Japanese Music Notation (shakuhachi music) 

"It takes a lifetime to learn the shakuhashi... so the earlier you start, the longer it takes."

My man's gotta hit 'em with the lick within the first 5 seconds of a video

Thank you for always interesting topics. In Japan, shakuhachi is almost extinct. It may be reimported if it rises overseas. I am very happy! thank you so much.

Awesome video. Zac is a badass on that instrument, and it's surprisingly rare to see a video on something Japanese that doesn't fall victim to exoticism on some level - whereas this has a really nice sense of maturity in that regard, which I think comes with more genuine cultural receptiveness.

Lmao from Arabic this phrase is literally translated to licking the jazz

These videos always make be feel simultaneously smarter and stupid.

Me: Do you know how to vibrato? Adam's Friend: _SHAKES HEAD_

That sheet music so lovely and ornate looking, I just want to frame it and keep it nearby.

Adam is the really cool home room teacher and Zac is the really cool substitute teacher.

The way he described the more traditional Shakuhachi monk music (no real beat, no real theme, used for meditation) makes me think of old Western plainchant. Plenty of differences between the two naturally, but there does seem to be a kinship of purpose there. Also, hearing him break out in Debussy made my day.

I play shakuhachi because it is grounding and focusing, like deep meditation. To say it is a blissful and exquisite way to be with music is an understatement. My mentor in Japanese music, Associate Professor Hugh de Ferranti aptly describes shakuhachi music as ‘painting with sound’. Thanks for the video Adam. Zac is a great ambassador for shakuhachi as well as being a fine player.

Debussy on Shakuhachi was one thing I didn't expect but I'm glad I heard today.

Fun fact, the name Shakuhachi has to do with the length of the instrument. 尺(shaku) is about 30cm/1 foot and 八 (hachi) which is “eight” (寸(sun, 1寸= about 3cm/1.2inches/a 10th of a 尺)). So, you could say that it translates to the "1.8 feet."

Thanks Zac for talking to me about Shakuhachi! This interview was about 2 hours long, and there was a lot I had to cut out, so there might be more Shakuhachi content out there in the future. Check out Zac's music, and stay tuned for the full album! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-434xCyCSXBg.html Oh, and definitely check out his transcription of Giant Steps on the Shak! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6I8mFQYCPbA.html

Please do one on Indian music! I recently got into Karnatic compositions and Hindustani raga. It's beautiful.

Never thought I’d hear Prelude à l’àprès-midi d’un faune on a shakuhachi... This video is amazing!

"This one is called Zan Getsu" BANKAI.

ADAM! You forgot to censor the sheet music!! UMG is in their way right now.... XD

I actually do Japanese Dance, and from years of listening to traditional Japanese music, there is a very strong emphasis on strong and weak beats!

Pretty incredible stuff. I learned a lot, I’m japanese and have never come across this type of notation. Such a different philosophy of music

I don't have a Shakuhachi but now I'm inspired to do more quarter tones with the open holes on my clarinet

Well, you certainly don't get interesting material quite like this from Duolingo. Thanks, Adam! EDIT: I wasn't expecting Zac to demonstrate "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune", but it was quite pleasant all the same.

One of my dad’s friends plays Shakuhachi. It’s super cool also, the thing at 5:16 is called a grupetto

So much to admire here in terms of musical skill and knowledge. But perhaps best of all is the attitude of both participants. Zac is amazing while Adam's genius (apart from the editing process - perfectly done I would guess from the large amount cut out) is to stand back for the most part only intervening to add clarity and help understanding. Another exemplary video.

In fire bending, power comes from the breath!

This makes me appreciate the Sekiro soundtrack all the more, thank you!

16:30 This is how you continue to learn and get better all the time. It's not about mastery, because once you *think* you have mastered anything, you have completely blocked anymore growth in that area. This works the same for everything from music, cooking, relating to people, learning a language, learning about love, or any type of job there ever has been or will be.

Adam really likes his dutch angles

I love how he just busted out that Debussy flute solo to demonstrate vibrato.

I've always felt so safe and confident with the contentment of the phrase "Music is a universal language", and while I still believe that, this video diagnoses anxious feelings within. Just in the same way that there's not so much (if any) of that "home", or at least progressive repetition and understanding we seek for in Western music. Like with his river analogy, I would like to say that the cultural style we've adapted to is in search of an ocean or sea, where they're just enjoying the ride. They're getting the most fullness out of a meditation rather than expecting to be done soon, or occupied by the worry of a time, effectivity, or gratification limitation. You'll hear so much that life is all about the journey, and the freedom; and doing good deeds isn't about reconciliation or what you get in return but about the karma and just that (for lack of better phrasing) warm feeling we get inside. Again that *freedom of guilt and surplus of positivity/optimism. I think that odyssey-like perspective is definitely one way the Japanese / eastern Asian music would have a more insightful take on music. Props to you if you read the whole way through, hope you gained any minimal alternative perception:)

Giant step(su) That's a perfection

It was really interesting to hear that bit about there being a kind of "gravity" pulling forward in tempo and down in pitch, it really reminded me of the idea of how tension and release can be found as basic concepts of almost any music, regardless of culture. Keep up the interesting content, Adam!

