Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

At your price point the Shakuhachi Yuu is probably where you want to start, takes a lot of guess work out of it and you have a playable flute that will last a lifetime.

I may have been misled to believe that a shakuhachi can be a side blown flute by this site:

http://www.eriktheflutemaker.com/Oriental_good.htm

he is selling a "shakuhachi" with a side blown option. $90 -$140


Thanks

thanks for the clarification Michael.  I am set on a side blown bamboo flute, which may soon exclude me from the shakuhachi forum.  Good to hear a positive review of Erik's flutes, I may consider a purchase from him, but also considering a fine flute from a maker named Romy Benton.  A little more $, but also an assumed leap in quality.

cheers

Ed, I Googled Romy/Romi Benton but didn't find a web site. Can you help me out. Is there a place in cyberspace to learn more.

thanks

I met Romy last week at the Oregon Country Fair and played a couple of his flutes.  Very beautiful instruments.  He explained that his online domain name expired and was pirated.  He hopes to get a website up again sometime.

Thanks for the information I will be on the lookout for his new web site.

tranquilidy wrote:

I may have been misled to believe that a shakuhachi can be a side blown flute by this site:

http://www.eriktheflutemaker.com/Oriental_good.htm

he is selling a "shakuhachi" with a side blown option. $90 -$140


Thanks

Yes, side blown means it's not a shakuhachi. I don't know how Erik typically names his exotically tuned side-blown flutes now, but in the past I've seen him advertise them on Ebay as being the instrument whose tuning he was copying.

tranquilidy wrote:

Please advise me on where I should consider spending my hard earned money to find a flute which I will enjoy for many years to come.

I'd say you've got a problem. You want a flute that you'll enjoy for many years, apparently planning to go the completely untrained route and play mostly just to get into the sound. Yet you say you want a transverse bamboo flute. Tone production is so easy and limited on transverse flutes most people who start with that idea end up going for something more challenging, like silver flute or Irish flute and music. Shakuhachi would be a good option too, and maybe more consistent to the player's goals. For example, it's more suited to the stress-free, "play to the butterflies in the park" kind of thing than silver or Irish flute. But most people never heard of shakuhachi, you have an advantage.

So, my suggestion would be to get a shakuhachi in the first place. The Yuu is said by very many well-respected players to be a very good instrument for the price. However, I'm not sure if you're like me, but I wouldn't feel all that compelled to play a plastic instrument for many years, like you said was something you wanted. I think some Perry Yung Earth models, nice simple bamboo shakuhachi, fall into your price range and it's hard to beat his experience.  Most of the makers that are selling the simple bamboo shakuhachi on Ebay are probably making reasonably good instruments for what you want, especially if you keep the length somewhere between 1.7 and 2.4, the more extreme lengths require more craftsmanship and you'll be less likely to get something suitable.