I am trying to learn Choshi from Robert Grous's book, "Introductory
Manual for Kinko Honkyoku". I am stumped by his explanation of how to
play u hiki. He writes that hiki "...is played similarly to a meri;
however it is made mainly by bowing the head. The third finger does
not cover the third hole.... in effect it lowers the respective note a
half tone in pitch."
But u is already meri, which means to me that the head is already
bowed. So what does hiki add? And u dropped a half-tone is re, so why
not play re? And what's this about the third finger? The third finger
doesn't cover the hole with u, unless he's thinking that u is being
played like chi meri, in which case u hiki would be chi played with a
bowed head.
I am also confused about Grous's explanation of meri. I had understood
that meri notes are created by the combination of half-holing (usually)
and dropping the chin. But Grous says that these are two different
ways to make meri notes. "...one of two ways that a meri note is
produced...is by bowing the head downward and blowing slightly flat.
The other way is by closing a specific hole part way with the
finger...." From this I conclude that a meri note is made either by
half-holing or by bowing while blowing the corresponding kari note, but
not both techniques at the same time. If this is the case, then the
description of hiki makes sense. I produce u just by the fingering,
and u hiki by an additional bowing of my head.
-- Timothy Larkin Caroline, NY
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