As the new year begins, challenges remain in full force and view as far as my shakuhachi journey goes. My last lesson with Sensei Araki was splendid and I learned a lot , especially some tips that will help my melon. Ok, my brain. One source of struggle for me has been the Kinko ryu notation and wrapping my head around it. If I were coming to Kinko as a beginner and fresh in learning, it wouldn't be as much a struggle. But my first teacher as well as subsequent instructors and lessons were rooted in other notations such as Tozan and Myoan. Or different styles of print and handwritten notations. So...when the kinko style was shown to me for reading and practice, my mind melted.
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This score is of Sanya Sugagaki by Satō Seibi and one of a few of this piece I have. When I first saw it, sure...I recognized some of the notes and markings but also was puzzled by many others. This became an instant question for sensei as I was not grasping it. He mentioned perhaps writing the notes down the way I know how from the previous years of instruction. A good idea as this was going to take time. And as I age, this mind is not as sharp as it once was!
Fast forward a month and I've SLOWLY been learning the new notation. It is not easy and this is a challenge for me as a shakuhachi student. I can easily play by ear and fortunately, this is a positive thing when learning shakuhachi as opposed to some instruments. The nuances, ornamentation and dynamics of tone are very important in shakuhachi play and interpretation. Especially tone and colour. This makes my situation a bit better as I pick up on pitch and variations easily. And also a good reason to have a teacher.
Above is the original notation and beginners sheet I started with way back in 2010. Quite a change to go from that to the Kinko notation. So, my new goals this month are to learn the Kinko notation the best that I can and also learn Sanya Sugagaki as well. 🙏