For those that don't know, that was 'the jazz lick' in Arabic. :p ARAB NATIONS REPRESENT.

Oh thank God you uploaded. I was starting to have Neely withdrawals

Super cosmic next-nevel shit. Thank you for sharing. Even being Japanese and listening to Japanese music my whole life, this helped me with seeing shakuhachi in a new light.

aaahh this was so interesting! And when he played those miyako-bushi scales, it gave me STRONG vibes of Japan's theme from Civ 6 (Lullaby of Itsuki)

LMFAO لعق الجاز isn't an accurate translation its just hilarious that way

Damn you can feel he's so passionated about it. That was a dope video, thanks guys!

Adam, this is one of my favorite videos that you've ever made! I love learning about music, and instruments and styles from around the world, especially how different they can be from the Western world where I grew up. Thank you!

Wow, fascinating. I got a chance to study Javanese Gamelan and it's also an incredibly different concept about what music "IS" and where it resides (in the instruments) and how to notate it and interpret the notation. Would love more videos along these lines!

I’ve been waiting for this since yesterday. Happy to see it uploaded!

Hey! That was really cool!!! I hope you do more non-American stuff in the future, not only eastern but also Latin music, Brazilian, african, etc

This is your best episode for me. Please do more of these with different musical traditions.

I never even thought about how traditional Japanese music would be notated differently despite being Japanese. Weirdly that was what took me for a ride the most. It was also really cool to hear about the difference in how the music is used as well as the purpose of it. So much good stuff!

5:22 “Gruppetto” the italian name for the “turn” ornament (“gruppetti” is the plural)

that painting in the background is just....wow!!!

I've watched thousands of Shakuhachi videos in the last 10 years, this may have been the most informative and concise. Thank you!

I enjoyed this immensely as the Shakuhachi is awesome and one of my fav instruments

As a shakuhachi player, I approve this video :)

Brain Ritchie of the Violent Femmes is another Jazz Shakuhachi player who I got see live. Unforgettable experience. There are more players than you think, you have to dig amongst the old music, like Reikan Kobayashi & Kominato Akihisa. The earliest cross over artist that I know of is John Kaizan Neptune with records from the 70's. Rich and unexplored history of pushing the shakuhachi outside its traditional limits. Even my teacher plays western classical interpretations on her flute. Finally, thanks for doing a video on this fabulous instrument and as a student playing for 3 years, this video helped me understand a lot of concepts I still struggle with after just finding a teacher a few months ago. Zac Zinger is well on his way to becoming a certified master , scares me cuz I'll never reach his skill level lol

I love shakuhachi (and Japanese traditional music in general), so this was a really fascinating opportunity to learn more about it. Thanks, Adam and Zac!

I think this is in my top 5 favorite videos of yours, Adam. This was absolutely fascinating as a composer.

For your Q+A: Hi Adam! Totally AMAZING video, pliiiis add more "ethnomusicology-oriented" videos in the future! This one it made me think a lot about this: in the past video you talked a lot about music notation as a mean of expression, as a language with a grammar. So, if music is a language, are there different possible experiences in reading music, without playing the music written? I mean reading music as alphabetical texts: the medium remains the same, but our mental disposition toward the text and our experience as readers can change if we are confronting with a novel, a scientific research, or a political pamphlet. If this is the case, does the musical genre change the experience of reading music, beside the reproduction of notes? Cheers from Italy!

He made Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun sound even more otherworldly, damn.

As someone whose been learning japanese for a few years, this is really cool to learn.

That was an amazing interview. Got me so many ideas about music and music organization from it. Thank you for posting this.

The miyajo-bushi scale is identical to the Ethiopian Ambassel scale

This is hands down one of the most interesting videos I've seen lately. Thank you Adam & Zac!

This was one of your most fascinating videos for me, Adam! I hope you do more about eastern music!

Adam: *Doesn't censor the japanese sheet music* UMG Monks: NONIIIII??

Watching this video I see A LOT of conceptual similarities with Western pre-Baroque music and, specifically, Gregorian chant. For example, rhythm was also kind of free, although you also had some indications, but nothing to do with our current concept. And harmony was irrelevant, with monks singing at unison. Have these similarities been studied? Do you think there's a common pattern on how music started to evolved in unrelated cultures the same way it happens with human language? Thanks for your videos! You always inspire me much further about music and general knowledge. Cheers!

The closing remarks are really inspiring!

The tone color / key issue is really interesting! Some of the videos by the folks over at orchestra in the age of enlightenment talk about the same issue - without complex compensating key systems, flutes and other instruments have the same problem, so different keys really do have different feelings. We've largely lost that today.

