Shakuhachi Lessons

• I wanted to say how much I enjoyed our shakuhachi lesson today. Thank you so much for your care and attention – I know it will be invaluable, I’m so eager to begin applying what I learned to my practice. Can’t wait till next time!
• I just got an email from someone wanting to learn from me and they said you sent them my way! Thank you for your generosity Jon
• Thanks a million, Jon! That hour yesterday saved me years of learning and gaining confirmation (confidence). Knowing that I’m on the right track with shakuhachi lessons, rough around the edges tho I might be, enables me to concentrate on enjoying playing. I played both of your flutes today and they remind me each time I do just how lucky I am to have them.
• Your help is amazing, and my dominant ‘left-brain’ translated your very last line, of your last message, to a very enjoyable an productive session this morning. The ‘physics’ aspects of Shakuhachi are so important to me as I begin this journey, and I feel I have a very clear vision of body posture, head position, diaphragm, to ensure optimum airflow to my lips. Embouchure is a process and I feel there is progress understanding and feeling what the goal is.
• Thanks for an enlightening shakuhachi lesson! The devil is in the details as they say… As a visual artist it makes me think [about how] I could spend a lifetime learning just how to draw a perfect circle, or even a truly straight line. Each song, Life, moment etc., even the simplest, is so grand it contains a universe. Tremendously appreciative of this moment. Deep deep deep Bow

More kind words

• Thanks again for the awesome lesson today! I think you struck the perfect balance between explanation and playing/practice, and I love your teaching style. You’re a very good teacher, and I look forward to our next lesson!
• At least three times now you have honed in on problems I was having with the sound of my flute and suggested corrections that were immediately effective, with lasting result. Nothing I could have read in a book, or gained from listening to a Master player would have solved these difficulties, and I doubt I could have solved them on my own. I certainly had tried. It takes a good teacher.
• I have been trying to play for a little more than a year (with a teacher) and yours is the first decent explanation I have gotten on achieving Kan. I experimented with the tighter lips and higher pressure and saw an immediate result. THANKS!
• You are a great teacher. You actually helped me with my embouchure for bansuri (indian side-blown flute). The large bore and larger mouth hole makes it difficult. Your instruction is helping me think about lip shape and pressure in order to make improvements.
• Yay! I made a note. Now I gotta go do it again and again. Thank you so much for the lesson… I love it so far even if I can’t make it work constantly =-) *progress!!!
• You are responsible for helping me make my first sound on my new shakuhachi. Thank you!

My advice for live shakuhachi lessons

Warmup practice before shakuhachi lessons

To make the most of your shakuhachi lessons, I recommend that you begin warming up/practicing at least 30 minutes before your lessons. In this way, you’ll also be early for your shakuhachi lesson and ready for your teacher’s call.

Test devices and app before the shakuhachi lesson

Before each shakuhachi lesson it’s a good idea to check and make sure that your devices and Skype are all updated and working properly. You might want to do this the day before your lesson. Doing this will prevent your shakuhachi lesson time from being consumed by troubleshooting.

Turn off/disable all ‘noise cancellation/filtering’ for shakuhachi lessons

For shakuhachi lessons, ‘noise cancellation/filtering’ must be turned off in the Audio settings for the video chat app (if you struggle to find the setting search the web for a guide specific to which ever device and app you’re using). Noise cancellation must be turned off because it filters out our shakuhachi as ‘noise’, no matter how good your playing…

Prepare shakuhachi notation prior to the shakuhachi lesson

Of course, it’s recommend that you have new shakuhachi notation printed and ready for your shakuhachi lesson. It’s a good idea to print two copies of the notation; a ‘clean copy’ to reference and another copy on which you can write notes. Alternatively, notes can be made on a separate blank page referencing the shakuhachi notation by line number and breath. Doing so can also give you the option of just viewing the notation file on your screen.

Camera positioning and posture for shakuhachi lessons

In shakuhachi lessons, your teacher must be able to see you from your bottom hand to at least eye level. It’s best if you play shakuhachi standing up, however, if sitting make sure that your spine is ‘straight’; don’t lean back into your chair. Make sure that your chair armrests don’t hit your arms and don’t rest your arms on them while playing the shakuhachi.

I greatly encourage you to use the same posture/position for your lessons and your practice sessions. For instance, if you practice shakuhachi sitting down then you should ideally take your shakuhachi lessons seated. Again, standing is preferable to all other positions for playing the shakuhachi.

It’s also advisable to place your shakuhachi notation at eye level or at a level which allows you to keep good posture. You can tape/affix your shakuhachi notation to the wall, however, a better solution is the setup pictured below which uses a tablet affixed to a sturdy music stand with a ‘gooseneck’.