Re: Age issues...

From: jeremy bornstein (uke@jeremy.org)
Date: Sat Nov 03 2001 - 15:22:45 PST


Peter Ross wrote:
> You can play for you friends much sooner than that.

As someone with a considerable amount of musical training (though not
yet on the shakuhachi) I can tell you that most people not only can't
tell when you're not "proficient" on an instrument, the fact that
you're not proficient usually doesn't detract from their ability to
enjoy your playing!

Before I had taken a single shakuhachi lesson, I had friends who heard
me practicing tell me how beautiful they thought the sound was, when
in my own opinion I was only making noise. It was difficult for me to
accept that they even liked hearing it, but it was still true.

-j

On Sat, Nov 03, 2001 at 02:32:17PM -0800, Peter Ross wrote:
> Hi Stav,
>
> 38 is young. Definately not too old to learn to play shakuhachi. I
> have students in their 50's and 60's. Not a problem unless you want to
> be a top professional. This is true of all musical instruments. Much
> personnal enjoyment and satisfaction can be gained from learning at any
> age.
>
> As to how long it takes to learn honkyoku etc. it is different for each
> person.
>
> But in 2 to 3 years you should be able to play folk songs and classical
> pieces and perhaps some honkyoku pieces. You can play for you friends
> much sooner than that.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Peter
>
>
> Stav wrote:
>
> I am a 38 year old who would like to study the Shakuhachi.
>
> Is this a realistic idea for someone my age or do you need to start
> studying
> this instrument at a very young age to achieve any level of competence?
> My
> hope is not to be a master musician - but to play well enough to
> entertain
> family, friends and, of course, myself.
>
> Are there musicians on this list who found the shakuhachi in mid-life
> and
> who accomplished a degree of competence? How long did it take you? How
>
> many years of study does it realisticly take to play solo honkoyoko
> (sp?)
> music well enough to be pleasing to the ears?
>
>
> -- Peter Ross
> http://www.cloudhandsmusic.com
> 206-587-7262
> 206-364-2341 FAX

-- 
                   jeremy bornstein <secret@imaninja.com>
                                    -*-
      to be free of all authority, of your own and that of another, is
       to die to everything of yesterday, so that your mind is always
         fresh, always young, innocent, full of vigour and passion.
                [j. krishnamurti, _freedom from the known_]
                                    -*-
                            http://imaninja.com/



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