On 02.1.24 9:27 AM, "Stav Tapuch" <tapuch@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Several people have written me asking if there was any follow-up on my
> earlier questions about the relation of sound, appearance and
> historical/cultural value to the price of shakuhachi.
>
> I have received many responses - but intrestingly enough - people do not
> feel comfortable discussing these issues in a public forum. Some, as owners
> of extensive collections, were afraid that there response would sound too
> self-interested. Others were afraid of hurting the feelings and financial
> interests of established collectors and flute makers. And a third group, I
> think, just didn't think their humble opinion had enough legitimacy and
> authority to warrant the attention of the entire list.
>
>
> But basically - this is the persepctive that I have culled from the many
> responses: I think the comparision of shakuhachi to wine is a sound one. As
> someone with a rudimentary understanding of wine - $20 bucks can get me a
> wine that will make me very satisfied and happy. For this reasonable amount
> of money - I can take a long swig, enjoy the taste - and say 'what a
> wonderful wine!' In this simple spirit - several people, accomplished
> shakuhachi players, stated that they had found excellent flutes, that had
> given them tremendous satisfaction, for prices ranging from $600 to $1200.
>
> Now- I personally know wine experts who can taste the difference between a
> $100 bottle and a $1000 dollar bottle of wine. I could never, nor do I know
> if I would ever want to be able, to distinguish between wines on this level.
> And obviously, the $20 dollar bottle of wine is not going to make these
> people as content as it will make me.
> These people have wine cellars with collections of many wines from different
> countries, geographical areas, vintage years, and so on. For them the
> differences between these wines are tangible and very meaningful. I admire
> these people for the seriousness, passion and knowledge they bring to their
> collections. From my clearly limited perspective I think that serious wine
> and shakuhachi collectors are comparable in that the qualitative differences
> they are concerned with are not easily accessible to the untrained palate or
> ear.
>
> And on a somewhat side note - the really serious collectors have lots of
> flutes for very practical reasons - they recognize the character of each
> instrument and want to match it with a particular type of music. I am sure
> that for non-professional musicians, the idea of having a different flute
> for each different kind of music is just not a realistic ambition.
> (Excluding those with large amounts of disposable income of course.)Again
> this just demonstrates the differences between the mentality of the expert,
> master performer/collector and the that of the 'common' musician.
>
> Please be aware that I wouldn't be too surprised if a year from now I
> thought that the above was completly uninformed nonsense. If someone a bit
> more experienced on this issue wants to shed some more light on this issue -
> please do so.
Stav,
I kind of like your wine metaphor, but there is a serious flaw in it, I
think.
If a connoisseur of fine wines drinks a 10$ bottle of wine, he will have a
very different experience than when he drinks a $100 bottle of wine.
However, that is by necessity a personal experience, and all he can do is
describe it in words.
Someone who is a skilled shakuhachi player will have a different experience
playing a $1,000 flute or a $10,000 dollar one. What's important, though,
is that someone listening will also have a different experience. Everything
is not just true only in the person playing.
If someone is really good, they can make any piece of bamboo sound good by
"putting their spirit into it." However, when that same skill and spirit is
poured into a flute made by a master, anyone with ears to hear will be able
to tell the difference, and it will affect them differently.
Someone who isn't skilled probably can't tell by playing the flutes, because
most good flutes take a skilled player to bring out their potential. It
takes "high octane breath" to bring out the qualities of any flute, but
especially the really great ones. This is my experience in my own playing,
in watching people play, and in the opinions of people I trust.
Zachary Braverman
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Feb 03 2003 - 09:09:50 PST