Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

jamesnyman wrote:

I always thought Kyorei followed Choshi were good beginner's pieces. As those are the only two honkyoku I can play and I am DEFINITELY a beginner, that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Haven't heard of that myth, til now...

Rather than myth, it's more likely to be some fairly well-contained Knobulosity.

Chris Moran wrote:

If it's possible at this point in the forum to ask a serious question ....

Who started the myth of Tamuké as a "beginners" piece???

Perhaps the myth began with me writing that for some reason Okuda teaches Tamuke as the first piece to his female students. He says that in his experience women react well to Tamuke (Okuda has also got his crazy sides). Tamuke was therefore also my first piece! But I would NEVER teach Tamuke as the first piece to any student whether male, female, dog or frog... not even to a jellyfish. So, beginner's piece - definitely not, but some of us did it as beginners....

I don't think there are really any beginner pieces. There are some pieces which are convenient to START working  on at an early stage because they have a limited number of techniques, but to play them well takes years of experience. I have heard many early beginners attempt playing Kyorei solo at student recitals. This is very difficult -- in Kyorei your tone, your breathing, your musicality, and your mindfulness are completely exposed exactly because there is so little technical stuff to hide behind. It can be an enlightening or harrowing experience. I think Tamuke is somewhat similar -- you can start working on it early in your shakuhachi education, but this does not make it a beginner piece per se.

By the way, I rarely teach Kyorei or Tamuke as early pieces unless a student comes to me having already learned them in part from another teacher. Otherwise, they come after a year or more of study, after seemingly "harder" pieces such as Sashi, Hi Fu Mi Hachikaeshi, Kumoijishi, even Futaiken Sanya. At this point a student is starting to develop, I think, some of the musical wisdom necessary for a piece as stark as Kyorei. I realize this approach is not in line with what a lot of teachers do, but I have found it effective.

It's not so different in Western music -- the test of a master is not how he or she plays a complex piece, but the simplest of ballads.

BrianP wrote:

I haven't heard it before so I am going to say Chris Moran!

Thanks, BrianP, I always need the encouragement.

Actually, I meant as a beginner's piece, not necessarily a first piece, although some seem to teach it as a first piece.

C'mon. I'm looking for a little combat, here -- ya' know?

edosan wrote:

Chris Moran wrote:

BrianP wrote:

I haven't heard it before so I am going to say Chris Moran!

Thanks, BrianP, I always need the encouragement.

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       As IF!!!

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Ed, are you implying in any way, shape or form that I might be looking for fight, a forum trouble-maker, a controversy diva?