? Try looking in the mirror and mimick how they blow smoke off to the side when talking to you. This means your shakuhachi will be off-centered but that's Ok. Many master players play off-center.

http://www.yungflutes.com/logphotos/badmeri.jpg

Safety tip for the week: wearing jewelery can be dangerous in the workshop...and in this case, while playing shakuhachi. I wouldn't try Meriing here...smile

Enjoy the deep breathing, Perry

Last edited by Yungflutes (2006-02-18 09:22:16)


"A hot dog is not an animal." - Jet Yung

My Blog/Website on the art of shakuhachi...and parenting.
How to make an Urban Shakuhachi (PVC)

Offline

 

#2 2006-02-21 02:37:39

kyoreiflutes
Member
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: 2005-10-27
Posts: 364
Website

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

So, my central vermillion tubercle is pointed, but not as much as the photos you show. There's definately a protrusion, but not that much.

I get really good notes from blowing through the front, and generally have no problems whatsoever, except I'm still having problems getting into and holding Otsu. I can sometimes get the first one or two notes out, but rarely, and it's pretty loud when I do. When I stay in Kan, though, it sounds pretty good, and I can get it loud or soft.

When I play to my left, however, I can get into otsu just a tiny bit better, but I haven't tried it much: I'll be working on it this week. Playing Kan register, though, isn't so awesome to the left as in the center, so I wonder if I'll be a player who does Kan in the center, and Otsu on the left. Is that at all common? I have seen a number of photos of master players turned a little to one side when they're playing.

This is great info, Perry...keep it up.

-E


"The Universe does not play favorites, and is not fair by its very Nature; Humans, however, are uniquely capable of making the world they live in fair to all."    - D.E. Lloyd

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."    -John Donne

Offline

 

#3 2006-02-21 21:33:42

waryr
Member
From: Leesburg Florida
Registered: 2005-10-10
Posts: 70

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

My battle with otsu was won when I followed the admonition of Katsuya Yokoyama and Watazumi-do to do long tones for at least 15 minutes before each practice. I also have several different flutes of varying lengths, both jinashi and jiari, that I play long tones on and then use in practice. I still sometimes inadverdantly jump to kan when nervous.

As to my central vermillion tubercle..........covered by moustache. Out of sight, out of mind. <g>


If you understand, things are just as they are, if you don't understand, things are just as they are.

Offline

 

#4 2006-02-22 02:17:25

kyoreiflutes
Member
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: 2005-10-27
Posts: 364
Website

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

That's really interesting...how long were you playing before you were comfortable in otsu?

I've always been bad with just blowing one note, as I'm kind of a slightly nervous fellow (workin on it), and I get bored easily; it's sometimes hard for me to remember why I'm playing shakuhachi, which isn't always to "be a musician".  I'm also really into blowing bigger flutes, like in the 2-points, although I can't really get much bigger than 2.5 or so...damn my smaller hands! I just like the way the bigger flutes "feel" when I blow them, nice and deep. Whenever I've chanted during meditation, I tend to hum at, I think, around 60 cycles...it just feels good to me. I'm not sure about that rate, so don't quote me. Anyway, I've been thinking about making a bigger flute that's tuned and all, but more suited for real honkyoku, and something I can get some interesting sounds on. I'm also inspired by a recording I heard today of Watazumi playing, and then I saw the flutes he plays! I thought kiku Day played big flutes, but his flutes are gigantic. I've passed nice big bamboo pieces like that, thinking how to make it into a large shakuhachi, but I've never tried it.

ANYway...I'll try to do more ro playing, and calm down. Since I started blowing out the side of my mouth the other day, I'm able to get into otsu, although it's a bit quiet still, and slips into kan when it's too soft. I'll work on it.

