Shakuhachi Information
The shakuhachi is a flute that originated in China but became famous in Japan. It has a background in religion, primarily used as a spiritual act. The instrument is now used internationally and can be played by anyone, not just Japanese monks.
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Dimensions
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The shakuhachi is a traditional five-hole Japanese flute. The word "shaku" is an old Japanese unit of measure that is around 30 cm, while the word "hachi" means "eight." The entire word, shakuhachi, means 1.8 shaku (or 54.5 cm). The measurement is essential to producing a range of notes on the instrument.
History
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The shakuhachi came to Japan from China in the late seventh century A.D., and eventually was an instrument in the Japanese court orchestra. During the sixteenth century the instrument was associated with the wandering beggars known as "komoso" or "Straw-mat priests." These musicians became known as "komuso," "the priests of nothingness." The komuso was viewed as a sect of Zen Buddhist monks who played the flute as a spiritual discipline.
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Playing
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Made out of bamboo and sometimes other types of hardwoods, the shakuhachi is played vertically down from the mouth. The player will blow into a duct (a narrow wind-way over a block which is called a "fippie") and can control his pitch. The instrument is made to be blown into as one would blow across the top of an empty bottle. There are five finger holes that tune the instrument to a pentatonic scale with no half-tones.
Features
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Although there are no half-tones, the player can bend each pitch by a whole tone and even more. Players bend the tone downwards (meri) or upwards (kari). The pitches can be lowered by partially covering finger holes. The instrument contains a range of two full octaves known as "otsu" (the lower range) and "kan" (the upper range) and a partial third octave known as the "daikan."
Genres of Shakuhachi Music
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The music of the shakuhachi has grown out of date in Japan. However, there are multiple new recordings on the instrument's music in North America, Europe and Australia. The three main genres of shakuhachi music include honkyoku (traditional, solo), sankyoku (ensemble with koto and shamisen), and shinkyoku (new music composed for shakuhachi and koto, or compositions influenced by Western music).
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References
- Photo Credit flute image by Victor M. from Fotolia.com
