Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Kanfidence
Two big challenges seem to be at the surface these days.
1. Learning the melody of songs that I have never heard before, so that I can play them.
2. Smooth stability in Kan.
Neither skill is where I would like it to be, but both are progrssing and I am enjoying the process.
I am especially getting a kick out of the relative ease that is emerging in the the shift from ostsu to kan. It is making improv a lot more fun, and is giving me gateways into songs I could not play before.
Working on Sunayam has really helped with Kan, as most of it is in theat octave. I am hoping that increased breath lenght will come along soon and help out with the longer lines in the upper octaves.
I am going to try to make a point of doing some quick vids of the songs that I am practicing (like I did with Hinomaru). Just remember, I am not putting them up because I think I nailed it. They are a snapshot of a particular point in practice, and I intend to come back to them later on and redo them for comparison.
1. Learning the melody of songs that I have never heard before, so that I can play them.
2. Smooth stability in Kan.
Neither skill is where I would like it to be, but both are progrssing and I am enjoying the process.
I am especially getting a kick out of the relative ease that is emerging in the the shift from ostsu to kan. It is making improv a lot more fun, and is giving me gateways into songs I could not play before.
Working on Sunayam has really helped with Kan, as most of it is in theat octave. I am hoping that increased breath lenght will come along soon and help out with the longer lines in the upper octaves.
I am going to try to make a point of doing some quick vids of the songs that I am practicing (like I did with Hinomaru). Just remember, I am not putting them up because I think I nailed it. They are a snapshot of a particular point in practice, and I intend to come back to them later on and redo them for comparison.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Weird Week
This week has been pretty hectic, and practicing has been hard. However, I got a little present on Saturday that might provide some more playing time. I sprained my big toe pretty badly at Aikido. I can't walk in a normal stride and I need to keep it elevated as much as possible while it heals. It will definitely slow me down, but it is a good motivation to practice more (both zazen and shakuhachi), plus I might get a bit caught up on some my computer based projects.
Here are some of the major things I have been trying to work on this week...
-meri notes
-scales using meri notes
-playing Hinomaru the moment I pick up the shakuhachi
-repeats, trills and flex drill in Kan
-meri notes in kan
-fingering scales smoothly ro Ro Otsu to Hi
-clapping out the rhythm and saying note names with songs
Sometimes I just tackles these things right away, since they are my biggest challenges at the moment. Other times I just follow my planned practice regime and address these things as they come up. Much of it has to do with time.
Also I am preparing to start working on playing shakuhachi as art practice for my Zen practice. This July I am going to be staying at Zen Mountain Monastery for a month, and I plan on using the shakuhachi as my art practice. I am limited in what I can do as a beginner, but in terms of art practice this is just more that I can work with.
Since Lent starts this Wednesday, I am going to use that as my platform for this. I like to do extra in Lent, rather than just giving things up (I do that too). If my reality resembles my plan even a little bit, I will be doing art practice at least 2 times a week.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The BBQ is over!
This week I was very disappointed to find that the primary shakuhachi forum on the internet has been closed.
It was run by pair of players which included Brian Ritchie, the base player of the Violent Femmes. The really disappointing part of it is that it shut suddenly. There was no warning, no discussion, and no opportunity for others to step up and take over the site. The originators had tired of it, so it was closed.
Something new will come along, but without the open forum to aid in planning and discussion, it will have to emerge from ashes.
The shakuhachi community is an amazing thing. As a novice player, I am certainly not an authority on this community, but here is what I do know:
-Compared to other instruments in the world, there really are not a lot of shakuhachi players.
-the shakuhachi community is spread out. Without avenues ont he internet there will no longer be a true sense of a global shakuhachi community.
-when people search out new things, they often turn to the internet, and there were new members to this forum every week.
In my brief time in this endeavour, I have been able to converse with, and seek advice from players from around the world. I have spoken to beginners and masters alike. Heck, my teacher lives 4.5 hours away by car! Thank goodness for Skype.
