All I can say to start is ....wow! I cannot believe it has been this long since the last post here. Time gets away from more and more as life takes up the precious hours. Since my last post, practice and playing has waned back and forth. I'm not practicing as much unfortunately but as the load lightens, that is changing. Although there has been a change since the beginning of the year. Last post, I'd mentioned how I wanted to learn Tamuke. This is still on my list of things to do and will be tackled. But, not this year like I'd planned. My focus has changed and a much needed break from things Japanese has motivated me to get back to more Celtic music study.
No, this does not mean I will be neglecting the shakuhachi at all. On the contrary, our wonderful flute can easily play Celtic music as is so aptly explored by my former teach, Larry Tyrrell. His CD release of " The Alder Bough" on Moonbridge is a delight that showcases how diverse the shakuhachi truly is.
Along with my beloved shakuhachi, I have also ordered a custom made bamboo flute in the key of C, an alto for Celtic music. My focus will be this particular genre for the year 2016 as well as continued studies in the Welsh language. Sure, it's a far cry and away from the Japanese shakuhachi literature and not as pertinent to this blog, but that is the way I roll. Sometimes I simply change my mind and want to discover something different. And this is one of those times, although I have been flirting with Welsh for a few years now. Immersion is key for a language and Japanese shakuhachi was not helping out in that regard.
Wish me luck! Until next time...Hwyl fawr!
