>
>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? 51
>
>2. Are you male or female? M
>
>3. In what U.S. state or country do you live? MD
>
>4. What is your ethnic background? W
>
>5. What is your education level? (high school; college graduate; advanced
>degrees)
DMA composition - Assoc. Prof., College of William and Mary
>6. What was your approximate income last year?
Wife and I total $110K
>7. Do you have any religious affiliation that you feel strongly about?
Informal Buddhist - do not attend meetings or have a teacher
>If yes, describe:
>Were you raised from childhood with this religious affiliation? No
>What is your family's religious orientation, if any? - Christian
>Fundamentalist
>Would you describe yourself as a Buddhist? Yes
>8. Do you play any other instruments besides shakuhachi?
>If yes, please list the instrument(s):
All "Euro" clarinets, saxophones, flutes
>9. Did you have any musical experience prior to playing shakuhachi?
>If yes, please describe (lessons or training, participation in bands, etc.):
Toured professionally in late 70s as jazz musician.
Lots of big band experience/ small group jazz / & rock.
>10. Are you presently involved in any other musical activities outside of
>shakuhachi?
Just new music/academic composing - chamber music and computer music
>11. Do you have any knowledge of the Japanese language? If yes, please
>describe:
>
NO
>B. Questions about shakuhachi playing and related practices:
>
>12. What kind of shakuhachi flute(s) do you have?
Two rather expensive root end Japanese flutes (1.8 antique) and 2.8
One moderately expensive root end 2.4
One beginners 2.1 bamboo w/o root
>13. Approximately how much have you spent on your instrument(s)?
$6,500
>14. How did you first become interested in the shakuhachi?
Watazumi recordings in the 70s
>15. What qualities of the music or the instrument appeals to you?
Incredible musical maturity of the good performers.
Complexity of the minimal melodic composition in the honkyoku as well as
the sankyoku.
>16. How long have you been active as a shakuhachi player?
A little over 2 yrs.
>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? .............................RONNIE SELDIN
>How long have you studied with your teacher?.... 18 MO.
>How often do you study with a teacher?............once per mo.
>What kind of repertoire do you study with your teacher? Honkyoku? Jiuta?
>Minyo?
Sankyoku and Honkyoku
>18. Did you play shakuhachi before studying with a teacher? If yes, how long?
yes - about 6 months
>19. Do you study with a teacher locally, with visiting teachers, or both?
Travel from Wash. DC area to Baltimore, Phili, or NYC
>20. How often do you practice the shakuhachi? How many hours per week? Per
>month?
At least 1 hr. per day, sometimes 2.
>21. Do you listen to recordings of shakuhachi music?
>If yes, how often?
I commute from DC to VA 3 hours twice each week and listen approx. 4 hours
per week.
>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?
Those articles found on the Web, Riley Lee's dissertation, Annals of Int.
Shakuhachi Society
>23. Have you ever participated in any special shakuhachi workshops?
Only one master class of Ronnie's
>If yes, how many have you attended? 6
>Are workshops an effective and efficient way of learning shakuhachi?
NO -- private lessons are best.
>24. Please rank the following activities in order of importance to you
>(1 = most important, 2 = important, 3 = least important, etc.):
>Individual practice 1
>Your own public performance or student recital..........3
>Socializing with other shakuhachi enthusiasts.......2
>Attending shakuhachi workshops....2
>Attending concerts of shakuhachi performers.........2
>Listening to recordings of shakuhachi performers..1
>
>25. How important is shakuhachi notation in your regular playing habits?
>Very Important/Important/Not very important
very important
>26. Have you ever visited Japan?
>If no, are you planning to go in the near future?
NO - but will one of these days.
>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? YES
>Attended Buddhist lectures? YES
>Martial arts?
>Tai Chi or Qi Gong?
>Yoga? YES
>Are any of the above activities a result of your involvement with
>shakuhachi? NO
>
>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
VERY SIG.
>29. Have you made any changes in your personal/family life to accommodate
>your shakuhachi practice, learning or performance?
>If yes, describe:
I STARTED TO PRACTICE REGULARLY AFTER YEARS OF NOT PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT
REGULARLY
>30. Do you feel that playing the shakuhachi helps you to learn about
>Buddhism or about Japanese culture?
YES - ESPECIALL THE BEGINNING STAGES
>31. In your opinion, is the shakuhachi an instrument of meditation?
>A musical instrument? Or is it both?
BOTH
>32. Is playing the shakuhachi an act of meditation for you personally? If
>yes, can you briefly describe?
BOTH
>33. Do you feel that playing shakuhachi is a method of spiritual
>fulfillment? If yes, can you briefly describe?
ZEN MIND CAN BE ATTAINED IN ANY ACTIVITY - SOME ACTIVITIES ARE EASIER TO
ACHIEVE MINDFULLNESS IN THAN OTHERS - SHAKUHACHI IS ONE OF THOSE.
>34. Has playing the shakuhachi helped you cope with any personal problems
>in your life?
YES
>35. Do you feel that the shakuhachi has any healing powers or positive
>health effects?
YES
>36. Do you have any particular goals you would like to achieve by playing
>shakuhachi?
>
>FINISH LEARNING ALL OF THE KINKO LITERATURE AND HONKYOKU IN MY LIFETIME
>D. Questions for Teachers of shakuhachi:
>
>37. Do you teach the shakuhachi as a part-time or full-time profession?
I TEACH A CLASS OF BEGINNERS AT WILLIAM AND MARY
>38. Do you travel in order to teach the shakuhachi? If yes, how often?
NO
>39. What kind or level of teaching certification do you have?
NONE
>40. Please list your teacher(s):
>
>41. Which school of shakuhachi are you associated with?
KINKO
>42. What types of music for shakuhachi do you teach?
>What percentage of your teaching involves honkyoku?
KINKO - NO HONKYOKU, MAINLY MINYO
>43. To what extent is your teaching style similar to, or different from,
>your own teacher? Please describe:
A BIT DIFFERENT in that I teach a group
>44. How do you measure student progress?
I'M NOT EMPHASIZING PROGRESS AT THIS POINT IN THEIR PLAYING
>45. Do you require your students to play recitals?
NO
>46. To what extent do you verbalize about Buddhist or Japanese
>philosophical concepts in your teaching?
SOMETIMES
>47. Have you taught at shakuhachi workshops?
>In your opinion, how effective are workshops in learning the shakuhachi?
NO
>48. How important is the use of shakuhachi notation in teaching?
>Very Important/Important/Not very important
VERY IMPORTANT
>49. How important is it for the student to precisely imitate the teacher's
>playing?
>Very Important/Important/Not very important
VERY IMPORTANT TO ATTEMPT TO IMITATE, BUT ULTIMATE TO BE ONES SELF
>50. How important is it for the student to use a tape recorder?
>Very Important/Important/Not very important
VERY IMPORTANT
>51. How important is it for the student to have a familiarity with
>Japanese language?
>Very Important/Important/Not very important
NOT
>52. How important is it for the student to be familiar with Buddhism or
>Japanese philosophical concepts?
>Very Important/Important/Not very important
SHAKUHACHI CAN BE JUST ANOTHER INSTRUMENT OR A TOOL FOR MEDITATION OR BOTH.
ALL ARE VALID USES.
>53. Do you teach techniques for using the shakuhachi as an instrument of
>meditation?
I SUGGEST STUDENTS WARM UP BLOWING RO AND BEING MINDFULL.
>THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
>
>____________________________________________________
>
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