Hi everyone,
Returning to the interesting topic about whether jinashi shakuhachi are "out of tune" or whether we are too "out of time" to know, I've had a few brewing thoughts:
In many music idioms, it seems the sense of pitch is becoming progressively more narrow. In Jazz, Ben Webster's lush fluffy vibrato has given way to the more controlled contemporary style. Pre-1950 recordings of violinists display really "flexible" intonation, wide vibrato, and lots of sliding. In shakuhachi too, I find a perceptible difference between the pitch sense of different generations of players. The recordings of Yamamoto Hozan and Shimabara Hanzan are one really obvious example.
It is likely that the ubiquitousness of Western music in Japan has a strong impact on contemporary Japanese pitch sensibility. Every Japanese today is trained to sight sing Western notation (and music) in school. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is know by virtually everyone. Sanya is not.
Also, I have a hunch that the huge ensemble concerts in Japan today were created to compete with the spectacle of Western orchestras. Of course, if you need to have 100 or more shakuhachi play in tune, your attitude towards pitch, shakuhachi making, and ensemble playing must shift radically.
Any thoughts?
Adam Friedman-in-still-cold-D.C.
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