transferable techniques between instruments
transferable techniques between instruments
I’ve been playing the shakuhachi for about a month now and have so far only had one official lesson with Kiku. In that short a time I can’t claim to have developed familiarity or habits with the instrument yet, but that tends to take time anyway. One thing I personally have to think about when playing shakuhachi is to avoid tonguing, which I’m used to from most of my other wind instruments and need to unlearn for shakuhachi.
Over the nearly twenty years of playing music I’ve found that a lot of techniques are transferable between instruments or that playing one instrument helps indirectly to improve in playing another. Don’t get me wrong, each and every non-mass produced instrument is an individual, with its own qualities based on factors like construction method and materials used. Next to that there’s the traditions behind the instrument that dictate playing styles, which then can be split up into as many subcategories as you can think of, including personal styles.
So far shakuhachi has helped me indirectly to become better at all my other wind instruments, most notably the turkish ney and Quena, and improve my lung capacity. My shakuhachi is quite a bit wider and as it’s a PVC one cylindrical, whereas my ney is thinner and tapered, though both are in A. My personal record for holding a long note on the ney is 36 seconds, but I simply can’t reproduce this on my shakuhachi as it seems to take more air. Does anyone have personal experience with cylindrical and tapered shakuhachi and how this affects the duration of their long notes? Tapered flutes create back pressure and I expect this to be the main reason for this, though I could be wrong.
On turkish ney, playing the shakuhachi has helped me get up to the nevâ (fifth) in the Tiz or fourth register (in octaves that means going up to the fifth in the third octave), which is a note that requires a much tighter embouchure. Unlike the shakuhachi the embouchure on Turkish ney varies from note to note, which is quite complicated when getting started and trying to get each note at roughly the same volume. In quena the notch is quite narrow. What usually happened was that my embouchure wasn’t quite focused enough, which meant a lot of air just got wasted and resulted in dizziness after playing for a few minutes. Each of these instruments is so different in playing style that when it comes down to playing their typical repertoire there’s absolutely no overlap whatsoever, yet one helped me to get better at others, which I find fascinating.
Over the nearly twenty years of playing music I’ve found that a lot of techniques are transferable between instruments or that playing one instrument helps indirectly to improve in playing another. Don’t get me wrong, each and every non-mass produced instrument is an individual, with its own qualities based on factors like construction method and materials used. Next to that there’s the traditions behind the instrument that dictate playing styles, which then can be split up into as many subcategories as you can think of, including personal styles.
So far shakuhachi has helped me indirectly to become better at all my other wind instruments, most notably the turkish ney and Quena, and improve my lung capacity. My shakuhachi is quite a bit wider and as it’s a PVC one cylindrical, whereas my ney is thinner and tapered, though both are in A. My personal record for holding a long note on the ney is 36 seconds, but I simply can’t reproduce this on my shakuhachi as it seems to take more air. Does anyone have personal experience with cylindrical and tapered shakuhachi and how this affects the duration of their long notes? Tapered flutes create back pressure and I expect this to be the main reason for this, though I could be wrong.
On turkish ney, playing the shakuhachi has helped me get up to the nevâ (fifth) in the Tiz or fourth register (in octaves that means going up to the fifth in the third octave), which is a note that requires a much tighter embouchure. Unlike the shakuhachi the embouchure on Turkish ney varies from note to note, which is quite complicated when getting started and trying to get each note at roughly the same volume. In quena the notch is quite narrow. What usually happened was that my embouchure wasn’t quite focused enough, which meant a lot of air just got wasted and resulted in dizziness after playing for a few minutes. Each of these instruments is so different in playing style that when it comes down to playing their typical repertoire there’s absolutely no overlap whatsoever, yet one helped me to get better at others, which I find fascinating.
Re: transferable techniques between instruments
"Wolf""Wolf"
Each of these instruments is so different in playing style that when it comes down to playing their typical repertoire there’s absolutely no overlap whatsoever, yet one helped me to get better at others, which I find fascinating.
Hi Wolf, I played the silver orchestra flute in a theater production before I played shakuhachi. I was not a great silver flute player but I played well enough to play with the pit musicians. Then I got into shakuhachi. That show toured world-wide for years with intermittent breaks. Every time we got back together for rehearsals, the musical director would say, "Boy your flute is sounding great!" She didn't know that I wasn't practicing the silver flute at all, only shakuhachi ;).