Now I know the forum was not perfect. There were fruitless veins that had to be closed within it, and just because a person starts something, they are not automatically obligated to keep it going, but Shakuhachi BBQ was a beautiful thing, and it seems like it could have been set free rather than killed.
It was run by pair of players which included Brian Ritchie, the base player of the Violent Femmes. The really disappointing part of it is that it shut suddenly. There was no warning, no discussion, and no opportunity for others to step up and take over the site. The originators had tired of it, so it was closed.
Something new will come along, but without the open forum to aid in planning and discussion, it will have to emerge from ashes.
The shakuhachi community is an amazing thing. As a novice player, I am certainly not an authority on this community, but here is what I do know:
-Compared to other instruments in the world, there really are not a lot of shakuhachi players.
-the shakuhachi community is spread out. Without avenues ont he internet there will no longer be a true sense of a global shakuhachi community.
-when people search out new things, they often turn to the internet, and there were new members to this forum every week.
In my brief time in this endeavour, I have been able to converse with, and seek advice from players from around the world. I have spoken to beginners and masters alike. Heck, my teacher lives 4.5 hours away by car! Thank goodness for Skype.
Now I know the forum was not perfect. There were fruitless veins that had to be closed within it, and just because a person starts something, they are not automatically obligated to keep it going, but Shakuhachi BBQ was a beautiful thing, and it seems like it could have been set free rather than killed.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Early Progress
I'll start off by repeating myself. I LOVE taking lessons. I enjoyed working on the instrument on my own, but as I progress under the guidance of Chikuzen, more and more of the instrument opens up to me.
Granted, I have only had a hand full of lessons, but the entire process is engaging and rewarding. A big part of why I like it is definitely because I am getting better faster, but there is more...
-Getting regular feed back and help
-connecting "face to face" with a teacher / player. There is no live community around me.
-having new material and challenges layed out for me by someone who has done it before.
-practicing and playing more regularly
I have no idea how far I can go with this process, but as long as I keep enjoying it in this way, I'll keep at it.
Granted, I have only had a hand full of lessons, but the entire process is engaging and rewarding. A big part of why I like it is definitely because I am getting better faster, but there is more...
-Getting regular feed back and help
-connecting "face to face" with a teacher / player. There is no live community around me.
-having new material and challenges layed out for me by someone who has done it before.
-practicing and playing more regularly
I have no idea how far I can go with this process, but as long as I keep enjoying it in this way, I'll keep at it.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Taking It In
A lot of the blogs that I read are full of self-confident, interpretive opinions. Speaking from experience and some amount of wisdom, authors express their take on various events and topics. The exceptional bloggers manage to maintain a sense of their relative perspective, and avoid coming across as a "know-it-all". I am never more conscious of this than when I post to this blog.
Although I try to limit my blogging to expressions of my direct experience, the knowledge of the topic is a huge factor. I am considerably less confident in my writing of this blog than I am when I publish AikiEssays.
Why this particular rant? Now that I am working with a teacher, I am taking great enjoyment in being at the beginning of this thing.
I have been wandering in the woods in the dark of night. Light or dark, I love the woods. The sounds and smells hold me tightly. The feeling of the space penetrates me. Then, I am handed a lantern. With this change, I am still in the woods, but I can put direction to my exploration. I am no longer wandering in the dark.
The use of this blog is more like a personal log (without the star-date). This my best expression of what is happening on this journey, and how it feels as I encounter it.
Although I try to limit my blogging to expressions of my direct experience, the knowledge of the topic is a huge factor. I am considerably less confident in my writing of this blog than I am when I publish AikiEssays.
Why this particular rant? Now that I am working with a teacher, I am taking great enjoyment in being at the beginning of this thing.
I have been wandering in the woods in the dark of night. Light or dark, I love the woods. The sounds and smells hold me tightly. The feeling of the space penetrates me. Then, I am handed a lantern. With this change, I am still in the woods, but I can put direction to my exploration. I am no longer wandering in the dark.
The use of this blog is more like a personal log (without the star-date). This my best expression of what is happening on this journey, and how it feels as I encounter it.
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