This is the period of Singapore's COVID-19 lock-down, unusually called "Circuit Breaker", maybe a remnant of the "Uniquely Singapore" branding mindset. In order to keep a healthy mind-body, I go for solo long walks. Usually they are unplanned and I'd just pick a route based on curiosity, wanting to see what I normally miss out while driving, or to explore less familiar places.
I ventured into a route that had been familiar when young but very much bypassed as newer roads served my needs. Canberra Road used to be the only way to get from Sembawang to Woodlands via Admiralty Road West. I recall the long bus rides after mass to get to the old Woodlands Town Centre where there was a large hawker centre, lots of retail shops, and an Oriental Emporium. In those days we still had non-airconditioned buses and I could enjoy the cold evening air at my favourite window seat as the bus sped along the almost deserted expanse of Admiralty, at one point the air would be punctuated by the strong scent of Kikkoman soy sauce.
Canberra Road would have been a familiar path for my father as he used to cycle daily to get to work at the Naval Base, which later became Sembawang Shipyard. It's amazing looking back at how he did it for at least 20 years (my guess) under rain or shine. Unfortunately I never picked up cycling as I had a poor sense of balance.
I recall one time he fell off the bike and landed in a drain but that didn't bring him down a bit. He continued to work for many years after the offical retirement age of 55. Looking back, he's actually rather resilient. He suffered a fall after missing a stair step at a much older age and recovered well, he got into hospital twice for pneumonia and recovered. He continued to have a calm and stable mind, and consumed all foods without having to resort to tube-feeding even in his last days at a nursing home.
His work life and social circles seemed rich; this is a part of him that I could only get glimpses of when he bumps into ex-colleagues and business contacts (he used to be a purchasing clerk). I could see he was well liked and respected. It speaks volumes despite his introversion at home.
I'm grateful that there are some things left untouched by the relentless pace of urbanization. Man seeks changes thinking life can be made better, but life is already good enough if we care to observe and appreciate.
Kōhachirō Miyata 宮田 耕八朗 (81 yrs old in 2019), performing Tsuru no Sugomori 鶴の巣籠
If it takes 10,000 hrs to master something, then that’s equivalent to around 27 years if one practises for an hour each day!
I doubt if that’s the case though having done a career switch 12 years ago to become a therapist. The initial years seemed tough but also exciting as there was so much ground to cover, so much to explore and try out, mistakes to be made and experiences gained.
I believe some possible factors that helped enhance my professional progress can be applied to learning the Shakuhachi:
1. Passion
One needs to have slow burning passion in order to stay on the long learning journey. The initial love is like love at first sight but that won't last very long. So we've to continually find new ways to rekindle that love.
I find the Shakuhachi has a varied personality, at times it sounds like a Sax, at times like a Dizi or Xiao, and other times like the human voice, a bird, the wind. It is a versatile instrument for meditation, ancient tunes, rituals, folk music, anime themes, pop songs, swing, new age, and much more. It opens up endless play opportunities.
Besides the actual sound/music, there's also the history and culture surrounding this instrument. It adds to the sense of belonging to a lineage, a heritage handed down for generations. And for someone who has very little formal music theory, that's also a whole new realm of knowledge.
Other than cognitive exploration, another way to sustain the passion is to immerse ourselves in the experience of the music by attending concerts (rare in Singapore) or watch online performances.
I had benefitted in my professional work from meeting like minded people in an interest group, so communal support is helpful in keeping us engaged in regular conversations and exchanges. The social element keeps us warm.
2. Reflective learning and reflexive practice
Audio and video recordings are often used as supervision tools in therapy, either done with a supervisor or for self reflection. I’d say this is what brought significant learning for myself and also for people that I supervise. It can bring about anxiety initially as we’re afraid to face our shortcomings.
Listening to my own Shakuhachi recording and even sharing with friends to get feedback helps wake me up to reality. Sometimes we’re so engrossed in enjoying the playing that we lose objectivity, such as getting the rhythm wrong, going off pitch, varying the tempo, inappropriate phrasing, etc.
Music making is itself a reflexive process because there is a continuous feedback cycle: we read the score, blow the Shakuhachi, it produces a note, we listen and make fine adjustments to fingering, embouchure, mouth cavity, throat, holding position, body posture, etc. Good playing involves much “listening” both at auditory level and in terms of receiving other signals from touch and sense of body positioning (proprioception).
