Justin wrote:
> I think these points are linked in an interesting way.
> I have heard complaints from some people that the
> writing down of the shakuhachi music STOPPED it
> changing - somehow took the fluidity of the tradition
> away to some extent.
The people who are complaining evidently feel constrained by the notation. Surely they
don't need to! Let them play the music as they wish, and even write down their own
versions, as the Chikuho and Jin Nyodo schools have done, to mention only two.
As a westerner, it amuses me to hear the idea that 'shakuhachi music has stopped
changing'. As I listen to recordings and performances, I hear huge differences in
ornamentation, tempi, the use of ma, and the overall conception of each piece. Compare a
few performances of a Schubert sonata - they are much more similar to each other than
performances of a honkyoku piece.
However, these variant readings are usually grouped around the core of a tradition.
Personally, I like having the firm ground of a stable tradition.
I think we should be wary of the assumption that "change equals good", and "no-change is
bad". Change can be bad as well as good. Do you really want to change a piece like
Kumoi Jishi? I like it very much the way it is.
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