Video: Change Has Come - Brian Tairaku Ritchie & Jim Moginie

Nice song, check it out below!

New Forum!

 I've posted before about the demise of the olde Shakuhachi forum, aka Shakuhachi BBQ. But despair not. 
Come al hither: the new Shakuhachi Forum, the European Shakuhachi Forum! All continents welcome.

Dutch Radio Broadcast of Kees Kort

Listen to the one hour of Shakuhachi talk and live music of Dutch Shakuhachi player Kees Kort. It was broadcasted on Salto Omroep Amsterdam. It is in Dutch language. Listen here

Shakuhachi BBQ out of bamboo-coal?

The worldwide forum just seemed to stop working all of a sudden! It can be used as an archive of all the posts which have been made by the large group of forum member. I have posted there and lately have been reading mostly. It was always a nice way to spent time and read about all that is shakuhachi...Unfortunately this seems to be no more! Did they throw the shakuhachi in the BBQ? (Are they mad?) Well I don't think so but it comes as a surprise as the moderators and founders, Brian Tairaku Ritchie and Ken LaCosse, put an end to it all. Hopefully they will reignite the BBQ (the forum was called BBQ fore some reason).
Before that: thanks for running the forum guys! I enjoyed it.

Two years of blogging and a happy new year!!

Hi there! Two years have already past swiftly! This blog excists now for 2 years and many things and experiences have come along! As I learn more, I find it more difficult to post about the flute. In the start there are so many different things to discover. Now the pace is more steady; for my playing and studying as the blogging.
Well hope to keep going and post now and then for at least 2 more years.
Thanks for reading up this far!

A bit early: happy new year!

Changing the past

Changing the past of a flute to be precise. Not so long ago I have acquired a new old 1.8. My main flute is from a renowned maker Gyokusui and I am really fond of this instrument. As I understand they have made shakuhachi for three generations now starting with Gykosui Kono I. Now the 3rd generation is continuing the arts of the craft. His father and grandfather have died. Both can be seen on this picture.

They worked together on the flutes to make -for some- the best post WW-II flutes around. I haven't played that many flutes in general to say the same thing. But I know when I like a flute.
So a new old Gyokusui came along the way and I decided to give it a go. It is the flute picutered above. It played ok and evenly, but not with the magic feel I had with my main 1.8. It sounded a bit stuffy and some notes were to vague (like Ro). I've sended it for professional repairs, first at doubt if I should have let the past changed of this flute. What if it is me and I have to get to learn to play this flute correctly? Well I sended it and my observations were correct: the flute was as I described -so it wasn't my playing ....- The flute was even changed already before I had it. First it was bound for a serious crack. This was done very well so wasn't the culprit. The bore was changed in a way it wasn't made by Gyokusui. So I felt a lot better about restoring the flute to its more original state. I have to wait patiently for it to be restored. Restoring sound a lot better then repairing :) Lacquer had to cure and that takes time. But I have a feeling it is worth it.
Do I think flutes should be altered for the better? Not if they are original, rare and stand for a special era or historical maker. Those are little artifacts which I feel should be treated with respect. But many flutes do not fit into that category. If you own a flute you also can do to it whatever you like -even if it is rare- so it is al up to the owners of flutes to decide if a flute should be altered...or restored ha ha.

Contemporary music II

I've posted about contemporary music for the shakuhachi before. I've been listening to more of it recently and specially the music created by Marty Regan. This music has both meloday and emotions woven into it. It isn't as abstract as some contemporary music. Maybe that's why I like fukuda rando as well: it is very melodic and is connecting the West with the East so to speak.

Many songs can be listened streaming on the site of Marty Regan The first piece I came in contact with was Mirage. This one I heared live. My newest favourite is Voyage, listed under 2008.