Greetings, list members:
My name is Jay Keister, an ethnomusicologist and specialist of Japanese
music currently teaching at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I'm a
player of the shamisen and various Japanese flutes (shinobue, nokan,
ryuteki) and a struggling student of the most difficult of them all--the
shakuhachi.
As part of my ongoing research of Japanese traditional music, I have
recently become interested in the shakuhachi because of its unique status
as a tool to aid in the study of Zen and meditation practices. It appears
that this connection has become stronger as popularity of the instrument
has grown outside of Japan and is a large part of the appeal of the
shakuhachi.
In Japan, the shakuhachi seems to function primarily as a musical
instrument (outside of its use in a few Zen temples) similar to koto and
shamisen, while in America the shakuhachi has much more explicit religious
and philosophical connotations that lead players to engage in the
instrument as a tool of meditation. What are the implications of this
philosophical approach for the musical tradition of the shakuhachi? Are we
witnessing a revival of shakuhachi's "original" purpose as a tool of Zen? I
am interested in these kinds of questions and would welcome dialogue on the
subject.
An important part of this research project is to collect data on the
backgrounds and musical practices of all those who play the shakuhachi. I
would appreciate it if everyone could take a few minutes to reply to my
survey below. Rather than reply to the entire list, please reply directly
to my email address: keister@colorado.edu. I will compile this information
and share it with everyone on the list at a later date. I suspect the
results will be intriguing and might contain some surprises. Please proceed
and thanks for your help on this project!
---------------------------
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SHAKUHACHI PLAYERS
Please answer as many questions as you can. Feel free to skip any questions
you do not feel comfortable answering. All information will be kept
completely anonymous. If you have very little time to do this survey, you
may keep your answers as brief as possible, otherwise please feel free to
elaborate in more detail. Any and all information is welcome and will be
helpful.
A. General Background and Musical Background Questions:
1. What is your age?
2. Are you male or female?
3. In what U.S. state or country do you live?
4. What is your ethnic background?
5. What is your education level? (high school; college graduate; advanced
degrees)
6. What was your approximate income last year?
7. Do you have any religious affiliation that you feel strongly about?
If yes, describe:
Were you raised from childhood with this religious affiliation?
What is your family's religious orientation, if any?
Would you describe yourself as a Buddhist?
8. Do you play any other instruments besides shakuhachi?
If yes, please list the instrument(s):
9. Did you have any musical experience prior to playing shakuhachi?
If yes, please describe (lessons or training, participation in bands, etc.):
10. Are you presently involved in any other musical activities outside of
shakuhachi?
11. Do you have any knowledge of the Japanese language? If yes, please
describe:
B. Questions about shakuhachi playing and related practices:
12. What kind of shakuhachi flute(s) do you have?
13. Approximately how much have you spent on your instrument(s)?
14. How did you first become interested in the shakuhachi?
15. What qualities of the music or the instrument appeals to you?
16. How long have you been active as a shakuhachi player?
17. Do you study shakuhachi with a teacher? [Teachers--see Section D below]
If No, what is your method for learning shakuhachi? Recordings? Books?
If Yes, who is your teacher?
How long have you studied with your teacher?
How often do you study with a teacher?
What kind of repertoire do you study with your teacher? Honkyoku? Jiuta? Minyo?
18. Did you play shakuhachi before studying with a teacher? If yes, how long?
19. Do you study with a teacher locally, with visiting teachers, or both?
20. How often do you practice the shakuhachi? How many hours per week? Per
month?
21. Do you listen to recordings of shakuhachi music?
If yes, how often?
22. Do you read books or articles about shakuhachi, Japanese music, or any
philosophy you feel is related to the instrument? If yes, what kinds of
books or articles?
23. Have you ever participated in any special shakuhachi workshops?
If yes, how many have you attended?
Are workshops an effective and efficient way of learning shakuhachi?
24. Please rank the following activities in order of importance to you
(1 = most important, 2 = important, 3 = least important, etc.):
Individual practice
Your own public performance or student recital
Socializing with other shakuhachi enthusiasts
Attending shakuhachi workshops
Attending concerts of shakuhachi performers
Listening to recordings of shakuhachi performers
25. How important is shakuhachi notation in your regular playing habits?
Very Important/Important/Not very important
26. Have you ever visited Japan?
If no, are you planning to go in the near future?
If yes, how many times?
If yes, did you study shakuhachi in Japan? For how long?
27. Have you ever participated in any of the following activities? (If yes,
please describe how often):
Meditation practices?
Attended Buddhist lectures?
Martial arts?
Tai Chi or Qi Gong?
Yoga?
Are any of the above activities a result of your involvement with shakuhachi?
C. Your opinions about shakuhachi:
28. How significant an impact has playing the shakuhachi had on your life?
Very Significant impact/Significant impact/Little impact/None
29. Have you made any changes in your personal/family life to accommodate
your shakuhachi practice, learning or performance?
If yes, describe:
30. Do you feel that playing the shakuhachi helps you to learn about
Buddhism or about Japanese culture?
31. In your opinion, is the shakuhachi an instrument of meditation?
A musical instrument? Or is it both?
32. Is playing the shakuhachi an act of meditation for you personally? If
yes, can you briefly describe?
33. Do you feel that playing shakuhachi is a method of spiritual
fulfillment? If yes, can you briefly describe?
34. Has playing the shakuhachi helped you cope with any personal problems
in your life?
35. Do you feel that the shakuhachi has any healing powers or positive
health effects?
36. Do you have any particular goals you would like to achieve by playing
shakuhachi?
D. Questions for Teachers of shakuhachi:
37. Do you teach the shakuhachi as a part-time or full-time profession?
38. Do you travel in order to teach the shakuhachi? If yes, how often?
39. What kind or level of teaching certification do you have?
40. Please list your teacher(s):
41. Which school of shakuhachi are you associated with?
42. What types of music for shakuhachi do you teach?
What percentage of your teaching involves honkyoku?
43. To what extent is your teaching style similar to, or different from,
your own teacher? Please describe:
44. How do you measure student progress?
45. Do you require your students to play recitals?
46. To what extent do you verbalize about Buddhist or Japanese
philosophical concepts in your teaching?
47. Have you taught at shakuhachi workshops?
In your opinion, how effective are workshops in learning the shakuhachi?
48. How important is the use of shakuhachi notation in teaching?
Very Important/Important/Not very important
49. How important is it for the student to precisely imitate the teacher's
playing?
Very Important/Important/Not very important
50. How important is it for the student to use a tape recorder?
Very Important/Important/Not very important
51. How important is it for the student to have a familiarity with Japanese
language?
Very Important/Important/Not very important
52. How important is it for the student to be familiar with Buddhism or
Japanese philosophical concepts?
Very Important/Important/Not very important
53. Do you teach techniques for using the shakuhachi as an instrument of
meditation?
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
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