I agree with Tom on the necessity for ear-training and the importance of an
exam like "kaki tori" for testing musicianship. Actually, I've been
playing shakuhachi only a few months but my experience as a jazz musician
has helped in hearing intervals and the colors of the intervals played on
different length shakuhachies. The intervals produced by playing certain
ataries (am I spelling that correctly?) are "colored" differently due to
the fingerings involved. These typical/unique shakuhachi colors can serve
as cues to figuring out the fingerings being played and make possible
comparisons between your own flute and the one on the CD. Combine that
with basic interval recognition. Try listening for the intervals naturally
produced by different atari and that is a give-away as to the note being
"ataried-to". Once you know that note, a comparison with your flute can
tell you the difference between the flute on the recording and your
own. Some of the more common ataries help to identify
flute-differences. Try this. Play RO with an atari using the 2nd finger
(producing the interval RO-RE-RO). That produces an interval of a Perfect
4th (d-g-d). Next, play Tsu-no-meri with an atari using the same 2nd
finger (producing Tsu-no-mere to RE and back). That produces the interval
of a Major third (e-flat to g and back). Finally, play RE with an atari to
CHI (RE-CHI-RE). That produces the interval of a Major 2nd (g-a-g). All
three of these intervals have different colors and sizes and are cues you
can use to compare your flute to the on on the CD.
Dan
At 08:02 AM 11/21/2001 +0900, you wrote:
>OK, here is the scoop about the lengths of flutes used on the Zen recording
>someone mentioned.
>
>Yokoyama does not have a copy of the CD in question and does not remember
>the songs recorded or the lengths of flutes used.
>
>He laughed at my question, saying that any shakuhachi player worth his
>breath would know the lengths of the flutes used simply by listening. It is
>also very important to be able to hear intervals which makes knowing the
>flute length a snap. This means you know the musical distance between two
>different tones such as an octave, etc.
>
>Good Luck! Also know that the rank examinations in Tozan sect contain a
>test called "kaki tori". For this, one must listen to a section of some
>song and write down the shakuhachi score as it is being played three times,
>first time to write the fingering position symbols, second time to write the
>time marks, third time to check and revise. Good Luck!
>
>Tom
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