Lots of catching up in the shop this week after Love Cripple closed. It was a great run. Short but sweet. An audience member approached me after one of the shows and said that she was catapulted to Japan the second she heard the sound of my flute. The strange thing was that she said she had never heard of the shakuhachi or been to Japan. Never under estimate the subliminal power of Hollywood or television commercial. A while back, I heard the sound of the shakuhachi in an NFL commercial. An intense blowing technique called Komi Buki or Muraiki was used several times to underscore the players tackling one another. It didn’t remind me of Japan, but it worked musically.

Back to the shop. These two pieces of bamboo were found in a thrift shop in Maryland. They were sent them to me to see if they would make good shakuhachi.

Off to a good start. The bores are opened, utaguchi cut, finger holes drilled. Everything plays well so far. I ike to clean the roots right away as they can get banged up easily. The owner wanted them shaved down anyway.

One never knows what will make a decent instrument until the bore is opened up. At this stage, any experienced player can sound relatively good on them but what the commissioner is asking for is their potential for a Chikusing Model flute, which I make to play Honkyoku with a specific feel. Having a stricter criteria, my first instinct favors the flute on the left as the bore profile has a more desirable taper. The one on the right is almost straight (cylindrical) until the bottom.This kind of bore shape allows for a nice resonance but less action: it may feel sluggish when playing fast passages. I’ll continue working to see what unfolds as this one could prove to be a better flute with my method of Spot Tuning.

There’s always a lot of different hats to wear around here. A flute that came in last week needed a top so here I am playing match maker once again. I’ve done this four times in the last 7years.  Not sure of it’s a Tozan or Kinko style flute but I’ll still make the best fit according to the bottom bore profile. If only Match.com wasn’t already taken:)

First I have to find a piece of bamboo in the right diameter and with the proper node spacing.

The next step is to adjust the length and fit the Nakatsuki joint..

I was in the middle of binding a cracked flute when I got a call from Jet’s daycare. He had a bad spill so I had to go pick him up. He was complaining about his elbow so I made him a sling on our way to the hospital. I was a little apprehensive about taking Jet into the ER as there is great potential for a melt down, but I was happy to see how attentive and compassionate the nurses and doctor were (a few superhero stickers can go along way!). The x-rays showed no broken bones so that was a relief. But, as we left the hospital, he still wanted to wear the sling I made.

When I was earning my BFA in Studio Art, I never new it would lead me to shakuhachi making and repairs. It occurred to me that had I gone into biology, I may have become a doctor…nah, I like working on flutes.They maybe opinionated, but way less cranky