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Shakuhachi with sound demos - sale or trade (FS/FT) - free lessons! - $40 (noe valley)
condition:
good
make / manufacturer:
Various
model name / number:
Various
size / dimensions:
1.8 shaku (approx 1.8 feet)
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In many ways shakuhachi is kind of unique among woodwinds. It has a long history of use as a tool for meditation, called suizen ("blowing zen"). At the same time, many people today use it on stage for performance, from traditional to classical to jazz to pop. The bore of the shakuhachi is larger than a typical woodwind, requiring more air (but not much more, once you get the hang of it), which, along with its conical bore, can let you bring out everything from a calm quiet breeze to a shrieking storm in your sound. There are those who use it strictly as a meditation tool, not musical (there are schools/sects today who still practice this). And there are those who use it as a purely musical instrument. And the rest of us do both. It all comes down to what you want to do, what about the shakuhachi draws you in.
If you would like some free lessons to go with your shakuhachi, I would be happy to help you get comfortable with the instrument. I have over 20 years of experience with the instrument, studying and playing various styles of shakuhachi. Once you start to get the hang of the instrument, then depending on your direction I can continue to teach or suggest where you can go for the next step in your shakuhachi adventure. I am a shakuhachi enthusiast, so even if you didn't buy/trade your shakuhachi from me, I'd be happy to provide a free lesson and/or advice to help you make your sound on this instrument.
For your consideration are a number of shakuhachi in the "standard" 1.8 shaku (approx 1.8 feet) length. Shakuhachi can come in various lengths (anything from 1.1 to 3+), and this is the standard length used to learn/teach in traditional contexts.
The shakuhachi, looking at the photos and going from left to right, are as follows:
[NOTE: Sorry most of the bamboo ones have been sold, but until I take new photos of the last one - the Suiko - in this ad, I'll keep references to the sold ones to reduce confusion. I also have shakuhachi available that's not listed here, so please inquire.]
Kazan - SOLD
This is an interesting shakuhachi. Usually 1.8 shakuhachi have D as the lowest note. But this one has a somewhat wider bore than average, and this lowers the tone to C# for the lowest note. However, what's more interesting is that this shakuhachi is more accurately tuned at A = 432 Hz - the frequency that New Age musicians often prefer, due to the philosophy that it is more in tune with the vibration of nature and the cosmos. If that is not your way of thinking, you can simply think of it as having a mellow tone. Older shakuhachi in general are tuned a bit differently from Western-developed temperament. The now-standard A = 440 Hz was set in the West about a hundred years ago, and spread gradually all over the world. To get the old Japanese sound, actually 440 and equal temperament (more common on newer flutes) doesn't quite hit the mark, at least for me. In the old way of thinking, tone color was considered more important than strict intonation. Actually, this attitude is still quite common in the shakuhachi world, especially as it is usually played solo or with sparse backup (with shakuhachi it is not hard to adapt your intonation as you play - rather like violinists develop ears and muscle memory to play in tune...but I think it's easier with shakuhachi than violin).
Recording for Kazan:
https://soundcloud.com/unabletondead/kazan-1-8-choshi
Seikado, with carvings - SOLD
This shakuhachi is from the well-known Seikado, and is comfortable to hold, being kind of oval in shape, with the flat part on the front and back sides where the fingerholes are. I don't know who did the carvings (of cranes and bamboo, etc.), but it certainly adds to the uniqueness of this shakuhachi.
Recordings for Seikado:
https://soundcloud.com/unabletondead/suikado-choshi
https://soundcloud.com/unabletondead/seikado-1-8-sakura
Suiko, with carvings - $399
This shakuhachi is from a maker based in Nara, Japan. It has carvings of a kirin (a kind of mythical, heavenly beast - yes, same type of creature depicted on Kirin beer cans :)) above, and a dragon below (shown on back of the flute). This shakuhachi is a bit narrower than the other shakuhachi, and maybe the most settled of the lot. The samples got recorded a bit more clipped than I remember while playing, but please have patience with my playing (I'll get a better recording soon...) and you can still get a general idea of the sound from the recordings.
Recordings for Suiko:
https://soundcloud.com/unabletondead/suiko-1-8-5-hole-choshi
https://soundcloud.com/unabletondead/suiko-1-8-5-hole-yamato-choshi
Shozan - SOLD
This is from a Tokyo-based maker. I am not sure which generation (current Shozan is the third generation, I believe). This shakuhachi's bamboo looks old. In shakuhachi visual aesthetics, this would be considered to be "top-facing" bamboo, which is considered to be visually ideal and most prized (you can tell by looking at the bamboo node just below the first finger hole from the bottom - the direction that node perks up towards is the direction it is "facing"). It appears to be aging beautifully with a nice patina. This shakuhachi I think sounds powerful and correspondingly uses more air than the others listed here. It has a nice big, round, dark tone to my ears (please listen to the recording for your own impressions).
Recording for Shozan:
https://soundcloud.com/unabletondead/shozan-1-8-yamato-choshi
The last two - Kocho wooden (maple, I believe) shakuhachi - $160 each
One is the usual 5-hole type, and the other is the more modern (in the sense it was introduced about a hundred years ago) 7-hole type. These are good shakuhachi for those on a budget or otherwise wanting to get some practice in before they splurge on a nice bamboo shakuhachi (it is easier to evaluate shakuhachi if you already have some practice on one). These are really expensive on Amazon! (In Japan, too, but then again a brand-new bamboo shakuhachi can cost $1500 and up)
https://www.amazon.com/Kocho-ho-Shakuhachi-1-6-shaku-Straight-shipping/dp/B07JJKM6CR/
I didn't buy my used Kocho for anything near that price (I also bought them quite a few years ago), so pricing it more reasonably to reflect that. I also have a few new wooden Kocho shakuhachi, acquired from a closing store's inventory, for sale for a bit more.
I didn't make sound clips for the wooden ones - if you're curious about those, I can demo them for you over the phone or similar. (I'd be happy to do the same for the ones I recorded, too.)
Along with new wood Kocho shakuhachi, I also acquired a couple of plastic shakuhachi (called "Naruhachi-kun"). These are on sale for $40 each. A good way to dip your toe into the big world of shakuhachi, and work on making sounds, or for playing in the hot tub, shower, camping, etc.
Please note these recordings are meant to give a general idea of the *sound* of each shakuhachi, not stage-grade performances...they're just-picked-up-the-flute-for-a-first-take stuff :)
I play/dabble with multiple instruments, so trades may be possible. Please inquire and let me know what you may have to trade.