Re: [Shaku] length and tuning question

Hi Karl
2.3 is your answer. 2.2 as a name is skipped, since a semitone below A is usually around 2.3 size.
There are 3 systems of naming. One is to increase the name by 1 sun every semitone. The further away from 1.8 you go, the less the names correspond to actual length. Perhaps the tuner you saw used that system.

The second is to state the actual length, which can even include how many bu (10 bu to one sun). This can be found when describing some one-piece jinashi. I have not come across it with jinuri shakuhachi. Since jinashi are often made in almost random sizes they could be any length or pitch so this system also makes sense (though they too are often made in standard sizes/pitches for their respective schools to be played in groups or at least teacher and student together). With this system length names can be different for same pitches, or visa versa.

A third system is to make shakuhachi which are in tune with a certain concensus-decided semitone and then give it the name of the length it is, rounded off to the nearest sun. hence the name "2.4" for shakuhachi in A, which may be 2.44 in length. These names can also become standard so that if a shakuhachi in A were 2.46 it still might be called "2.4", and the members of the school or others using the same naming convention would still understand it was in A. It's this system which skips 2.2.

Best wishes,
Justin Senryu

http://senryushakuhachi.com/

----- Original Message ----
From: Karl Young <karlshak@sonic.net>
To: Shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu; "sfbayshakuhachi@yahoogroups.com" <sfbayshakuhachi@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, June 23, 2010 2:44:37 AM
Subject: [Shaku] length and tuning question

I wanted to float a question about makers conventions for flute length and pitch and see if anyone had any thoughts.

I've been playing with some shamisen players and singers lately and I use different size flutes based on the tuning they use (and since I don't have 12 flutes they sometimes adjust a little to me as well). I can usually play up a fifth which based on the scale just means having an extra meri note (usually tsu chu meri) so we can usually accommodate each other with the flutes I have.

But one of the shamisen players recently showed me his tuner and it was interesting that the tuner not only listed the western pitch but the matching shakuhachi length. Most of the lengths/pitches corresponded to what I expected, e.g. a 1.8 was associated with D. The list of pitches on the tuner went through an octave from G#/1.2 to an octave lower G#/2.4. The lower end confused me because most of the 2.4's I've tried, including mine, are "A flutes". I realize that there's no necessary relation between Japanese length units and equal tempered half steps but the makers seemed to have found a way to make flutes whose fundamental is close to a standard 440 based western pitch (I know, I know Monty, specify at what temperature ! :-)), presumably by adjusting the length a little. And I also understand that the relationship between pitch and length diverges more with longer flutes.

It seems that between 1.5 and 2.0 most of the flutes I've seen do correspond pretty well to standard western pitches moving in half steps from F down to C. So after all that (whew, what a long winded jerk !) my question is, given the shamisen tuner specs. that I mentioned, is there a standard makers convention for fundamental pitches all the way down to 2.4 ? If so which of 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 is typically a B or B flat flute (given that 2.4's are usually A flutes) ? I.e. if the convention is for 2.4's to be A flutes (as opposed to what is listed on the tuner), and 2.0's to be C flutes (as seems to be the case) there are three lengths for covering 2 pitches in between those.

Thanks for any thoughts,

-- Karl Young
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Received on Wed Jun 23 08:27:15 2010