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The Shakuhachi: A Manual for Learning now available on Amazon Kindle
The e-book version of The Shakuhachi, A Manual for Learning, one of the first comprehensive English-language shakuhachi instruction books, is now available on Amazon Kindle at the significantly reduced price of $9.99. Originally published in 1986 by Ongaku no Tomo-sha, Japan’s leading music press, The Shakuhachi has undergone numerous editions and helped many beginner and intermediate players learn more about the instrument and how to play it. This book covers all the basic aspects of learning the shakuhachi, beginning with a chapter on bamboo and shakuhachi making, how to handle the instrument, tone production, as well as basic fingering and Kinko style ornamentation techniques. Also included in the book are a series of graduated shakuhachi practice exercises, from simple tunes to some of the lofty classical sankyoku pieces. These exercises, along with recorded examples, are also available for free download.
You can view the Amazon site here.
My CDs uploaded to Bandcamp (and other various streaming services)
The Night of the Garuda (1986) features such stellar musicians as master ryūteki (gagaku flute) performer Shiba Sukeyasu, shō player Miyata Mayumi, vocalist Kimula Mika, legendary shamisen player the Hirai Sumiko and the oud master Hamsa el Din. The tracks consist of:⦿ Night of the Garuda—improvisation with shakuhachi and ryūteki.
⦿ Tsuki, for shakuhachi and shō (composed by Massumoto Kikuko)
Song of Atitlan–for shakuhachi and voice.
⦿ Hifumi Hachigaeshi–Kinko-ryū shakuhachi honkyoku.
⦿ Mama no Kawa–Jiuta: song, shamisen and shakuhachi.
⦿ In the Shadow of the Rose—Improvisation for shakuhachi and oud (this piece originally appeared on the CD Voices from Afar, Voices from Within).
The list of accompanists includes some of the most amazing musicians active in Japan at the time. Some are no longer with us, so I take this opportunity to share their music once more. Check out the following site for purchasing or sample listening.
Zen Reveries (1996), a collaboration between shakuhachi and synthesizer, was originally produced by Moonbridge, a small indie label, and was one of the first such collaborations between these two totally different instruments. The synthesizer is performed by the Japanese electronic music pioneer Uehara Kazuo, and through his delicate harmonies and melodies the insistent voice of the shakuhachi weaves in an out, responding to the vast array of warm, complex timbres created by the synthesizer. The result is the best of both the electronic and the acoustic.
