Re: [Shaku] Watazumi

From: Alcvin Ramos (ramos@dccnet.com)
Date: Sat Aug 14 2004 - 22:14:26 PDT

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format=flowed

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your kind words and enthusiasm for shakuhachi. Good luck on=20=

the Path.

Best,

Al
=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D
Alcvin Takegawa Ramos
Director
The Shakuhachi Society of British Columbia
=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D<+>=3D
S9-C3
Madeira Park, B.C.,V0N 2H0
Canada
tel: 604.883.2023
cell: 604.788.0060
MAIL: ramos@dccnet.com
WEB: www.bamboo-in.com
On Thursday, August 12, 2004, at 08:42 PM, Brian S. wrote:

> =A0
> Dave your a legend. well said about Watazumi Doso Roshi.
> =A0
> Hey Alcvin, much respect to you too. I have gained much from your=20
> amazing web site. Your printable playing guides and western stave and=20=

> tabulature 'translator' have got me started on learning to read and=20
> play honkyoku.
> =A0
> =A0I am a self-teaching shakuhachi and hochiku(spelling as Tom D.=20
> recomends, you guys read his site? Smart Man. Big Ups Tom.) aspirant.=20=

> I have made my own shakuhachi for the last five years, and simply=20
> practiced improvisation.(playing in the moment) for the most part.=20
> figuring out fingering excercises as I went. and so on as it is.
> Any how it was some four years into my self teaching that I came=20
> accross a person who knew what a shakuhachi was (I am from south=20
> africa, we don't know much here. THERE ARE NO SHAKUHACHI TEACHERS=20
> HERE!!!! anyone wanna come visit, you can crash at my place. :-)=A0 ).=20=

> Turns out his dad, as a young man studied for six months in Japan in=20=

> his mid twenties I believe, making it some twenty odd years ago. After=20=

> some months I finally got to visit him at his home and meet his > =
flutes!
> Ahh. It was next no nearly the first time I held and played an actual=20=

> bamboo shakuhachi, proper from japan and all. (first was about a year=20=

> before when Yoshio Kurahashi came thru town and peformed, compliments=20=

> of the local Japanese Consulate. After his show I asked to see his=20
> flute -if i could pretty please-. This was it! After some years making=20=

> and playing "shakuhachi" i was about to hold and play a real one. this=20=

> concert was also the first I had properly heard a shaku played. (One=20=

> wonders how i got interested then. aah. bit more of a story i wont get=20=

> into now.) I=A0(shyly) made gifts of two of my painted PVC flutes to =
one=20
> of the Ladies of the Hogakukai, and it caused much fuss, seems her=20
> daughter wanted to start learning and she considered my flutes good=20
> enough. This resulted in my first shakuhachi/koto CD. I was given one,=20=

> and a pamphlet and a biographical magazine of Kurahashi-san. I left=20
> there feeling quite chuffed with th experience.)!
> =A0So anyways I am finally meeting this man, John, and his flutes.
> =A0Um long story short.=A0 He has many recordings, books, and four =
flutes,=20
> One of which was his teachers flute which was gifted to him before he=20=

> left Japan. Wow! what a beauty. (John was given the Japanese name=20
> Ennishi, En meaning fated connection)
> =A0Really getting to the point, he also has a copy of Watazumi's CD .=20=

> This I was really eager to hear coz i had already read the=20
> dissertation being mentioned, (Alcvin weren't you a student of his?)=20=

> and had already developed a respect for him just from his words and=20
> from the fact that he stood firmly against common trends. His 3000 day=20=

> shugyo astounds me. One day, yes, one day.
> =A0
> =A0And yes he is truly inspiring.
> =A0
> I have until now been making my flutes out of the controvesial PVC,=20
> now coming to a degree of quite comfortable playability, 25mm and now=20=

> 34mm 2.4's and 2.8's (cant play bigger yet.)=A0=A0 Bamboo is so hard =
to=20
> find. but I have recently found a grove of quite usable shoots. good=20=

> diameter, node spacings are not quite correct( i learnt the=20
> correctness of bamboo choosing only after I harvested,from Tom=20
> Deaver's amazing site, really guys read it.)
> =A0
> =A0Any how, I am rambling, this is the first time I am voicing myself =
to=20
> the world of Shakuhachi enthusiasts.=A0 So many inspiring people with=20=

> amazing websites, thank you all.
> =A0Kinya Sogawa's is fabulous, my PVC flutes have evolved to something=20=

> quite like his, though his site helped me refine them.
> =A0
> =A0 One day soon I will make it to Japan and start knocking on =
teachers=20
> doors.
> Look out.
> =A0
> =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Brian. Schultz
> =A0
> =A0
> =A0 Having a body or not having a body
> =A0=A0=A0 is=A0there self or no self
> =A0=A0=A0=A0I ponder deeply like=A0this.
> =A0=A0=A0 For a long time I sit
> =A0=A0=A0=A0leaning on the rocks:
> =A0=A0=A0=A0 green grass comes up
> =A0=A0=A0=A0 around my legs,=A0red dust
> =A0=A0=A0=A0 setles on my head.
> =A0=A0=A0=A0 Already I see worldly people
> =A0=A0=A0=A0 offering wine an fruit at my deathbed.
> =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 *HANSHAN*
> =A0
> =A0
> =A0
> If you understand, things are just as they are, if you don't=20
> understand, things are just as they are.
>
>
>
<image.tiff>
>
> Do you Yahoo!?
> New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!

