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As a novitiate student with a few personal observations about
lessons...
Ronnie keeps reminding me that (in the beginning) the sound is not so
important. I've got to keep pounding that "reality" into my brain, and
slowly I'm starting to get it. Actually, I think some of my
"freezing-up" occurs because I want to "satisfy" him that I'm
improving. Well! How presumptions, of me! The ego is a funny
thing, isn't it? If I was good enough to "impress" Ronnie, I wouldn't need
a teacher, would I! And, if I waited to take lessons until I had
enough control to be able to completely blow in front of my teacher - I'd never
take those lessons! Without lessons, I probably would never
develop the skill or self confidence to do it! A great paradox that
can block the possibility of improvement if we succumb to this delusion.
Actually, the less I worry about the sound, the easier it comes of it's own
accord.
For some (most?) of us, the shakuhachi is really hard to learn. I
often contemplate that I could spend my practice time with an easier instrument
and progress much faster. But, blowing shak brings such a great sense
of accomplishment. It's just me and the shak. And when we reach a
common point of harmony, the most beautiful music emerges, even if it's
just for a few brief moments. The potential for deeper expression is
always just beyond my grasp, urging me forward - small step by small step. I
can now truly appreciate the comment that it often takes three years before
one's sound becomes good enough to begin to learn honkyoko. As the Daoist
saying goes: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with...".
:-)
Cheers,
Brian
----- Original Message -----
From:
To: shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu
Sent: 3/24/02 11:50:43 PM
Subject: Good Sounds, Bad Sounds
To all those new faces that are gripped by fear. By fear of not making a
sound in front of the teacher. Let it be known that I, just a beginner,
often
blow silently when I'm taking a lesson from Nyogetsu San (Ronnie). I blow
silently so that I may hear Ronnie's sound instead of my sound. And by the
way, I'm told that a good sound is 9th on the list of the 10 most important
things to accomplish.
So if the sound is not yet there it is because it is not meant to be there
(yet).
Smile and let the ego fall were it may, outside the door of the Dojo as you
enter.
Phil Kyosei Kolman
--- Brian K. Miller
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<DIV>As a novitiate student with a few personal observations about lessons...</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ronnie keeps reminding me that (in the beginning) the sound is not so important. I've got to keep pounding that "reality" into my brain, and slowly I'm starting to get it. Actually, I think some of my "freezing-up" occurs because I want to "satisfy" him that I'm improving. Well! How presumptions, of me! The ego is a funny thing, isn't it? If I was good enough to "impress" Ronnie, I wouldn't need a teacher, would I! And, if I <U>waited </U>to take lessons until I had enough control to be able to completely blow in front of my teacher - I'd never take those lessons! Without lessons, I probably would never develop the skill or self confidence to do it! A great paradox that can block the possibility of improvement if we succumb to this delusion. Actually, the less I worry about the sound, the easier it comes of it's own accord. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For some (most?) of us, the shakuhachi is really hard to learn. I often contemplate that I could spend my practice time with an easier instrument and progress much faster. But, blowing shak brings such a great sense of accomplishment. It's just me and the shak. And when we reach a common point of harmony, the most beautiful music emerges, even if it's just for a few brief moments. The potential for deeper expression is always just beyond my grasp, urging me forward - small step by small step. I can now truly appreciate the comment that it often takes three years before one's sound becomes good enough to begin to learn honkyoko. As the Daoist saying goes: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with...". :-)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Cheers,</DIV>
<DIV> Brian</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:KYOSEI1@aol.com" title=KYOSEI1@aol.com></A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A href="mailto:KYOSEI1@aol.com" title=KYOSEI1@aol.com>shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 3/24/02 11:50:43 PM </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Good Sounds, Bad Sounds</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2>
<P>
<DIV>To all those new faces that are gripped by fear. By fear of not making a </DIV>
<DIV>sound in front of the teacher. Let it be known that I, just a beginner, often </DIV>
<DIV>blow silently when I'm taking a lesson from Nyogetsu San (Ronnie). I blow </DIV>
<DIV>silently so that I may hear Ronnie's sound instead of my sound. And by the </DIV>
<DIV>way, I'm told that a good sound is 9th on the list of the 10 most important </DIV>
<DIV>things to accomplish.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So if the sound is not yet there it is because it is not meant to be there </DIV>
<DIV>(yet).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Smile and let the ego fall were it may, outside the door of the Dojo as you </DIV>
<DIV>enter.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Phil Kyosei Kolman</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<P></P></FONT>
<P></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>--- Brian K. Miller</DIV>
<DIV>--- <A href="mailto:millerbk@rconnect.com">millerbk@rconnect.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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