Miura 2.1 shakuhachi Kakizakai had my new 2.1 shakuhachi flute made by Miura Ryuho brought over to Hawaii Shak Festival. Today I started settling into the new finger position and stretch, blowing ro and looking through Shingetsu, which we started learning at Hawaii Shakuhachi Festival under instruction from Furuya Sensei. The instrument is made from a very beautiful, blotched piece of hard bamboo. I am trying hard to be carefully about its humidity in the dry, windy climate we have presently. I also brought back Bronwyn’s 2.4 top joint that had to be repaired after splitting. The 2.4, approximately 2 inches longer than the 1.8 is ‘keyed’ with a fundamental of B rather than D. I am planning to investigate some slower honkyoku pieces on it that benefit from the deep, mellow tone, e.g. Shingetsu, San’ya (3 Valley Yokoyama version), Honshirabe (original piece) and Tamuke [which is intended as a requiem type of piece for ushering in passage from this life to the next). Meanwhile, fast pieces like the agile, fluttery, ostentatious crane piece - Tsuro no Sugomori, high Hifumi Hachigaeshi and intricate San’ya (Mountain Valley) I will continue on 1.8.