This is where the term “deliberate practice” becomes important. It’s not that hard to produce a sound on the Shakuhachi so just practising making a sequence of notes is akin to a therapist just meeting clients without any structure or directions. I think the Singapore phrase that fits this is “anyhow whack”, or one can call it blindly practising or going through the motions. Even if one hits 10,000 hrs much of it is wasteful.
3. Enjoyment
Practice involves repetition and the human mind bores easily leading many to get distracted or give up. I guess sometimes we’re too hard on ourselves and push ahead (Singaporean kiasu-ism?) at all cost, which can lead to burn out. This is probably what differentiates passion from purpose.
Do we need to justify a reason for play, leisure, and enjoyment? As a therapist, I see that play is beneficial for people of all ages. For adults, it can be a whole-brain and body engagement free of unnecessary tension. Play can help enhance cognitive functioning and enhance creativity and learning. After all, musical instruments such as flutes were crafted mainly out of leisure when humans were resting and at peace.
4. Teacher
In learning therapy, I found it most appealing when I admire a certain master therapist in the way that he/she works or for their idealogy and vision. This is not idolizing the teacher but being inspired and fascinated by their skills and methods.
A formal teacher in music can offer valuable guidance, so we can avoid common pitfalls and mistakes. And just like a gym partner helping you to spot, a teacher can push you beyond your own perceived limits.
If one can't find or can't afford having a teacher, there is still the self as a teacher. Way before there was recording technology, people would find a reverberation space to practise. The reflected sounds help to enhance the feedback, and makes playing much more enjoyable.
5. Mastery as a journey
Even after 12 years as a therapist I still feel there's much to improve on. The danger is in feeling complacent because we believe we have attained mastery.
To counter this we should consider the wisdom of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido: Masakatsu agatsu 正勝吾勝 - true victory is self victory/mastery. So the end goal is somewhat elusive and unattainable. Aikido was not meant to be competitive and I find Shakuhachi can be similar, it's about overcoming our Self.
I'm going to attempt to translate and share this basic guidance video by Master Winson Liao (廖錦棟/文松), who is an accomplished Xiao player and maker. It won't be exactly in verbatim but will do my best to convey the essence of what he is emphasizing. These principles are applicable to the Shakuhachi as it is also an open ended rim-blown instrument.
Note: the Xiao he makes are all open ended (通口箫/无顶盖箫)
Here is the original video:
This talk will cover the basics about the Xiao (箫). Some people attribute the term Dong Xiao (洞箫) to the Purple Bamboo Xiao or Northern Xiao (紫竹箫/北箫) while Southern Xiao (南箫) with its big "head"/root end is often regarded as a separate category on its own. Note: the Northern Xiao has narrower bore, thinner bamboo wall, and a longer length, while the Southern Xiao is opposite in these atributes Depending on whether you're from the north or south of China, you'd call your type of Xiao the Dong Xiao. In fact, Dong Xiao is a general term that encompasses both types of Xiao and is not region specific. In ancient times, a different term was also used: Tong Xiao (筒箫). References to this use can be found from the Qing dynasty and Taiwanese texts. The term Dong Xiao, or Xiao with holes (洞), has its origin from Pai Xiao/panpipes (排箫). As people started using a longer length of bamboo (1 "foot" 一尺 and 8 "inches"八寸, which is what the Japanese refer to as 1 shaku and 8 sun) and added finger holes, these were then called Dong Xiao to differentiate it from Pai Xiao. The Northern Xiao appears longer but when you examine it closely, the effective length is much shorter if you measure from the sound holes upwards. Note: the sound holes are usually a set of 4 holes nearer the tail end There used to be only 6 finger holes, so in the modern 8 holed Xiao it can still be played in the traditional way by keeping the 2nd and 6th hole (count from tail end) closed. The fingers sealing these two holes are used as supports for holding the Xiao. The key aspect of playing the Xiao is the alighment of our mouth to the blowing edge of the Xiao. Regardless whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, one has to ensure that the positioning is consistent and accurate. This alignment forms the foundation to ensure that an effective embouchure can be formed. If your alignment wavers then it becomes difficult to develop a good embouchure. I need to emphasise that this is an essential skill which I hope you'll remember. If you watch my videos you'll see that I regularly re-calibrate my alignment during a performance. Once you find a consistent position, you'll experience ease in playing the Xiao. Different Xiao may have contrasting bore diameters and thus different sizes of blowing edge, but don't let this distract you