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Almost forgot this one (also from Kakizakai-sensei. If you haven't
heard this man play, you're missing something important...):
February 1997
Training Your Sound
If God came up to you and said "Play me a sound, just one sound",
would you have the confidence to play one you'd be proud of?
Everybody has had the experience of not getting the sound they want
at a crucial moment. I'm sure there are lots of people who would say
they've never gotten the sound they want, period.
Getting a sound you can be satisfied with on the shakuhachi is no
easy task. However, if you don't put in the effort to get that sound,
you will never know what it feels like.
One effective method is a daily practice called Ro buki, or "Blowing
Ro". Practice blowing Ro in the low octave for 10 minutes each day.
Watazumi Doso used to say often that anybody who continued this
practice would become a master.
It isn't quite as simple as just blowing Ro, however. Follow these guidelines:
1. Don't use vibrato.
2. Don't hit any holes at the beginning of the note.
3. Don't start from a meri position.
4. Blow as long as you can.
5. Blow as loudly as you can.
In other words, what you want to practice is a simple Ro with no
ornaments or embellishments. This is much harder than it sounds.
There are many people who begin by hitting a hole by force of habit,
for example. Since you can't fix what you don't notice, it's
important to have an observer help you out.
At the International Shakuhachi Kenshu-Kan master classes are always
begun with this practice, sometimes for as long as 20 minutes at a
time. People who come frequently experience a rebirth in their sound
from this aspect of the practice alone.
Try blowing Ro for 10 minutes a day using the guidelines above and
see what it does for you.
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