New additions to the shakuhachi family!

 Two new shakuhachi have been added to my growing family of flutes!

     I have been wanting a Kinko style shakuhachi with the same utaguchi insert and yet didn't have the money to purchase one. So, I made a tough decision and decided to trade my two Ellis Pueblo Native flutes for two shakuhachi from a fellow musician in Maryland. After a week of travel and delays, these two lovelies arrived! The one on the left is a 1.8 model from Nomura Godo and has a lovely kinko utaguchi as well as silver accents. Plays sweetly and sounds delightful! The second flute on the right has no hanko but is a 1.9 with a Tozan insert. This is my only bamboo shakuhachi without any bindings.

They both play well and are a welcome addition to the growing collection! As for my playing...that is still and always will be a work in progress! My last lesson with Araki Sensei went very well and I have now added Sakura to my list of pieces. Currently I am working on Sanya Sugugaki which is and will be a big challenge for quite awhile. Yet, even in the few lessons I have had with Kodo Araki VI, there has been much learned and gleaned! I confess that money is tight and I am not sure how many lessons I can afford in the future, but at this point I will do my best .

The shakuhachi itself is not only a beautiful instrument of sound but a work of art! To own these amazing flutes is in itself a pleasure . Even if I were not a player, owning them is a privilege and honor. They also play a role in my spiritual life as well, within the framework of meditation and mindfulness. On this holiday after a week away up north adventuring with a loved one, the time calls for getting back to practice and learning again. The break was necessary for my mind and heart.