The cast of 尺八

                                  The adventures are about to begin!!!!! But before the posts truly start, here are a few photos of the cast involved and a little background on them.

At the far left is the first shakuhachi I have every owned. His name is Ichirou and was brought to this world by Perry Yung. While not having an inserted utaguchi, he does indeed sing very well and is simply magnificent for meditation, practice and general music making.  (1.8)

Second from the left is Arata, a 1.8 Yuu model made from synthetic material. As this is not bamboo and a newer and fresher approach to the shakuhachi, the name Arata is perfect! While he won't be used near as much , his structure and stability allow better travel and use in rougher surroundings. (1.8)

Second from right is Hideo, the primary traveling companion and instrument in my family of  尺八.  His birth in Japan in the 1960's reminds me so much of my own during that decade. So much happening around the world and especially in Asia. (1.8)


And finally at the far right, the second flute ever added to my 尺八 family a few years ago, is Shinji, or "second son".
A bit longer at 2.1 , the key of B makes this a deeper and more resonant flute.
He is a Chikusing model from Perry Yung and while getting louder and more vocal sounds from is tougher, the rich reward is worth the effort. (2.1)

So there you have it. These four will be the traveling and playing companions of mine during the adventure and I look forward to spending more time with them over the next, oh, fifty years. Sure, there might be additions to the family but for now, these four will be sufficient enough.

Welcome to my Shakuhachi Journey!!!!

                             Yes, welcome to a new blog about my journey down the shakuhachi path!!!!!
This is going to be a different blog, though, than the one I started in 2011 to do the exact same thing.
That slowly morphed into the blog I have at http://hiroshigeowl.blogspot.com.  It was intended to be a blog such as this, but as life and other things entered the picture, changed and only a few posts really talked about the shakuhachi. Until this year,2014, when I was able to get back into playing again and spend quality time with the instrument.

                               Then, in October, I had the privilege of attending the Seattle Shakuhachi Matsuri with my former teacher and many other great players and instructors.
That was indeed a monumental experience for me and made me determined to play better, stronger, and with more passion. To learn all I could about the shakuhachi and it'ts history. In depth.

                                                                    So, this first post is to announce the new blog and that shortly, the journey will begin . What will happen on this journey is anyone's guess, even mine. I have NO idea what I will blog about, post or experience. No idea where I will blog from, where "Hideo", my new flute, and I will go or play.

                                                                       Now and then, perhaps a different shakuhachi will accompany me to other places. This is the fantastic part of this and will enrich the travels. So stay tuned here, hang on and lets experience all of the adventure together!!!!

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