Hello,
I am a beginner taking first (or maybe second?) steps into playing the shakuhachi, contemplating on getting online video lessons at some point in the near future, but for now just enjoying playing as a meditative musical improvisation while getting more and more immersed in the history and culture of the instrument. I have gotten to the point where playing otsu is now more easier and after warming up for a while I can play it confidently and get the instrument to really resonate without using too much breath.
I have a question regarding the upper octave and position of teeth and tongue. Yesterday I managed for the first time to play the upper octave relatively effortless and could sustain the tone and play melodies for a few minutes. However I did it by sort of pushing the tongue to the edge of my lower teeth and closing the gap between my teeth (of course also while trying to form a smaller opening between the lips). A slightly more intense feeling than what I need to play the normal octave, but not uncomfortably so.
A book I have, "Shakuhachi - Japanese bamboo flute, by Masayuki Koga" suggests that the position of teeth and tongue do indeed change, while most youtube tutorials only concentrate on forming a small opening between your lips. I am also a bit concerned about how much my crooked lower teeth might impede my playing, but after being able to play the kan register for a while yesterday, it feels like it's possible at least! I suppose not all shakuhachi players in history could've had a perfect set of teeth?
So I guess my question is, should there be a conscious effort to use the tongue and the teeth when forming a faster and more precise air stream for kan register? I am mostly worried that I learn a "bad" way to play even if it feels like progress for me. Getting a (online) teacher feels like the right way to go, but there is still yet another hurdle to get over: getting a decent 1.8 student instrument. I play a 2.4 "meditation" flute that I found from ebay many years ago and only lately started to learn on, but I've yet to find an online store inside EU (to avoid the hassle and fees of customs) where I could purchase a suitable tried and true student model such as the YUU. I feel that the instrument I have is not bad and I can get it to resonate beautifully in the low register, but of course all the learning material I've found is for the standard size. But these questions are perhaps best left for another topic.
Thanks for any possible insight on the matter!
Post: http://www.shakuhachiforum.eu/t1746-Teeth-and-tongue-in-relation-to-precise-air-stream.htm
I am a beginner taking first (or maybe second?) steps into playing the shakuhachi, contemplating on getting online video lessons at some point in the near future, but for now just enjoying playing as a meditative musical improvisation while getting more and more immersed in the history and culture of the instrument. I have gotten to the point where playing otsu is now more easier and after warming up for a while I can play it confidently and get the instrument to really resonate without using too much breath.
I have a question regarding the upper octave and position of teeth and tongue. Yesterday I managed for the first time to play the upper octave relatively effortless and could sustain the tone and play melodies for a few minutes. However I did it by sort of pushing the tongue to the edge of my lower teeth and closing the gap between my teeth (of course also while trying to form a smaller opening between the lips). A slightly more intense feeling than what I need to play the normal octave, but not uncomfortably so.
A book I have, "Shakuhachi - Japanese bamboo flute, by Masayuki Koga" suggests that the position of teeth and tongue do indeed change, while most youtube tutorials only concentrate on forming a small opening between your lips. I am also a bit concerned about how much my crooked lower teeth might impede my playing, but after being able to play the kan register for a while yesterday, it feels like it's possible at least! I suppose not all shakuhachi players in history could've had a perfect set of teeth?
So I guess my question is, should there be a conscious effort to use the tongue and the teeth when forming a faster and more precise air stream for kan register? I am mostly worried that I learn a "bad" way to play even if it feels like progress for me. Getting a (online) teacher feels like the right way to go, but there is still yet another hurdle to get over: getting a decent 1.8 student instrument. I play a 2.4 "meditation" flute that I found from ebay many years ago and only lately started to learn on, but I've yet to find an online store inside EU (to avoid the hassle and fees of customs) where I could purchase a suitable tried and true student model such as the YUU. I feel that the instrument I have is not bad and I can get it to resonate beautifully in the low register, but of course all the learning material I've found is for the standard size. But these questions are perhaps best left for another topic.
Thanks for any possible insight on the matter!
Post: http://www.shakuhachiforum.eu/t1746-Teeth-and-tongue-in-relation-to-precise-air-stream.htm