Re: Kyo Rei notation

From: Bruce Jones (bjones@weber.ucsd.edu)
Date: Thu Nov 13 2003 - 15:46:59 PST


>From shakuhachi-request@communication.ucsd.edu Thu Nov 13 14:59:20 2003
>
>No, Bruce, thank you very much, I'm not REALLY "studying Kinko" yet, in the
>real sense of that verb. But Phil Gelb tells me Kyo Rei is the best (read:
>"easiest") place to start, so I want to give it a real good whirl.

A common mistake about Kyorei. While it is the most straightforward
- there are little in the way of elaborations on the notation - it
is also one of the most difficult pieces. The piece is deceptively
simple. One plays Tsu, then Tsu Re, then U, then U/Ri, then Tsu again.
The piece repeats these phrases, or simple changes on them, for a
while, then adds a couple more notes (Ro, Tsu-no-meri, Re-meri).

While easy to play in one sense, the pace is slow, notes simple
and well spaced, the piece is difficult because of those characteristics.
There are no scales, trills, fast passages for the player to hide
behind. Each note has to carry its own weight.

I'll agree with Phil. It's a great place to begin studying Kinko
shakuhachi. It's also the last piece you'll study, because you'll
never plumb its depths.

>Ken LaCosse just kindly sent me some Kinko notation for this piece, but
>there are a few symbols there I don't recognize yet. I reckon what I REALLY
>need is some western notation for it so I can cheat a little here in the
>beginning!

The notation for Kyorei is so simple that you can learn to follow
it if all you have is a fingering chart and know how to read and
translate that onto the flute.

Looking at the Jin Nyodo version, and aside from the notes themselves,
the only "symbols" are [dai]meru, karu, atari (hit) #3 or #4, the
naiashi, hiku (pull or bend down 1/2 pitch) and otsu.

It also says "six minutes" at one possible end point, and "nine
minutes" at the second possible ending (meaning TRT on the piece).

>Or is there a CD containing Kyo Rei? Surely there must be!

By law 2 out of every 3 honkyoku cds has Kyorei on it :-)

Pick your favorite shakuhachi player and, if s/he has a CD out,
chances are that Kyorei is there.

bj

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