Damn, I feel like the shakuhachi in bossa nova would be amazing

Hey Adam, questions for your next Q&A: Have you ever rejected a gig because you felt that you are not technically proficient enough to play for the gig? What are your thoughts on playing with a click on stage? I am a drummer in church and I really struggle to do that because not everyone is on monitoring headphones and can hear the click. As a result, when I pull the band back to follow the click, it can get very distracting for the singers and it appears that I have bad time. Do you prefer in ear monitoring? Or monitor speakers? How do you ensure that you don't get hearing damage? What suggestions can you give to a young song writer that have very little chord knowledge? I write songs, but I feel that as a drummer there is a limit to how much I can produce myself. Questlove, the drummer from The Roots once said in a video that the sloppier he delivers his breaks/beats the more heartfelt and human it is. What are your thoughts on that? What differentiates a sloppy drummer and a drummer that purposefully tries to be sloppy? I see certain drummers like Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts, they certainly don't have the best technique when it comes to their instruments. However, they are among the most iconic drummers in popular music. Did that lack of technique actually made them unique? What other musicians do you like that doesn't have the best technique?

Thank you ... for providing information regarding various instruments and their subtleties. Good stuff.

This is one of the most interesting videos on your channel!!!! It’s so cool and enriching to learn about this completely different approach to music!

For a Q+A I recently herd a piece called big trouble by a group called man man (really good). The guitar in the A section is like completely in a different key or something but why does it work so well though.

Western classical string music often includes string indications (“sul G”) or bowing indications to produce a specific tone color (“sul tasto”). A good example is Bach’s Partita #3 in E for solo violin. The note E is (later A) is insistently repeated, but you alternate between an open string and a fingered note of the same pitch, producing a sort if illusion of melody (a similar idea was later termed “kleinfarbenmelodie”). To my novice mind, these seem similar to the tone indications in shakuhachi notation. Can anyone confirm or deny this observation? Also, if I decide to study jazz shakuhachi, will I automatically become the second best player in the world? lol

The philosophy, in the end, was beautiful! Japanese make saying like we do poetry! They are so sweet and full of wisdom.

I appreciate the work you put into the videos man awesome job

5 secs in and lick

Ah I had no idea this notation existed .-. I really want to see him doing a video on simplified notation as well that’ll be cool ^

I think this is the most interesting video I've seen in months. Bless you, Adam-sama.

Thank you very much, Adam!! As a composer and also a music theorist, this is the extremely high-quality, and for me in this case still completely unknown, exciting content that I am looking for [on yt].

Incredible! More non-Western music content please! Sincerely, an anthropologist (do the oud next!)

The odd thing is that I already knew all of this. When it comes to traditional Japanese instruments I'm very well educated. The thing that I'm currently discovering for myself is Maqam music. You should do a video about that next. It's truly beautiful and unique.

Very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing, Adam.

Fascinating! Thanks so much for this, Adam.

For an Q and A: Dear Adam, how many bassguitars do you have and can you show them to us and tell their story?

Interesting that "korogashi" actually means "to turn"! You turn the notes. Thanks for the illuminating video.

"The earlier you start, the longer it takes." Words to live by. This video was absolutely fascinating! Thank you ❤️

this is one of the best videos of these that i've seen.

In WESTERN music, you read from the WEST In EASTERN music, you read from the EAST this is funny to me

Hey Adam, Actually, in violin is preferent to play the same note some way than another because of timber, especially when you play fingering instead of playing with free strings because it is "softer" and you also can make more vibrato. So at least in violin as the shakuhachi, the timber is as important as the tone.

it has been decided. This will be the next instrument that I learn. Thanks Adam and Zac

One of the coolest videos of yours.

First introduction to the shakuhachi: Linkin Park - Nobody's Listening Still in love with it today

@7:39 he says, so if you were to play it straight from the page, you'd miss all the subtleties from hearing it...so basically it's just like western notation.

oh that's awesome. Very nice work! Amazing to catch a westerner learning a japanese skill and enjoying it so much. Have fun!

This was one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. It's incredibly interesting to see how music works outside of western culture

Gosh that looks sooooo similar to ancient Chinese scores! Reminds me once again how close our cultures are to each other. PS "min yo" （民谣）is pronounced "min yao" in mandarin. So close~

I’d love to hear the “Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune” flute solo played by an actual Shakuhachi with orchestra! 14:44

Perfect video. I wouldn't imagine that in only 15 minutes I'd have such a good idea for the foundation of that instrument/notation. Adam dude thanks again :) Zac also is a really good musician :)

Superinteresting!! Really digging the focus on folk music related stuff recently!

This is a question for your next Q&A Hi Adam, huge fan. Can you explain the Pythagorean System of Tuning vs. Just Intonation? Thanks -Adam Bartholomew

4:14 the paper sounded like walking in minecraft

This is incredible! I didn't know much about the shakuhachi or this tablature before - thank you so much for this video! I'm definitely going to share with my students!

This is fantastic content. Thanks Adam! I can see you doing a whole series exploring world music. Really interesting stuff.

I actually own a shakuhachi flute. It's makes a lovely sound, as you can hear, but dang is it hard to get ANY sound out of =D