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| Ukiyo-e of ladies catching a glimpse of a handsome komuso under the tengai with teh help of a mirror. |
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| Giving a lecture at California Institure of the Arts, 28 Nov 2005 |
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| Eugenie Lee, Deborah O'Brian, Rosalind Beeton, and me playing my big flutes with no finger holes at The Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Church, London. Photo: Delmar Mavignier |
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| Akashôbin, a beautiful bird from Okinawa Islands |
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| With Simon Mills at SOAS, London. Photo: Anna Kari. |
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| At the Stone, New York. With Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, Carla Kihlstedt, Wu Fei. |
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I never thought I would perform or teach shakuhachi.
It was purely as an inner journey I took up this instrument. It was this esoteric side of it that attracted me.
It was only after having played for 10 years that a Swiss person persuaded me to teach him. Although I tried to explain to him that 10 years of shakuhachi playing barely perpares you to teach, I failed to convince him and I taught him for free.
I realised quickly that I love teaching. It is such a joy to transmit the music, which is so important to me and which I love so deeply. Teaching means that I learn as well. Each student has his or her
own particular sensibility to the music. Together with the students, we shall try to solve
whatever problems that may arise during their shakuhachi studies, thereby
hopefully enhancing their personal musicality.
Honkyoku Lessons
I am one of the very few shakuhachi teachers who teach their students honkyoku from the very beginning. I do this firstly because I was taught this way by Okuda Atsuya, and secondly because I know many students have more interest in honkyoku than any other genres.
But if you have other ideas, I am open to suggestions.
My teaching varies, depending on the individual, but mostly it follows these steps:
1.
First there is the initial stages of getting a sound and learning the notation. I often use parts of a method developed by Iwamoto Yoshikazu, who used to teach in England.
2. Then I will teach honkyoku pieces at your pace. As there are basically no 'beginner's pieces' in honkyoku as such, I teach the pieces that are simplest in the fingering first. We will then return to them, after moving on to other pieces, as you progress - in order to take the pieces to the next level.
3. We will continue studying honkyoku pieces depending on your progress. We will still often play 'old' pieces as playing with your teacher is the most effecient method to learn to play the unwritten part of the shakuhachi music, the aesthetics and the shape of the pieces.
Contemporary Music
If you want to study contemporary pieces from Western scores I can help you with that. I am presently focusing on the performance of contemporary music. I can't deny living in the 21st century. I play different styles of contemporary classical music including new complexity music of amazing composers such as Frank Denyer and Mike Vaughan. I also improvise in non-idiomatic avant-garde style.
My PhD in progress is on playing contemporary music on the ji-nashi shakuhachi - taking that instrument up to this century. I have so far composers, Roxanna Panufnik, Mogens Christensen, Yumi Hara Cawkwell, Frank Denyer and Takahashi Yûji and Gabriel Erkoreka composing pieces for me.
Sankyoku Lessons
I am not so confident in teacing shankyoku, the ensemble music with koto and shakumisen. This, of course, is not to deny sankyoku’s rightful place in history as an important musical genre in which shakuhachi plays a big role. I can only teach you the initial stages of sankyoku playing. I may, however, be able to recommend you a good teacher near your home, so let me know!
My honkyoku repertoire is:
- Ajikan
- Banji
- Betsuden Shika no Tône
- Betsuden Tsuru no Sugomori
- Daha
- Hifumi Chô
- Honchôshi no Shirabe and Sagariha
- Honte no Shirabe
- Jyakunen
- Kokû
- Koten Tsuru no Sugomori
- Kudan Tsuru no Sugomori
- Kumoijishi
- Kyûshû Reibo
- Matsukaze
- Murasaki Reibo
- Musashi Shirabe
- Nerisaji
- Ôshûsaji
- San’ya
- San’ya Seiran
- Shingetsu
- Shingetsu Chô
- Shinkyorei
- Shinsaji
- Shinseki
- Shin’ya
- Shôganken Reibo
- Sokkan
- Sô Shingetsu
- Tamuke
- Takeochi
- Tôri Kadotsuke Hachigaeshi
- Yamato Rinbô
- Yurisaji
The above 35 pieces are all honkyoku that I have learned from Okuda Atsuya
in his Zensabô style. As I only play ji-nashi shakuhachi I always
play that instrument when teaching. But it doesn’t matter if you
have a ji-ari
shakuhachi, as I have a ji-nashi tuned in D.
If you would like to purchase a ji-nashi shakuhachi, I can recommend those made by Murai Eigorô, Kodama Hiroyuki and Ken LaCosse. I own several of Murai and Kodama's shakuhachi as well as some that I have made myself. I often act as the ‘middle woman’ between a student/shakuhachi player and the makers. I take no commission as Murai, Kodama and LaCosse have been very kind to me and consistently supported me in my ji-nashi shakuhachi playing journey. Thus it is a pleasure for me to be able to return that service and bring his wonderful flutes to the attention of musicians who can appreciate them.
Where I teach:
London, UK:
I teach either at my home in North London, 3 minutes from Holloway Road Station on Piccadilly Line or at SOAS, University of London, just off Russell Square in central London. At SOAS, I use the Music Department's practice rooms, so we may risk having a groups of darbuka players, santur players or a piano beside us.
Northern England:
I have recently begun to teach in Chesterfield and Sheffield.
Copenhagen, Denmark:
When I live as close to Denmark as England, I always try to go there to visit family and friends every other month. This has led to a few students in Copenhagen.
