Top 10 reasons why a teacher is preferable to an instructional guide and CD.
1. An instructional guide can't take you out for a beer.
2. The instructional guide won't organize student recitals and other
performances for you.
3. If perchance you get a performance through other means the instruction
manual won't be able to help you put on your kimono.
4. An instructional CD can't introduce you to it's other students.
5. An instruction book will seldom bring over bratwurst for the Packer game.
6. An instructional guide can't introduce you to other instructional guides.
7. When a great player comes to visit from Japan he can't crash out at the
instructional guide's house.
8. You can go on a bike ride with your instructional guide, but the
conversation will be poor.
9. The instructional guide does not have a cute little daughter to play with.
10. Unless you have flawless intonation, familiarity with the microtonal
scales and pitches of Japanese music, total objectivity about your own sound,
the ability to see yourself from outside your own body and interpret that
information, knowledge of arcane Japanese shakuhachi terminology, voluminous
historical knowledge of the pieces, players and schools of shakuhachi, the
ability to locate and choose a good instrument despite being a beginner,
understanding of the nuances of the pieces not depicted in the notation,
comprehension of the appropriate vibrato to use for each piece, note or phrase
(and when not to), knowledge of which of the many fingerings for each pitch is
appropriate in any given instance, etc. etc. etc, you probably could benefit
from having a teacher.
Stav Tapuch wrote:
> In learning how to play the shakuhachi, how crucial is live instruction? It
> seems that the most difficult part is developing the muscles of your lips
> and abdomen - and how could a teacher speed this process up, besides
> ensuring that you stick to a regular regime of increasingly challenging
> exercies? Would a very well disciplined student stand to gain much from the
> pedalogical framework of a teacher?
>
> Of course, without a teacher once can not be inducted into the traditional
> lineage of shakuhachi teacher-student relationships,and an unbroken
> transition of a cultural bounty of great beauty, which is undoubtably
> something of tremendsous value. But from a strictly technical persepective
> - the value of a teacher above a good insturctional guide and accompanying
> disc is not apparent to me.
>
> I would enjoy hearing the persepctives others on this issue.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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