How to play the shakuhachi

[angelmind9494]

Hello i just bought a home made shakuhachi and i've been trying every angle, every embouchure, every breaths and i can't make a single sound! I easily make sounds on empty bottle, it should that different but i really just can't get a sound out of the flute! Maybe twice or thrice but that's it, i would like to know if it's me or the flute, is the inside of the flute supposed to be plastic or wooden? Does it have any impact? Does it need to be a root end? Please help!!

[yungflutes]

@angelmind9494 Hi, It could be the flute. maybe it is damaged. Do you have a photo of the flute? If you send a photo of the blowing edge, I will be able to tell you what the problem is. Go to my website at world wide web yungflutes address for direct contact. Take care, Perry

[sfan1]

Very nice video. I'm a woodwind player and looking into branching into ethnic instruments such as these. What's a good key and type of Shakuhachi for a beginner?

[yungflutes]

@sfan1 Hi, the 1.8 length (D pitch) is the standard to start with. Shakuhachi flutes are basically made in two styles - natural bore called JINASHI and fabricated bore called JIARI. You should get a JIARI if you are a musician.

[Unzaman]

Very nice playing! What is the Key-tone of your flute?

[yungflutes]

@Unzaman Thanks for your question. This is a standard 1.8 shakuhachi Key in D. This is a modern , fabricated bore intrument referred to as the JIARI style flute and is the standard for traditional study world wide. Please feel free to ask any more questions what so ever.

Thanks again! Have a great day, Perry

[TheNikyxx]

i just started to take lessons to play shakuhachi, but i get dizzy after trying to blow that much, and i feel like i am kinda out of breath and cant do those so long blows, is it normal at the very beginnings? i am a smoker, could that have any influence on that?...

[SunTzuLao]

HAHAHA that helped immediately!  THANKS!!!

[bebhibebhi]

aaagh i keep ending up with a breathy squeaky sound!!

[yungflutes]

@bebhibebhi Try blowing with Less pressure. A nice sound can be had with a simple exhalation if your embouchure is proper.

[yungflutes]

@bebhibebhi If it squeaks, relax your embouchure. A properly made shakuhachi can make a beautiful sound with the easy pressure of a simple exhale. Keep trying!

[bebhibebhi]

No matter how hard I try I end up with a breathy squeaky sound.

What am I doing wrong?

[SamildanachEmrys]

@bebhibebhi Same here. I've tried a wealth of tips and techniques, and the best I ever get is a sort of hissing whistle. Blowing hard or gently, with various types of embouchure, it makes very little difference. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I could do with a teacher, but no one teaches shakuhachi in north Wales!

[SamildanachEmrys]

@bebhibebhi Three weeks and no change. Sigh.

[bebhibebhi]

@SamildanachEmrys I've taken a break for a while from it. It's been too annoying trying to get a note

[spiralofhope]

Thanks Perry, this helped me a lot. I've bumped into a lot of subtleties of breath, mouth positioning and fingering which is killing me, but at least I can make sounds now! =)

Day one, and I can mostly play a scale..

[hellenic300]

sounds sik

chinese music uses the same scales in greek Ipirotika music

[BlacklampMedia]

What a badass!

[fluteman40]

Very nice dude,very nice,thank you.

[Zeith101]

Arghhhh! Very difficult! Thanks for help

[yungflutes]

@stalker61911 Thanks for the encouragement! I'm glad that my teaching is effective :)

My focus with the shakuhachi is with modern performing and making flutes. There are more qualified teachers working on teaching DVDs as we speak.

Take care, Perry

[stalker61911]

Hi perry I have an idea. You could make a Learning DVD to accompany your learning books. I still can't get over trying to read the japanese. But I am more of a visual and hands on learner any ways. Thank you for helping beginners like me.

[yungflutes]

Glad it helped!

Play every day and you'll be amazed at how fast your sound will develop.

[avemnevoiesideiarba]

i got the angle right and can play with all the holes free but i just can not make a sound with all the holes covered. i can barely get a note with the back hole and first hole covered. what am i doing wrong? could it be the shakuhachi? (it's sortoff cheap) thank you

[yungflutes]

@avemnevoiesideiarba It can be the flute. You can send a pic to yungflutes (at) yahoo (dot) com and I'll elt you know what I see.

