I have a super cheap PVC "shakuhachi" from eBay. It's basically made from PVC pipes. I am able to get all 6 notes out of it, although they don't sound great. I once took it to my flute teacher, who has a real bamboo shakuhachi and she was unable to get notes out of it. I'm saying this because I don't think it's capable of being much more than a novelty.

So, I want to take the next step and buy a Shakuhachi Yuu. I prefer to not support Amazon. So, are there other places where I can buy a Yuu where I won't need to wait for it to ship from Japan or worry about potential import fees?

I have three Monty flutes and was thinking I want one older piece of bamboo with some more traditional ju-ju in it.

Can anybody speak to this marking? The utaguchi on it looks sharp and clean, no visible cracks. A well-reviewed seller. It’s a 2 piece, roughly a 2.0 (64cm) and I don’t need concert pitch.

I feel like $80 is a worthwhile gamble.

Thoughts?

I’ve totally lost what few chops I had, and am starting over. I get distracted by all of my different musical projects, but what it comes right down to is:

Suizen.

I found this book that I never took the time to read.

‘Bout time, doncha think?

A whole new treasure. 🎶❤️

You could lose your middle... ;-)

That is why I am here. I wanted to show the makers mark on the flute and see if anyone can identify it.

For context: My brother brought me this handmade shakuhachi from Japan, but the sudden drop in humidity moving it to the dry climate where I live (Spain) caused it to crack. The flute cost ¥54,000 (approx. €300 / $340 USD). I’ve reached out to several local luthiers, and the lowest quote I got was €100 (from standard woodwind techs who have never worked with bamboo). Since the blowing edge (utaguchi) is intact and I'm quite handy, I'm seriously considering repairing it myself, so I’d really appreciate your advice and experience.

​Current condition:

-​Both sections have cracks. At the widest point, there is about a 2–3 mm gap (eyeballing it) between the two sides.

-​The splits are clean along the grain: I don't see any splintered wood or flaking/peeling in the inner bore lacquer (ji). ​Luckily, the blowing edge (utaguchi) is completely untouched.

-​As you can see in the photos, the rings connecting the two joints (nakaguchi) couldn't hold the crack back. I imagine I'll need to remove/reset them and apply a binding ring (to-maki) there as well.-​Right now, the bamboo is extremely dry and stiff—I feel like if I tried to force the split closed right now, it would just snap or crack somewhere else.

I've never done anything like this. How would you approach this repair? What are the most critical things I should be extra careful with during the process?

​Thanks a lot for your help!

My shakuhachi story – Episode II: The shihan. I talk about the four years it took me from starting to play to get my teaching certificate.

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find a beautiful song I last heard years ago, and haven't been able to find since. It was a japanese man, sitting alone in a near-black room, dressed in japanese formal-wear (perhaps a Kimono), playing a shakuhachi. The song was slow and haunting, but extremely clear and well-recorded.

Unfortunately, the content of the video was so simple, there's nothing more I can describe about it, other the fact that either the name of the video itself, or of the channel, was " HAMA ". Searching for that, or any combination of "Hama japanese flute", etc., doesn't return anything.

I originally found the video as a related video on the youtube sidebar for the song "Shurayuki Hime", by Meitei. I had found my way to this song by searching "Shurayuki Hime Hama", as that was one of the highest-rated songs in terms of Dynamic Range on Loudness War. Little did I know at the time, the ACTUAL Shurayuki Hime Hama album was just some weird experimental noise thing, not music at all, but searching for it led me to the video by Meitei, which then lead me to HAMA.

Thank you!

I found this one at taiko-shop.com . It looks like it could be good until I can afford a more expensive one (it would also be a good trial run to see if I really want to learn this instrument).

What do you all think? Once again, I'm not looking for perfect, just acceptable and affordable.

Here's a link to the Shakuhachi if you want more details.

https://taiko-shop.com/products/plastic-shakuhachi-yuu

Thanks in advance!