-E


"The Universe does not play favorites, and is not fair by its very Nature; Humans, however, are uniquely capable of making the world they live in fair to all."    - D.E. Lloyd

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."    -John Donne

Offline

 

#5 2006-02-22 05:40:39

jumbuk
Member
From: South-eastern Australia
Registered: 2005-12-15
Posts: 85

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

I have the dreaded "teardrop".  It was stopping my progress with the wooden flute (Irish).  I made a breakthrough when I started looking more closely at my embouchure in the mirror.  No matter how hard I tried to pull my top lip straight, I still had that bump.  Then I realised that I was looking at my face straight on in the mirror.  On sideblown flutes, you blow slightly downwards, so the embouchure the airstream sees is different to what you see in the mirror.  By tilting my head back slightly, I got a better view of the opening between my lips.  It was actually not too bad - and I made progress once I learned to shape my embouchure in the mirror.  It still looks bad straight on in the mirror, but not if I look at it at the correct angle.

When I came to Shakuhachi, I was blowing downwards because of the flute experience, and it took a teacher to point out that I should be blowing more straight ahead.  This exposed another feature of my physiognomy - a severe overbite.  Once I started using my lower jaw to get the lips in the right position, I found that the same technique as with the wooden flute was getting me a good "normal" emboucure, so I have been able to avoid the "off centre" approach.  I did try it at one stage, and found it a bit unnatural.  However, someone pointed out to me that Mr Kakizakai uses an off-centre approach, so it obviously works!


... as if nothing is happening.  And it is!

Paul Mitchell, Jumbuktu 2006

Offline

 

#6 2009-12-07 12:57:36

madoherty
Moderator
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 366

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

I am wondering if other players have had "issues" with an overbite.  I have what I would consider a slight overbite that might be causing me to blow more down than out.  This thread mentions moving the lower jaw forward, and I tried this, but it seems both unnatural as well as ergo-destructive.  I also have this tear-drop lip structure to my upper lip, as is mentioned on this thread.  Any thoughts?

Offline

 

#7 2009-12-07 14:13:54

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

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

madoherty wrote:

I am wondering if other players have had "issues" with an overbite.  I have what I would consider a slight overbite that might be causing me to blow more down than out.  This thread mentions moving the lower jaw forward, and I tried this, but it seems both unnatural as well as ergo-destructive.  I also have this tear-drop lip structure to my upper lip, as is mentioned on this thread.  Any thoughts?

Koga Masayuki, in his book (Shakuhachi: The Japanese Flute, his teaching book) makes the point with a diagram that the teeth should be placed so that the incisors are in the same vertical plane, and that in the normal resting state for most people (typical occlusion) the lower incisors lie just abaft of the upper incisors. Might be something to that...


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

Offline

 

#8 2009-12-07 15:36:30

Glenn Swann
Member
From: Central New Jersey
Registered: 2008-03-01
Posts: 151
Website

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

madoherty wrote:

I am wondering if other players have had "issues" with an overbite.  I have what I would consider a slight overbite that might be causing me to blow more down than out.  This thread mentions moving the lower jaw forward, and I tried this, but it seems both unnatural as well as ergo-destructive.  I also have this tear-drop lip structure to my upper lip, as is mentioned on this thread.  Any thoughts?

i have a substantial overbite (just refused to submit to braces as a kid). i definitely have to adjust the jaw forward for my neutral playing position, and when relaxing it backward again it becomes positively benefiical for meri notes. i don't find it either unnatural or un-ergonomic, but then i've been doing it over 15 years now.... also, no problems with jaw tiredness in extended playing either. the key is, as with hands and lips, to use JUST enough effort to do it, NO extra.  i don't have the lip thing, so can't speak to that...


I followed rivers, I followed orders,I followed prophets, I followed leaders
I followed rivers, I followed highways,I followed conscience,
I followed dreamers... And I'm back here,
and I'm back here... At the edge of the sky       (New Model Army)

Offline

 

#9 2009-12-07 15:56:05

madoherty
Moderator
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 366

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

Thanks both.

