[Shaku] RE: shakuhachi tuning...

Tuscia,
Measure to center of holes from top:
hole 5 = .41L(ength)
hole 4 = .48L
hole 3 = .58L
hole 2 = .68L
hole 1 = .78L

do Ro first, then put the holes in from the bottom up, not the top down like
you're doing.
all holes 10-11mm, except 3 = 9mm.
tapering the holes so that they are wider on inside helps make octaves in
tune.
Pitch depends not just on length but on bore profile too, so inevitably
there is going to be variation.

2 ways to correct pitch deviations from that desired:

1) is to change hole size (can be ugly but it works)
2) is to fool with the bore by taking out more material or putting more
material in.
the question is where. Also, this effects the sound, sometimes in a good
way, sometimes in a bad way.

There is a book you can get from Monty Levenson's site which discusses this
in detail, and it details all the basics on making a standard shakuhachi:
Blowing Zen, One Breath One Mind by Carl Abbott. It's both a playing guide
and a making guide.
It's worth getting.

In the old style way of making that Carl describes the flute is divided into
7 "rooms."
Rm 1 = top to .11 of length
Rm 2 = from room 1 to .38 L
Rm 3 = from rm 2 to .53L
Rm 4 = from rm 3 to .58L
Rm 5 = from rm 4 to .78L
Rm 6 = from rm 5 to .86L
Rm 7 = from rm 6 to bottom of bell.

You can insert wet strips of paper to test adding material to bore before
you do so.
You can use autobody bondo to add to the bore when you decide that's what
you want to do if you don't want to fool with urushi and ji. It's good
enough for Murai-san, so...

Here's what Abbot's book says about tuning by adding material to, or
grinding, the bore:
Ro goes to Kan to easily: Rm 2 too wide or Rm 5 too narrow.
Ro high: Add material to Rm 1 -4
Ro low: Add material to Rm 4 - 7
Tsu high: Grind rm 1 or narrow hole #1
Tsu low: add to rm 1, or enlarge hole
Re too high: grind rm 1 or narrow hole 1 and 2
Re too low: add to rm 1 or narrow holes 1 and 2
Chi too high: Grind rm 1 or narrow hole 3
Chi too low: add to rm 1 or enlarge inside of hole 3
Ha too high: grind rm 1, or narrow holes 3 and 4
hi too high: grind rm 1, or narrow hole 5
hi too low: add to rm 1, or enlarge hole 5

There you have it.
Of course, grinding and adding material effect the resonances not just the
tuning.
Everything is a compromise.

Some culms make everything easy, it just works out, others are problematic.

Hope this helps,

all my best,

Joel Taylor

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Received on Tue Jan 10 08:40 PST 2006