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#1 2010-08-14 21:07:09

John Singer
Shihan/Kinko Ryu-Chikumeisha
Registered: 2007-03-10
Posts: 42

Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

I have just put up a performance in Denver Colorado of the Honkyoku piece called "San An" by Yokoyama Katsuya at the World Shakuhachi Festival in 1998.
Please enjoy and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_timedt … F4SYyIyHX8

Last edited by John Singer (2010-08-14 21:07:37)

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#2 2010-08-14 22:33:22

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Hi John,
Thanks very much for the video. I think the correct link is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF4SYyIyHX8

He seemed unusually short of breath. Was he OK at that time?

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#3 2010-08-14 23:23:45

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

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

As I recall, he was in pretty good form, but smoking quite heavily. He also looked somewhat better than the image on this video would indicate.

Last edited by edosan (2010-08-14 23:24:35)


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

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#4 2010-08-15 00:43:46

geni
Performer & Teacher
From: Boston MA
Registered: 2005-12-21
Posts: 830
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Amazing!! Thank you for sharing the video!!!

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#5 2010-08-15 10:58:00

radi0gnome
Member
From: Kingston NY
Registered: 2006-12-29
Posts: 1030
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Justin wrote:

He seemed unusually short of breath. Was he OK at that time?

Where are you hearing the shortness of breath? He seems to be opening his mouth wide, I assume in order to keep the inhales from making too much sound. After about 5 minutes of very energetic playing he does make a gasp or two, but I find it hard to call it shortness of breath. There are also a few times at the end where he lets his posture break. Maybe this is a last ditch effort to squeeze out more air in those spots, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a technique he's using to get a little punch at the end of the phrase. It sounds to me that he's getting some nice, long phrases. I know I don't know the piece or the music, but it still seems hard to believe someone could come away from a performance like this saying he seemed short of breath, so I have to ask what is it you are hearing that I'm not?


"Now birds record new harmonie, And trees do whistle melodies;
Now everything that nature breeds, Doth clad itself in pleasant weeds."
~ Thomas Watson - England's Helicon ca 1580

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#6 2010-08-15 12:11:51

shaman141
Member
From: Montreal, QC.
Registered: 2006-02-02
Posts: 154
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Radiognome-If you don't know the piece or the music then perhaps that could be the reason why you don't recognize a shortness of breath.


Find your voice and express yourself, that's the point.

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#7 2010-08-15 17:40:04

radi0gnome
Member
From: Kingston NY
Registered: 2006-12-29
Posts: 1030
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

shaman141 wrote:

Radiognome-If you don't know the piece or the music then perhaps that could be the reason why you don't recognize a shortness of breath.

So do you know the piece and can you hear it?


"Now birds record new harmonie, And trees do whistle melodies;
Now everything that nature breeds, Doth clad itself in pleasant weeds."
~ Thomas Watson - England's Helicon ca 1580

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#8 2010-08-15 22:51:59

Wuji
Member
From: Suthrun Elanoy, Amerika
Registered: 2010-07-16
Posts: 8

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Hi John,

Could I suggest that you title your post uniquely so that it won't be confused with the other of the same title?

Thanks!
And thanks for the links!

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#9 2010-08-16 08:24:30

shaman141
Member
From: Montreal, QC.
Registered: 2006-02-02
Posts: 154
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Yes Radiognome. Are you in the process of informing yourself about the piece now so that you can bestow more wisdom down upon us?


Find your voice and express yourself, that's the point.

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#10 2010-08-16 09:21:04

Michael A. Firman
Member
From: Naperville, IL USA
Registered: 2006-08-28
Posts: 57
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

It should also be noted that, at his workshop, when asked about breathing, Yokoyama said that he always breathed through his mouth. He said that breathing through the mouth was not necessarily a good thing, and that he does it because he has always had a problem breathing through his nose (perhaps because of a deviated septum or some such thing). As Ed stated, he was also smoking heavily and of course Denver/Boulder is at 5000+Ft above sea level. During the festival, Yokoyama seemed very healthy and performed rather effortlessly, if you ask me. Singer-san, thanks for posting the video, I was wondering when some of these would see the light of day.


Michael A. Firman
Naperville IL USA

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#11 2010-08-16 09:51:54

radi0gnome
Member
From: Kingston NY
Registered: 2006-12-29
Posts: 1030
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

shaman141 wrote:

Yes Radiognome. Are you in the process of informing yourself about the piece now so that you can bestow more wisdom down upon us?

Can't you just tell us uneducated folk where you hear the shortness of breath? That's what I asked from Justin. It sounds like awesome playing with great breath support to me.


"Now birds record new harmonie, And trees do whistle melodies;
Now everything that nature breeds, Doth clad itself in pleasant weeds."
~ Thomas Watson - England's Helicon ca 1580

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#12 2010-08-16 11:01:17

Josh
PhD
From: Grand Island, NY/Nara, Japan
Registered: 2005-11-14
Posts: 305
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

Hey Radiognome,
  I don't think Justin meant any disrespect to Yokoyama sensei, it was still a great performance. But if you compare the notation and better yet some of his earlier recordings you will notice that he took more breaths than he would advise taking when he taught this piece. I mention this because he of course still manages to connect the phrases smoothly because this was a piece he really made a part of himself. He doesn't end any phrases abruptly because he ran out of air, like many people struggling with a new piece do, but in general it was a slower paced, i.e. more ma, than some of his other performances.  You can compare the times of the songs also.
He really packed a punch on his older "Shika no Tone" record, which is one of my favorite recordings. This performance was closer to a more recent recording on "Shakuhachi, the Art of Yokoyama Katsuya", which was an essential in trying to figure out his great technique, but overall not my favorite recording performance wise. He was human though, my teacher Okada Michiaki always says that Yokoyama sensei was always criticizing his own recordings and performances, never satisfied. I guess that's what keeps us hungry though.

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#13 2010-08-16 23:03:16

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: Yokoyama San An posting by John Singer from WSF Denver

radi0gnome wrote:

shaman141 wrote:

Yes Radiognome. Are you in the process of informing yourself about the piece now so that you can bestow more wisdom down upon us?

Can't you just tell us uneducated folk where you hear the shortness of breath? That's what I asked from Justin. It sounds like awesome playing with great breath support to me.

Hi Radiognome,
I have to admit when you said:

radi0gnome wrote:

I don't know the piece or the music

I was rather put off answering your question.
Josh, yes well explained. Musically it is fantastic as usual. But I think we who've studied the piece might feel that he had less breath than at other times, resulting in shorter phrases, and therefore more breaths - quite possibly due to the altitude. However the music is in no way negatively effected. Many students can't play at the same speed+phrasing as is usually taught (regardless of piece or school) and the changes they make (more breaths for example) are more often than not to the detriment of the music. But as Josh pointed out, Yokoyama clearly knows his limit and plays each phrase accordingly, keeping each breath as an excellant musical expression and maintaining the integrity, unity and beauty of the piece as a whole. It takes great skill to do this.

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