I guess I do not have an official overbite (thanks Edosan) but one tooth in front leans out on one side a good deal making the air exiting my mouth (without an adjustment by my lips) to exit in an unbalanced manner.  (left over from not wearing my retainer after years of orthodontic torture.)  That is an impressive adjustment that you have made Glenn.  Do you remember consciously training yourself to play with your jaw in a different locale?  I definitely feel as though I could not accomplish this without substantial jaw pain or headaches.

I do definitely, and naturally, blow down rather than out- maybe it is my lip "issue".  I think that it effects my sound, having to adjust my lips and the position of the utaguchi, in order to get a consistent connection.

Offline

 

#10 2009-12-07 16:12:04

Matt Lyon
Member
From: North Eastern Oregon
Registered: 2009-06-30
Posts: 92

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

I have a bad enough overbite that braces wouldn't fix it. They would have to cut the top plate of my mouth loose then move it back to line everything up.

I do move my jaw forward to play but it is in a normal range of motion and nowhere near the maximum range so there is no strain involved. My jaw position is a gradual evolution of what makes the best sound for any given note or situation. As far as koga's book goes there is no way I could line my teeth up to play and it appears that my lips are shaped wrong too. It looks like I am the fat girl with zits in high school as far as embouchure is concerned......

That being said I am having no problems playing. I have been taking lesson for almost a year with chikuzen and my tone or playing ability has never come up. The only limiting factor that I am facing is how much time I have to practice.

I think it is a good thing that everybody is different. Other wise we would all end up sounding way too much alike.

Offline

 

#11 2009-12-07 16:15:01

madoherty
Moderator
Registered: 2008-03-15
Posts: 366

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

I like what you say Matt.

Offline

 

#12 2009-12-07 16:19:21

Glenn Swann
Member
From: Central New Jersey
Registered: 2008-03-01
Posts: 151
Website

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

i made the adjustment at the time i was first learning- and under the guidance of my early teachers, so i didn't have to retrain myself- it was just what i had to do to get sounds, then refine them. like most beginners, i played mostly meri at first, but quickly became a "kari player".
i've found in my students most, regardless of tooth structure, play down into the flute (as it is easier to find the "spot" that way) but a few have played way out, to way sharper than the neutral pitches. either way i advise them to work with a chromatic tuner and do the exercise of playing/bending long tones on a given note, shaking the head "yes" up and down  slowly, whilst adjusting the jaw as well, maintaining the sound as LOW into meri and as HIGH into kari as possible. it will ultimately give alot of flexibilty, and if you push more toward the upper spectrum you can push your range such that you will easily have your "neutral" position properly balanced, rather than down and flattish....

Last edited by Glenn Swann (2009-12-07 18:29:28)


I followed rivers, I followed orders,I followed prophets, I followed leaders
I followed rivers, I followed highways,I followed conscience,
I followed dreamers... And I'm back here,
and I'm back here... At the edge of the sky       (New Model Army)

Offline

 

#13 2010-06-03 15:46:54

jynx_474
Member
Registered: 2007-08-10
Posts: 15

Re: Good Lips Bad Lips

Matt Lyon wrote:

I have a bad enough overbite that braces wouldn't fix it. They would have to cut the top plate of my mouth loose then move it back to line everything up.

I do move my jaw forward to play but it is in a normal range of motion and nowhere near the maximum range so there is no strain involved. My jaw position is a gradual evolution of what makes the best sound for any given note or situation. As far as koga's book goes there is no way I could line my teeth up to play and it appears that my lips are shaped wrong too. It looks like I am the fat girl with zits in high school as far as embouchure is concerned......

That being said I am having no problems playing. I have been taking lesson for almost a year with chikuzen and my tone or playing ability has never come up. The only limiting factor that I am facing is how much time I have to practice.

I think it is a good thing that everybody is different. Other wise we would all end up sounding way too much alike.

Thats a very good way of looking at things Matt

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
© Copyright 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson

Google