Lessons

I have been playing shakuhachi for over twenty years, and teach Edo-era Honkyoku as they came to us in the Myoan-ryu and Kinpu-ryu repertoires, as well as pieces from Echigo, Oshu, Futai-ken, and Itcho-ken. My style is very low-pressure; we progress as you like, at your pace. In centuries past, many players spent their entire lives on only ten pieces; each has infinite depths to explore. I'm happy to answer questions, but by default we do more playing than explaining, as these pieces are best "understood" by simply playing them. I approach shakuhachi as a meditative or health practice. This is not something that benefits from strict criticism, as its aim is not musical performance; doing it well simply means doing it. I don't criticize my students' playing, but I will help you get the fingering right, and give you pointers on breathing and how to hold your body when needed. Sometimes you will make a sound, and sometimes you won't. If you keep playing, and do your best to relax, your body will adapt naturally to your shakuhachi, and your sound will grow more consistent, more personal, more honest, and more beautiful.

All lessons include scores (sent to you as a PDF or JPG file), and can be taken on any shakuhachi, provided that I have one to match your tones. I also offer lessons on other shakuhachi-related topics, including urushi (how to use it, where to get it), Edo-style shakuhachi construction, etc. I of course welcome students to come to my home in Hirosaki, Japan, but for those who live elsewhere, I use Skype and other videoconferencing programs, as per. your preference. Handwritten scores are also available.

Contact

Lesson Topics

Hitoyogiri

For the past five years or so, I've been digging into the hitoyogiri. This is the flute that Ikkyu played, and was the shakuhachi of itinerant monk-musicians before the larger Fuke shakuhachi of the Edo era. Its tonal range is more narrow, but it makes full use of the five modes played within that range, giving specific attention to each of the seaons, as well as the transitional periods in between, with each having its own mode. Studying hitoyogiri is excellent for anyone who wants to more deeply understand the roots of the shakuhachi, as well as anyone who would prefer to start here as an introduction to the rest of the shakuhachi world. Because of its shorter size, many find it easier to make a sound on the hitoyogiri than on the shakuhachi.

Myoan-ryu

Most students will start here. These are Edo-era Komuso pieces from various areas of Japan. We begin at the beginning, with Hon-te Cho-shi, move on to Hi-fu-mi and Hachi-gaeshi, and then continue through the rest of the repertoire, mostly pieces from Seien-ryu and Itcho-ken, among others (a little over 30 pieces), with a focus on the "big three" - Kyorei (or Kyotaku), Koku, and Mukai-ji. Later, we play some of the pieces from Northern Japan such as Echigo Reibo and Echigo San'ya, and Shoganken-reibo (from Hanamaki), which begins to resemble some of the Kinpu-ryu pieces from my current hometown, Hirosaki.

Kinpu-ryu

Kinpu-ryu includes some more difficult techniques, so it's best to start with the Myoan pieces. If you have already been playing for a little while, though, or if you just really want to, you can start with the Kinpu-ryu repertoire. Kinpu-ryu uses different fingerings and a takes-time-to-master breathing technique called Komi-buki. These pieces are quite different in character from the Myoan pieces, and have a strong physical training aspect to them. Mastering these pieces will strengthen your abdominal muscles, and will give you a stronger, more stable sound when playing other pieces as well.

If you want to get crazy, we can go into the ura-joshi modes, which are slight variations of the standard pieces that allow you to play Kinpu-ryu honkyoku together on different lengths of shakuhachi, creating tone-color (rather than melodic) harmonies!

Sokkyo (Improvising)

This is where honkyoku pieces come from. As you get more comfortable with the pieces, if you like, we will also work on improvising. Improvising is about listening and paying attention, and allowing your feelings to flow out naturally. As you improvise, you will find that some honkyoku phrases may also make it into your playing. As you make the phrases your own in this way, you also deepen your understanding and expression of the honkyoku repertoires.

Folk songs, etc.

Many modern teachers make students trudge their way through tens of folk songs before they let them play the real honkyoku pieces. In Myoan-ryu, we don't do this (originally, folk music was not included in the repertoires), but the fact remains that for some people, playing more familiar-sounding music, with easy fingering and concrete pitches and rhythms, (Amazing Grace, Princess Mononoke, and a slew of Japanese folk songs) at the begining makes learning shakuhachi less daunting. If you want to start off with something easier, I'm happy to do that with you. However, my real passion is honkyoku for meditation. Unless you specifically request folk songs, we start out by diving right in to the world of honkyoku. Additionally, many enjoy playing though Edo-era musical works such as Rokudan. Though this is not honkyoku, it can be beneficial to learn if you're interested.

Edo-style Shakuhachi Construction / making shakuhachi tools

I very much enjoy making shakuhachi together. Let me know if you'd like to learn the entire process, or any specific aspects of it listed below. We generally begin by making a flute together (online - I can help you find bamboo if you like), step by step. As we progress, you can mail me any flutes you make, and I can give you feedback on them during our lessons.

Pricing

Lessons: $60 - lessons run from 45 to 60 minutes.
Hand-written scores: Pricing varies. - Scanned scores are provided free of charge, but if you would like a hand-written score, I can write you one for any piece.