I never thought I would perform or teach shakuhachi.
It was purely as an inner journey and due to its fantastic timbre 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 serious shakuhachi playing barely prepares 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 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.

I always play jinashi shakuhachi but I have no problem with the student playing jinuri/jiari shakuhachi or PVC shakuhachi. If you don't have any instrument, I can help you getting one. If you have never played before I will advice to try it out playing a PVC shakuhachi made by Ken LaCosse:
Mujitsu Shakuhachi
Otherwise I would recommend you to buy a yuu - also a PVC shakuhachi molded after a real shakuhachi model to make it look as a bamboo instrument. I do not recommend wooden instruments. The PVC shakuhachi are more stable.

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 initiate students to pieces such as Kyorei and Hifumi-ch?.

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 jinashi 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:

1. Ajikan
2. Banji
3. Betsuden Shika no Tône
4. Betsuden Tsuru no Sugomori
5. Daha
6. Hifumi Chô
7. Honchôshi no Shirabe and Sagariha
8. Honte no Shirabe
9. Jyakunen
10. Kokû
11. Koten Tsuru no Sugomori
12. Kudan Tsuru no Sugomori
13. Kumoijishi
14. Kyûshû Reibo
15. Matsukaze
16. Murasaki Reibo
17. Musashi Shirabe
18. Nerisaji
19. Ôshûsaji
20. San’ya
21. San’ya Seiran
22. Shingetsu
23. Shingetsu Chô
24. Shinkyorei
25. Shinsaji
26. Shinseki
27. Shin’ya
28. Shôganken Reibo
29. Sokkan
30. Sô Shingetsu
31. Tamuke
32. Takeochi
33. Tôri Kadotsuke Hachigaeshi
34. Yamato Rinbô
35. 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 Eigor?, 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.

Denmark:
I now live part of the time in Denmark and teach at my home in Nr Snede, Jylland. Otherwise we are trying to get a group of students in Copenhagen, so I can come and teach there once a month - or perhaps more as I may have family visits to do there.

Online:
I also give online lessons through Skype. It is not always Skype works that well. But it works. I usually only give 30 minutes lessons on Skype.

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