Shakuhachi

[Bo]

I was thinking of buying a shakuhachi as a Christmas present to myself this year, and I looked at eBay. I would prefer something really good, like Erik's flutes, but I would still be interested to know if any of you here have ever tried one of the cheap shakuhachis they sell of eBay, like those you see here:
http://musical-instruments.shop.ebay.co ... 3D3&_rdc=1

If you have, what do you think of them?

Has anybody ever tried Erik's shakuhachis? I think the one he plays on his website sounds great! It made me fall in love with the shakuhachi!

[etc-etc]

You can also look into getting a shakuhachi headjoint for the concert flute. They make a whole range of "shakulute" headjoints, starting at $325:
http://www.shakuhachi.com/Q-Models-Headjoint.html

[Phineas]

Has anybody ever tried Erik's shakuhachis? I think the one he plays on his website sounds great! It made me fall in love with the shakuhachi!

I had one, and gave it to a friend. I was not traditional, but it is a great playing instrument. Plays easily, and in tune! You can also get him to custom make one in different scales and keys.

Great guy, Excellent craftsman!

Phineas

[Bo]

Thanks for the replies!
Wow, I didn't know you can use a shakuhachi headjoint on a normal flute.
Erik sounds like an interesting guy, living the kind of life I always wanted to live, but never dared to!

Incidentally, what is the standard key for a shakuhachi?

[Phineas]

Incidentally, what is the standard key for a shakuhachi?

Well, I do not know the key, but on a 5 hole the scale is somewhat Minor Pentatonic. I have never owned a TRUE Japanese one, so I could not tell you the true standard key. The one I had was in the key of D.

One I have been thinking of getting is one made in a Brazilian minor. That would be cool!

Maybe one of the scientific experts will chime in on this.

Phineas

[MissyHPhoenix]

How do you play on the headjoint for the c flute? Is it horizontal like a normal headjoint?



Love that new smiley!

[Arlee]

Incidentally, what is the standard key for a shakuhachi?

I don't know that there is a standard because I don't think traditionally they really used our key system. Also, i haven't ever gotten a flute from Erik (yet!) but i have never heard anything but glowing remarks about him and his flutes. Also he is extremly helpful if you have questions and seems to truely care about getting people what they are looking for even if it ends up not being one of his.

[asoalin]

I've had my eye on Erik's flutes for a while now, but I don't understand the different keys of the concert-tuned flutes. Is the fingering similar to the modern flute? Why are there different keys? And, once you figure out fingering can you play regular flute music with them?

[pied_piper]

I think your confusion may be over the term "concert-tuned". Normally, the C flute, oboes, violins, and other instruments that are pitched in the key of C are considered concert pitch instruments. An alto flute is in G and is not concert pitched. When the player of an alto flute fingers a C, it sounds a G in concert pitch. So, printed music for an alto flute is transposed so that the flutist does not have to learn a new set of fingerings for every note.

Ethnic flutes often follow different conventions. They cannot easily play all the notes of a chromatic scale without resorting to very awkward fingerings using half holes and cross fingerings. So, those instruments are made in various keys to make it easier to play in the key of the particular song.

For example, the traditional penny whistle is the "D" penny whistle, but it is actually a concert pitched instrument in the key of C. It is called a D penny whistle, because that is the lowest note of the instrument and it natually plays a D scale in concert pitch (D E F# G A B C# D). If you wanted to play a song or scale that is in the concert pitch key of Eb, you would choose an Eb penny whistle. If the notes are written out though, they are transposed to the key of D and the player is fingering a D scale, but it sounds the same as a flute playing an Eb scale.

Does that help?

[Bo]

Thanks, yes, that helps a lot.

[wkzh]

I recently heard a few recordings of the Shakuhachi, and I must say, it's an AMAZING instrument. If only the western flutes had such flexibility! And the Shakuhachi have such dexterity =/ I guess that was the original inspiration to create the Shakuhachi headjoint.

[patricksmith20]

I bought a decent student paolo mark flute here: http://www.guitar-warehouse.com/product ... ment=Other Instruments&Category=Flutes
cost just €80, but a really nice sound. I'll probably buy something more expensive in a year or two, but this does the job well. Nice sound and action.

[markladdy]

I bought a decent student paolo mark flute here: http://www.guitar-warehouse.com/product ... ment=Other Instruments&Category=Flutes
cost just €80, but a really nice sound. I'll probably buy something more expensive in a year or two, but this does the job well. Nice sound and action.

I tried the paolo mark flute you were talking about as my son needed one for starting lessons, and the music teacher was extremely impressed. She was saying you would pay twice the money in most shops for similar quality, so nice one for the tip!

[fluteguy18]

If the notes are written out though, they are transposed to the key of D and the player is fingering a D scale, but it sounds the same as a flute playing an Eb scale.

Does that help?

Not always so! Actually, most of the time I've had to transpose fingerings. I would look at the music, find that it would be in F major, and I would choose an F major whistle/flute/thing, and would have to transpose fingerings. I would finger D, but an F would come out. From what I've seen in pit orchestra gigs, the composer writes it in concert pitch (non transposing), and you then have to get an instrument in that key. They generally also write at the pitch level they want. So if it is towards the top of the staff with a ledger line or two, it will be a high pitched flute. If it is down in the staff it is generally a lower pitched flute. At that point you have to transpose fingerings. And, it seems to be this way in studio recording too, because Jim Walker has an article online somewhere where he talks about the fact that if you are a studio musician doing ethnic instruments, you MUST be an excellent transposer.

But otherwise, you've got it. 'Concert Tuned' on his website (Erik) means he actually tuned the scale (the holes) with an electronic tuner. That way they are always on 'concert pitch' (in tune with other people). But the 'key' of the flute only reflects the scale that it plays when you play straight notes up and down. So our Boehm "Concert Flute" is in C major. So if you play a straight scale up and down, it is CDEFGABC. On a D whistle, you play a straight scale and you get DEF#GABC#D. A B major whistle: BC#D#EF#G#A#B. Etc.

[brianharris]

Hi, does anyone know where I could pick up one of those Paolo Mark flutes in Gold?
I tried one before from a band member at a practice for church, and was really impressed with it, but would love to get one in gold.
Any ideas?