=20
Hi Everybody,
This discussion of chromatic or non-chromatic is turning into a fun one.=20
Kiku, well said that the shakuhachi can play any scale western or non weste=
rn. I guess we can all agree on that. So if one accepts the definition of c=
hromatic as "music which proceeds in half-steps" shakuhachi can be consider=
ed chromatic or not chromatic based simply upon what music is being played.=
Japanese music is not chromatic because some of the notes are in smaller i=
ntervals than half steps. But if you play a Schoenberg composition it will =
be chromatic.=20
Many of us (including me) have a tendency to fall into calling ro, tsu re a=
nd so on "notes". They are not notes. They are fingerings. It is for this r=
eason that I think the shakuhachi is not primarily a chromatic instrument. =
In Japanese music musical actions are specified not only because they want =
those pitches but also because they want the tone colors associated with th=
e fingerings used to create those pitches. As we know, some pitches have di=
fferent names depending upon what fingering is used to create them. Re and =
U dai meri are both "G" on 1.8 shakuhachi for example. In traditional music=
one would not use them interchangably just because they have the same pitc=
h. As Phil said honkyoku tends not to use the open hole scale of the instru=
ment. Because of this volume and timbre are not equal for every step of the=
scale. In pointing this out Phil makes a point contrary to shakuhachi bein=
g considered a chromatic instrument. Instruments which are designed to play=
chromatically tend not to have wide volume or tone differences between not=
es. Phil also makes an interesting point that many people are playing equal=
ly tempered honkyoku nowadays. I've discussed this with Phil in the past an=
d we both agree that this is not progress. So it looks like shakuhachi eith=
er is or isn't a chromatic instrument and that this can either be a good or=
bad thing depending on what music you're playing.=20
The original question from Eugene was about playing with western instrument=
s. Many times we have to be pragmatic when playing western music on the sha=
kuhachi. For example if you are playing for an audience or making a recordi=
ng you probably want, for lack of a better term, to "sound good". When we =
do a recording session frequently the artist has little or no idea of the c=
apabilities of the shakuhachi. Likewise when we are reading music that was =
not written with shakuhachi in mind. It's the shakuhachi players job to fig=
ure out how to play the music in question. Since non-Japanese music on the =
shakuhachi is a relatively new thing there will be new solutions coming fro=
m a lot of different directions. Whatever works is OK. Certainly if we are =
playing Indian music or some other drone based music it is helpful to desig=
nate one of the fingerings on the shakuhachi as the tonic. If we are playin=
g 12-tone music that's not so important. And if you are doing a pop, jazz o=
r rock recording session you better do whatever it takes to make it sound g=
ood or people will say "that sucks!"=20
I guess what I'm saying is that Japanese music has rules which can be follo=
wed or not. But with western music it's the end result that's important and=
everybody is right. If you want to think of the shakuhachi as an equally t=
empered instrument and that's the right solution for the music you are play=
ing, great. If you're playing blues or Indian music and it's easier to thin=
k of the instrument modally with ro or re as the tonic, so be it. If you wa=
nt to switch shakuhachi during the song as keys change, and if that's what =
sounds best, do it. And if changing your methodology from one song or style=
to the next achieves good results that's OK too.=20
Take care,
BR
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