--Apple-Mail-10-423033372
charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your kind words and enthusiasm for shakuhachi. Good luck on
the Path.

Best,

=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D

Alcvin Takegawa Ramos

Director

The Shakuhachi Society of British Columbia

=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D<<+>=3D

S9-C3

Madeira Park, B.C.,V0N 2H0

Canada

tel: 604.883.2023

cell: 604.788.0060

MAIL: ramos@dccnet.com

WEB: www.bamboo-in.com

On Thursday, August 12, 2004, at 08:42 PM, Brian S. wrote:

=
<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,0000</par=
am><smaller>=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>Dave
your a legend. well said about Watazumi Doso =
Roshi.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=
</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0</smalle=
r></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>Hey
Alcvin, much respect to you too. I have gained much from your amazing
web site. Your printable playing guides and western stave and
tabulature 'translator' have got me started on learning to read and
play =
honkyoku.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0I am a
self-teaching shakuhachi and hochiku(spelling as Tom D. recomends, you
guys read his site? Smart Man. Big Ups Tom.) aspirant. I have made my
own shakuhachi for the last five years, and simply practiced
improvisation.(playing in the moment) for the most part. figuring out
fingering excercises as I went. and so on as it =
is.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>Any how
it was some four years into my self teaching that I came accross a
person who knew what a shakuhachi was (I am from south africa, we
don't know much here. THERE ARE NO SHAKUHACHI TEACHERS HERE!!!! anyone
wanna come visit, you can crash at my place. :-)=A0 ). Turns out his
dad, as a young man studied for six months in Japan in his mid
twenties I believe, making it some twenty odd years ago. After some
months I finally got to visit him at his home and meet his =
flutes!</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>Ahh. It
was next no nearly the first time I held and played an actual bamboo
shakuhachi, proper from japan and all. (first was about a year before
when Yoshio Kurahashi came thru town and peformed, compliments of the
local Japanese Consulate. After his show I asked to see his flute -if
i could pretty please-. This was it! After some years making and
playing "shakuhachi" i was about to hold and play a real one. this
concert was also the first I had properly heard a shaku played. (One
wonders how i got interested then. aah. bit more of a story i wont get
into now.) I=A0(shyly) made gifts of two of my painted PVC flutes to one
of the Ladies of the Hogakukai, and it caused much fuss, seems her
daughter wanted to start learning and she considered my flutes good
enough. This resulted in my first shakuhachi/koto CD. I was given one,
and a pamphlet and a biographical magazine of Kurahashi-san. I left
there feeling quite chuffed with th
=
experience.)</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller=
>!

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0So
anyways I am finally meeting this man, John, and his =
flutes.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0Um
long story short.=A0 He has many recordings, books, and four flutes, One
of which was his teachers flute which was gifted to him before he left
Japan. Wow! what a beauty. (John was given the Japanese name Ennishi,
En meaning fated =
connection)</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>=

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0Really
getting to the point, he also has a copy of Watazumi's CD . This I was
really eager to hear coz i had already read the dissertation being
mentioned, (Alcvin weren't you a student of his?) and had already
developed a respect for him just from his words and from the fact that
he stood firmly against common trends. His 3000 day shugyo astounds
me. One day, yes, one =
day.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0And
yes he is truly =
inspiring.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>I have
until now been making my flutes out of the controvesial PVC, now
coming to a degree of quite comfortable playability, 25mm and now 34mm
2.4's and 2.8's (cant play bigger yet.)=A0=A0 Bamboo is so hard to find.
but I have recently found a grove of quite usable shoots. good
diameter, node spacings are not quite correct( i learnt the
correctness of bamboo choosing only after I harvested,from Tom
Deaver's amazing site, really guys read =
it.)</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0Any
how, I am rambling, this is the first time I am voicing myself to the
world of Shakuhachi enthusiasts.=A0 So many inspiring people with
amazing websites, thank you =
all.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0Kinya
Sogawa's is fabulous, my PVC flutes have evolved to something quite
like his, though his site helped me refine =
them.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0 One
day soon I will make it to Japan and start knocking on teachers =
doors.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>Look
out.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0=A0=A0=A0=
=A0
Brian. =
Schultz</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=A0

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0
Having a body or not having a =
body</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0=A0=A0
is=A0there self or no =
self</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0=A0=A0=A0=
I
ponder deeply =
like=A0this.</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller=
>

</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0=A0=A0 =
For
a long time I =
sit</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>

=
</smaller></color><color><param>FFFF,0000,8080</param><smaller>=A0=A0=A0=A0=
leaning
on the =
rocks:</smaller></color><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param><smaller>