Thank you , Mr. Kojiro Umezaki, for uploading this video. Sounds absolutely beautiful and heartwarming as well. As a Japanese, not knowing much about shakuhachi although, I can feel the atmoshphere in the Sanders Theatre shared by the players and the audience that day. So I just want to thank you all.
@SuperAwesomeguy29 Sorry, but extra holes has nothing to do withloudness, its relateted to the semitones. Adding more holes makes it easier to get to the semitones of the shakuhachi, but that will take away some marvelous shakuhachi soundcolors.
@jacopolapo some shakuhachi teachers won't teach you if you have a 7 hole shakuhachi. they feel its like "cheating" well robbing the "meri" notes of their originality.
I play shakuhachi for almost 5 years now. But am not a master of course. When I started out I also had this thought, why is 7 hole shakuhachi such a rare occurence? In my opinion it really depends on your personal preferences, the timbres/colours you'd like to make, and especially the kind of music you'd like to play. If you're into jazz shakuhachi, experimental stuff, synth combinations, or even rock/metal like Wagakki Band ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fcucbhJ-Orc.html ), even though Daisuke Kaminaga plays a 5-hole as far as I know. Fast passages aren't impossible on a classical 5-hole. A 7-hole shakuhachi might be a good choice with more virtuosic scales and faster, metered tempos in place. If you play Myoan, Kinko ryu Nezasa Ha, etc. a 5-hole might be the better option. If you want the original most Edo-period-like shakuhachi sound as possible you'd go with 5-hole. After playing/listening for a longer while, I'd probably prefer a 5-hole anyways, not just because I'm accustomed to it and never have played a 7-hole; but because I prefer the timbres and playing style of a 5-hole shakuhachi. Examples: tsu meri would sound less 'meri' and lose it's original Japanesque yin/yang aestethic. Some notes are perceived to be 'weaker', the 'meri' notes in contrast to the 'kari' notes. The sound of tsu meri for me personally, especially when deeply meri'd down to ro pitch, has a very distinct sound, unique to the shakuhachi. A lot of that aesthetic gets lost with a 7-hole flute. I guess koro koro would be more difficult on a 7-hole. etc. The literal acoustics/physics are different of course. And then you have the jinashi 'vs' jiari discussion and even Edo shakuhachi 'vs' modern shakuhachi debates.
Excuse me, but honestly was not a beautiful interpretation! both the technique in the shakuhachi instrument, as the changes in the original score. With respect, Marcio
NY Times "virtuosic, deeply expressive shakuhachi player and composer." I am not an expert in Tozan-ryu but for my time playing Kinko-ryu Honkyoku and Dokyoku repertoire I can say this is not expressive nor virtuosic and is sloppy at best 😭 though, good initiative.