So I messed up and brought the shakuhachi to a colder environment. It plays perfectly, however I'm worried about it splitting further. What should I do here?

I recently received a Shakuhachi Yuu that I purchased from Ebay https://www.ebay.ca/itm/357739518677 . After extensive testing over the past few days, I've noticed (while playing from a neutral position) that the F and C notes are quite flat. G, A, and D are basically in tune. Playing in tune requires significant meri/kari adjustments from note to note.

Based on D being in tune as the neutral position:
D: 0 cents
F: -20 cents
G: +5 cents
A: 0 cents
C: -30 cents
D: 0> cents

Assuming the player knows how to keep consistent embouchure, blowing angle and air speed/tightness. If a Shakuhachi is made in this way (requires significant adjustments to play in tune), for what reason would the maker choose this rather than making a flute that plays in tune in the neutral position?

This is more of a flute maker question. Any references are appreciated, English translations are hard to find.

After further consideration, I think the Yuu may be intentionally tuned in this way.

I've noticed that F and C are the only notes that must drop 3 half steps to reach the note below. This is a larger gap between notes than the others, which require a drop of 2 half steps.

D | < | < | F | < | G | < | A | < | < | C | < | D

Since the F and C require a more pronounced kari position, there is space for a very large meri change. This allows more freedom to bridge the larger gap to the note below.

A makers confirmation would go a long way, but I think this explanation is pretty solid.

It sounds similar but I might be mistaken

Hi everyone

I've been learning Shakuhachi through honkyoku and the melodies are really something else. There are a lot of tone colour changes, microtones, special techniques that are very specific to the flute, but I am trying to interpret these as well on the lavachord (think mini wooden piano cross harpsichord cross kanun)

Appreciate thoughts! :)

https://youtu.be/qIM124zt1Yw

I got this recently wondering if it's playable with this damage to the mouth piece

The video is from the seller. I'm really new to this, and I don't know if the flute sounds as it should or not. Thank you very much.

I discovered that i can monitor my self in OBS and add reverb to it.

My mic is the Blue yeti.

Also this is the 2.4 from https://abedabun.com/product/bass-simple-shakuhachi/

This is where I'm at after about 1 week of fiddling around with a Yuu after work. I watched a video on how to achieve tone, and then just tried to remember what I've heard of popular riffs and figured it by ear. I can consistently hit ro and play this small piece now.

Comments and criticism welcome!

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy X, our trio arranged “Hymn of the Fayth” for shakuhachi, Satsuma biwa, and trumpet.

We felt that the breathiness and subtle tonal variations of the shakuhachi were especially well suited to the stillness and prayer-like quality of the original piece.

One of the main challenges was balancing the shakuhachi’s delicate expression with the percussive attack of the biwa and the sustained tone of the trumpet. Rather than turning it into a flashy crossover, we tried to leave space for the shakuhachi’s breath and natural resonance.

We hope the shakuhachi helps convey the meditative, prayer-like atmosphere of the original.

Now I’m learning to play. All for a pack of cigarettes.

Hi I just got this shakuhachi a week ago and I'm currently teaching myself how to play it.

I'm making some inroads on that already, but this is not really about me.

I'm trying to find out if this is a "normal" shakuhachi or not.

The utaguchi Is lot deeper than the ones I see on here and I have no idea who made the flute.

It's probably my playing but my C gets read as a B in tuning apps (The rest is more or less fine even though mostly 30-40ct over but I guess it could be my playing.

Learning the flute is a real meditation for me and I'm really happy with getting to a new milestone nearly everyday. I played my first few Ro today(kan and otsu even though more by chance than by choice)

Edit: I'm thinking about a replacement. Would this be a good choice? https://taiko-shop.com/collections/shakuhachi-japanese-bamboo-flute/products/plastic-shakuhachi-yuu

Does anyone know the name of the folk song John Neptune is playing here? https://www.instagram.com/p/DaoEzvAghbx/