Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

JR Haube wrote:

Does anyone know how Watazumi achieved the distorted, fuzzed-out tone on his recording of Jokan (on the album Ryobo to Zen'ei)? Is it possibly embouchure, or something about the flute itself? You can hear it at the 33:19 mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMeBFCG_EVc. I've never heard anything else quite like it, even from Watazumi.

Hi JR,
My guess is it's a meri note played with a very close lower lip to the utaguchi. I say this because the tone is dark yet bright, small yet edgy. This flute sounds like it has a Middle Eastern (or experimental) scale.

Getting that exact sound first requires a natural bore flute and maybe one with a higher utaguchi dip and slightly larger than normal bore. Then, you need to spend time developing the right combination of embouchure shape and breath velocity that will allow you to find it.  I can guarantee you that Watazumi never played it exactly the same twice.

What I want to know is how he gets that scream at 38:10

Last edited by Yungflutes (2015-02-13 09:51:52)

MARCIN wrote:

Perry, it's a kind of Japanese growling on 38:10   I found information about learning methods of extreme singing and it was called The Zen of Screaming check this out
JR, thanks for sharing the recording, very inspiring! shakuhachi going to the extremes

Thanks! Sounds like one of my teachers in Japan when my Dai Ro meri is not flat enough
- Perry