>Monty,
>
>I recently got one of your torachiku Shakuhachi's from Ronnie Seldin. Very
>nice!!!
>
>I noticed that Ronnie, and some of his students store the Shakuhachi with a
>Cello humidifer in the bore. My intuition tells me that this may be of minimal
>benefit, and could actually harm the Shakuhachi, particularly if the bore is
>laquered. In the case of the Tai Hai cast bore, I believe the resin would not
>be affected one way or another by a humidifier. A little moisture might escape
>through the finger holes, to moisten the outside, but if the instrument is
>oiled and kept in a bag, this should be enough.
>
>Do you think its a good idea to use a humidifier?
>
>I value your opinion.
>
>Bill D'Ambrogio
Hi Bill,
I do not recommend the use of a dampit or other devices designed to
artificially raise the humidity of the air in which the shakuhachi is
stored. While my opinion may go against prevailing logic on the matter, it
developed over 28 years of working with bamboo in what is essentially a
"hostile" climatic environment. During winters here at my place in northern
California we experience over 50 inches of precipitation in a six-month
period (El Niño, not withstanding). We see no rain at all during the summer
dry season with temperatures commonly in the 90 to 100 degrees F. range
and the air bone dry. With a bit of basic care and common sense, however, I
have had remarkably few problems with bamboo cracking.
Repairing numerous shakuhachi over the years, as well as working with the
traditional lacquer (urushi) which requires that the bamboo be placed in a
wet box (very high humidity content) to cure has given me some insight into
this issue. I have notice that the forced,excessive swelling and drying
resulting from such treatment is really inimical to the bamboo. Surface
cracks may appear which can quickly develop into more serious problems as
the také expands and contracts. Bamboo, being columnular in shape and
having weak bonds between its fibers (which itself is one of the strongest
naturally occurring materials), has different coefficients of expansion and
contraction at the interior and exterior of the culm. Under a constant
force, the inner and out walls move at varying rates. (The analogy here is
to vastly different speeds of an LP record - remember those - at the center
and outer edge of rotation.) Hence, bamboo's propensity to split.
Likewise, a shakuhachi stored in an environment where moisture is
introduced will go through a similar cycle. Inserting the dampit in a
sealed bag causes the bamboo to swell. As soon as the flute is removed from
its bag, the evaporative process causes it to shrink simultaneously
lowering very slightly the temperature at it surface. (This process is
similar to evaporative cooling via perspiration through the pores of our
skin to keep body temperature constant.) It seems to me that appropriate
care of the shakuhachi should enhance stability and minimize such stress in
the bamboo rather than inducing it - which is precisely what the dampit
does. Perhaps it is more prudent to acclimate the flute to the ambient
temperature and climatic conditions in which it will be used.
A footnote: Adding moisture temporarily to the bamboo may be a good idea if
one travels to an extremely hot/cold and very dry place. The logic here is
to keep the humidity constant to the environment in which the flute
resides. This, however, is a temporary measure aimed at stabilizing the
bamboo when it is moved to a radically different climate. A permanent move
from, say, a place like Japan (high humidity) to a place like Boulder,
Colorado (very low humidity) may benefit from gradual acclimation.
All the best.
Monty
Monty H. Levenson
Tai Hei Shakuhachi Flutes
P.O. Box 294
Willits, CA 95490
Tel.:707-459-3402
FAX: 707-459-3434
e-mail: monty@shakuhachi.com
Web Site: http://www.shakuhachi.com
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