How To Play Classical Shakuhachi
by Yoshinobu Taniguchi and Michael Gould
Book (No CD) – 46 pages
– $26.00
Two masters of the shakuhachi, Yoshinobu Taniguchi and Michael Chikuzen Gould, offer this excellent book which is designed to teach intermediate and advanced players the finer points of shakuhachi honkyoku. Taniguchi’s attention to detail and nuance is enhanced by numerous illustrations, charts and notation, all of which are hand-drawn by the author.
This teaching manual is divided into three parts. Section 1 is a reference section isolating each tone used in honkyoku music. The meri-kari system is explained, showing each note in its kari, chu-meri, meri and dai-meri position. Important sequential patterns of notes and tones of equal pitch and their various notation symbols are compared. Also included in this section are basic fingering charts along with explanations. Section 2 covers Nayashi techniques as well as basic strategies for practical training. The notation for Edo no Komori Uta is provided as a study piece. Section 3 contains the music scores for the classical shakuhachi honkyoku pieces Honshirabe, Tamuke and Shika no Tohne.