Re: [Shaku] RE: shakuhachi V1 #564

From: Thomas Hare (thare@Princeton.EDU)
Date: Mon Apr 05 2004 - 10:46:48 PDT


My point is not that a precise half-tone is necessarily desirable in=20
all shakuhachi music. As Bruno says, one must adjust to the situation.=20=

  The point is, one must have the proficiency to be able to adjust to=20
the situation, and to produce a half-tone or less or more, depending on=20=

circumstances. My frustration in the conversation so far is what I=20
read to be the assumption that, especially in honkyoku, what matters is=20=

some sort of spiritual engagement rather than technical competence. I=20=

doubt that the two are, in the end, separable.

Tom Hare

On Monday, April 5, 2004, at 07:06 AM, Bruno Desch=EAnes wrote:

> I think the question of being able to play exactly a half-tone is a=20
> tricky question when it comes to Japanese Music.
>
> Kurahashi San told me once that the honkyoku half-tone is almost the=20=

> same as the Western half-tone, though a bit smaller, while when=20
> playing sankyoku with koto and shamisen it is normally a bit lower=20
> than the honkyoku half-tone. This means that it is near a third of a=20=

> tone. But I know that koto players of the Sawai school tune their koto=20=

> according to Western tempered scale, while I have met numerous Ikuta,=20=

> Seiha players who never use a tuner so they could tune their koto by=20=

> year, thus not according to the Western tempered scale. Their=20
> half-tone is always lower. It must also be said that orchestra=20
> musicians will tell you that the worst instrument to play with is the=20=

> piano because it is tempered. Violonist, singers and other instrument=20=

> will adjust their half-tone to the tonal attractions of the melody,=20
> thus making it at times smaller than the tempered half-tone. So, to be=20=

> strict all the times about half-tone is not that necessary. One adjust=20=

> it to the situation.
>
> Best!
>
> Bruno
>
>
> Le 04-04-05, =E0 09:39, Tom Hare a =E9crit :
>
>> Hi All--
>>
>> I've been following the conversation on pitch with some interest and=20=

>> some frustration. This is a topic that inevitably comes up among=20
>> beginning shakuhachi players, not without reason, given the=20
>> difficulty in establishing and maintaining correct pitch. It seems=20=

>> quite plausible that traditional shakuhachi players, whether honkyoku=20=

>> performers or ensemble performers, may have had little regard for=20
>> absolute pitch, but I don't think that justifies a laissez-faire=20
>> attitude about it. It may not be important whether your A is 440 or=20=

>> 435, but if you don't have a solid technical competence in=20
>> maintaining consistent pitches and intervals, then your playing will=20=

>> not reflect the potential inherent in the pieces you're working with.=20=

>> Once you can maintain consistency, then, of course, it's your call=20=

>> whether you make a given "tsu-meri" just a half-step above "ro" or=20
>> less or more than a half-step, but you have to be able to play=20
>> precisely that half-step before you are in a position to choose not=20=

>> to play it.
>>
>> Best,
>> Tom Hare
>>
>
> Bruno Desch=EAnes
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Bruno Desch=EAnes
> T=E9l.: (514) 277-4665
> E-mail: bruno@musis.ca
> Site Web: http://pages.infinit.net/musis/
>
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