The long tones did it.
- Perry
Back pressure is not unique to the Shakuhachi. Back pressure is experienced in almost all flutes to some degree especially other rim and notched flutes. Tapered or not. The blowing mechanism size, hole spacing and bore size all contribute. . No back pressure and you run out of air quickly. Even flutes with fipples have back pressure but less responsibility for the player. Ya think Shakuhachi has back pressure? Try playing an oboe.
Musical skills you gain on one instrument naturally will show up on any other instrument. Even piano players have to breath although preferably not into the instrument. There is breath as a technique and then also knowing how to make the music breath.
If you have bad rhythm on one instrument, it ain't gonna get better on the next instrument. If you can hear all those microtones on the Turkish Ney and bring that to shakuahchi-SMOKIN'
Ok, and for a controversial statement. Tonguing, vibrato are conventions of the music and the tradition. Good, bad, indifferent. You shouldn't put your Shakuhachi in a blender or hang it on a clothes line in July. And probably double tongue at a Honkyoku Camp is ill advised. If you do anything musically, it sounds good. If the person listening says, we don't do that on the Shakuhachi. You tell them you are from a new line of Komuso Monks that have been hidden for centuries. You have entered the world to share this new tradition. Then pick up your Shakuhachi and play flight of the bumble bee double tongued. Rimsky Korsakav wrote it while studing with your sect. U should hear Neptune play Bach on Shakuhachi.
Miles would hold a wrong note for so long that it eventually became right. Nobody went up to him and said, hey Don't do that. That's not part of the musical vernacular of the instrument.
Once you learn the rules and have the skill to obey them. BREAK THEM. Irreverance has been the recipe for innovation for centuries. IMO
Musical skills you gain on one instrument naturally will show up on any other instrument. Even piano players have to breath although preferably not into the instrument. There is breath as a technique and then also knowing how to make the music breath.
If you have bad rhythm on one instrument, it ain't gonna get better on the next instrument. If you can hear all those microtones on the Turkish Ney and bring that to shakuahchi-SMOKIN'
Ok, and for a controversial statement. Tonguing, vibrato are conventions of the music and the tradition. Good, bad, indifferent. You shouldn't put your Shakuhachi in a blender or hang it on a clothes line in July. And probably double tongue at a Honkyoku Camp is ill advised. If you do anything musically, it sounds good. If the person listening says, we don't do that on the Shakuhachi. You tell them you are from a new line of Komuso Monks that have been hidden for centuries. You have entered the world to share this new tradition. Then pick up your Shakuhachi and play flight of the bumble bee double tongued. Rimsky Korsakav wrote it while studing with your sect. U should hear Neptune play Bach on Shakuhachi.
Miles would hold a wrong note for so long that it eventually became right. Nobody went up to him and said, hey Don't do that. That's not part of the musical vernacular of the instrument.
Once you learn the rules and have the skill to obey them. BREAK THEM. Irreverance has been the recipe for innovation for centuries. IMO
Ney technique on shakuhachi : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152002450978485&l=87428358652412…
(Kudsi Ergüner playing my 1.6)
(Kudsi Ergüner playing my 1.6)
^
That inspire me to have fun too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYkmctpaw0&feature=youtu.be
Warning low volume.
That inspire me to have fun too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYkmctpaw0&feature=youtu.be
Warning low volume.
Thanks for sharing that Jean-François.
I prefer to keep a balance between traditional playing and more experimental playing. However, since I've only just started learning the shakuhachi I'm not fully aware of the possibilities it has within the category of traditional playing, though that hasn't prevented me from trying Siberian folk songs, native American flute style playing or even snatches of things like Hendrix's voodoo child on the shakuhachi.
I prefer to keep a balance between traditional playing and more experimental playing. However, since I've only just started learning the shakuhachi I'm not fully aware of the possibilities it has within the category of traditional playing, though that hasn't prevented me from trying Siberian folk songs, native American flute style playing or even snatches of things like Hendrix's voodoo child on the shakuhachi.
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