尺八 (shakuhachi) music and scores.

    Back to the delights of the 尺八 ( Kanji in Japanese for shakuhachi ), a beautiful instrument and musical delight that is out there for the world to meditate to and indulge in. If only more people knew of the shakuhachi and it's allure. It is up to us, the players and admirers, to pass on the knowledge and love of this instrument of nature. It all starts with the harvest of the bamboo.

         After the digging and cleaning up, they are sorted and then the drying starts.

     These wonderful flutes take a long time to make as they need years to dry out and get ready for the drilling and cleaning. They are also heat treated and cleaned up to become the finished product we use for making such glorious music. This flute here is one I own, made by Perry Yung of Yung flutes in New York.                                    http://www.yungflutes.com  

                      This flute is an Earth model from Perry that is wonderful for meditative playing and practice. It still has the root end attached,giving it a unique look that imparts Wabi-sabi (侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.

                       The next few photos show the variety of colours and shades they can exhibit.

            Now that the flute is ready, the music is needed. Shakuhachi music scores are unlike anything a musician in the West has seen. The notation used can come from various schools in Japan, such as Myoan,Tozan or Kinko. While the notes themselves, in Kanji,are the same in mnay ways, the actual compositions are different. Last month I found some old scores from the early part of the 20th century for sale. They were shipped to me from a fellow in Japan and now are in my possession.
                                             The first few here are from 1918-1919.

                     These scores are from about 8 years later and are in wonderful condition!!!

     So now you know what shakuhachi music actually looks like!!! I was lucky to get these old scores for a good price and hope to learn one of them someday soon. While I'm certainly NOT a good player, the meditative qualities of the music and the flutes themselves make one respect and reflect on life and just being. Fortunately, music for the shakuhachi need not be in printed form at all. It can be a simple meditative and expressive form of improvisation that takes one to different times and places. Just blowing and enjoying the qualities can heal and even entertain.


                          Now to go practice the flutes themselves and get some meditation time in.