[jazzsaxage]

So my fiance and I just made a shakuhachi out of PVC to alleviate some weekend boredom (and because we've wanted to get one for a while anyway) and have been having the most difficult time really getting the notes (I was having incredible trouble with "jumping" the notes to the higher octave/overtone). I play many wind instruments as it is, so I didn't think it'd be this hard, but your video just helped IMMENSELY. Now I can actually play this thing! And here we thought we just built it poorly :P

[yungflutes]

@jazzsaxage Glad my video help! All the ebs.

[viethugzzz]

its haaaaaaaaaard :DDDD

[twitch17100]

ooooooooooh i get it know

[SquallPwnLife]

you da man perry, this helped a lot. just got my first ji nashi 2.4 and i'm currently trying to play it. i can get the open A quite well but i'm struggling with lower notes, can't get sound below E. Got any tips for a beginner?

[LittlesisterFrance]

Brilliant introduction! I was making sound within minutes. Thanx a lot

[yungflutes]

I'm glad it helped!

[mlavik1]

Thenk you, this was very helpful!

I have one question. Isn't the first octave supposed to be easier than the second? I can play lower octave, but not the lower ロ Ro. How come?

[yungflutes]

Yes, the lower octave is easier but the lowest note, RO, is not the easiest of the lower octave.

Your problem is not uncommon for many beginner's. But, it could be a flute issue also. What kind of flute are you playing?

[mlavik1]

Ah, ok I see.

I have a $10 bamboo shakuhachi, but I've ordered some others.PVC for practice and another cheap, but my friend will let me hear it first. If I become a better player, I will buy a more expensive one. Probably from your website sooner or later.

Btw, my flute has a small crack, but a very small one. It doesn't leak air.

[yungflutes]

Difficult to say. Ro in the lower octave can be the most difficult note for many people. Or, maybe the Ro on your flute is difficult.

[mlavik1]

Hmm, maybe both. My flute might be a bit tiny, considering I'm a bit tall, but I've never practiced flute much. I guess it'll take some time learning. I'll contine practcing ;)

[narcossintese]

Thank you very much for this video. Really helped!

[palehorse864]

Wow thank you. I've been blowing on the shakuhachi for about a week now and have managed to get a consistent sound out of it rather than struggling to find it, but I was always wondering how people kept tilting their shakuhachi and getting different tones. Every time I would tilt mine, it would be the same sound, and I could only control tone with fingers or by blowing harder or lighter. With this method, I get a little tone variation when I tilt it, and can also do vibrato by tilting my head

[CoNkOrE]

have you heard of Hideo Osaka he is a really good shakuhachi player and is on itunes this sounded similiar to his music but his flute is really big!

[MOUNTAINOUS]

i am practicing with mine alot last night and today. wow my cheeks are sore. and mouth. i never did a wind intrumentt but after 3 hours i finally made a sound. and in about 2 days and very sore cheeks lol i have been able to just make a few sounds that last 4 seconds then i lose it but i will keep at it. you play great. it inspires me. thanks i love my flute.

[MOUNTAINOUS]

i will use this method when i get my first one. great tutorial

[MOUNTAINOUS]

that is so awsome. just excellent. 5 stars

[deko4848]

Absolutely brilliant. You know, I've trawled so many websites and watched so many videos and none of them helped a little bit. Yours was the first to explain it clearly and logically and I was playing along before the video had even ended on this instrument I thought was broken!

Seriously, thank you so much!

A month of research sorted in less than a minute!

lol, Now help me play my Koto! lol

[DJCMOS]

awesome!!! helped out a bunch

[zed4785]

i just got a shakuhachi and this is very helpful! thanks for posting

[paramsaram]

hello~ Mentor! thank you so much for your

lesson! i'm quite sure your lessons will help

many shakuhachi players, including me"

because you play it so well, even better than

the players in japan. i really appreciate, and

wish you carried on, Mentor!!　again, thank

you very much" ありがとうございます。

[yungflutes]

Thanks for your kind words. If I can just get anywhere near my teachers' sound, I'll be happy.

BTW, I'm from the school that the teacher learns from the student :)