as the key factor is to ensure your breath hits the blowing edge at the correct angle. The method to achieve a good angle is the same across different bores. First, naturally close your lips and align the mid-line formed between the lips to the blowing edge (Xiao is held horizontally). The air stream that comes out will naturally exit at an angle below the horizon. Gradually tilt the Xiao (tail end) downwards and soon the blowing edge will be hit by this stream and produce a sound. If you can't produce a sound yet, try practising blowing at your palm. First hold up your palm about 10cm in front of your face, align the second section of your middle finger to the tip of your nose. And if you blow naturally, your air stream should land in the middle of your palm. It should feel like a focused stream of air on your palm. Once you get the feel of this, try it with the Xiao. The upper lip is just touching down on the rim. Do not purse your upper lips else the blowing edge will be placed too low. The angle of the Xiao can be flexibly adjusted by pivoting it. The blowing should be relaxed and natural. This is an instrument that can aid us in reaching a calm, stable state. It helps us cultivate qi (气 breath) and jing shen (精神 spirit). Whether in the blowing or holding of the instrument, one should maintain a relaxed and natural posture where the the breath is lengthened. So we need to let go of tensions and not forcefully create an embouchure. Initially you can have a gentle smile to help stretch the lips sideways so it becomes flattened. After which, allow a sliver of a gap to form between the lips. This gap/air stream can be finely focused by adjusting the left-right and upper-lower boundaries formed by the lips. The angle of the air stream is dependent on the lower jaw's movement, either minutely jutting outwards or pulled in. As a beginner if the jaw movement is not possible, then adjust the Xiao itself to find the best angle for sound production. Once proficient with lower jaw adjustment, then the angle of the Xiao can be kept fixed. The fine jaw movement can be useful for finding the sweet spot for a clear, crisp note. Some people wonder if they should exercise to train up lung capacity, e.g., taking up some sports. Actually lung capacity does not vary much across individuals. The most important factor is the formation of an effective embouchure that produces a fine, focused air stream. The exhalation will then last longer. Breath wise, use abdominal/diaphragmatic breathing, avoiding movement of the chest area. It is breath work that is supported by internal movements/organs rather than just the lungs. Breathe in all the way to fill the abdominal area so that it expands. And as you breathe out, it deflates. To get you started, try making blasts of "hoo" sound or laughing sound of "ha", which would activate the abdominal area (dantian 丹田). Or you can imagine imitating a dog's panting. The deeper the activation of the breath, the stronger the energy it carries. Then there can be explosiveness in the sound produced. Consider the blowpipe used by aboriginal peoples: the long and narrow pipe ensures the dart can be precisely aimed at a distant target. Imagine our breathing system can be like that. The abdominal area drives the breath through the airways acting like a long pipe. In addition, we need to keep the mouth cavity in a relaxed state. First, rest the tongue downwards and produce an "O" sound, which helps clear the pathway and create an air chamber in the mouth. You'll find that this supports a richer, fuller sound for low pitched notes. Slow down your breathing, which starts with taking longer exhales that fully exhausts the breath, and taking inhales that fill up the abdominal area. Therefore, when playing don't use a large embouchure. It's not about the breath/lung capacity but having a fine embouchure that allows a long slow exhale. So I reiterate, first train to use abdominal breathing. Use the natural cycle of breathing and not the reverse 逆势 approach (inhale causes abdominal deflation and exhale causes abdominal expansion). The reverse approach is used in internal martial arts. Next, we look at holding posture. Use the natural holding method. The lower hand is especially important, it is positioned slanting away from the instrument. It is more ergonomic to use the different segments of the fingers rather than the fleshy finger pads to seal the finger holes. There is tension build up when one uses the fleshy tips. A natural relaxed holding posture allows qi to circulate. Some people may think it limits agility but that is not true. Note: the natural method is known as piper's grip in the western context In ancient times, the more deft hand was placed on the top part rather than the bottom half of the Xiao. I happened to be a lefty so my left hand is placed on top. The convention is now for right hand (assumed master hand) to be placed at lower part of Xiao. Regardless, the importance is to use a natural grip so that one can maintain a relaxed state and cultivate a stable mind/spirit.
The shakuhachi like other traditional hand crafted instruments has its quirks. Or maybe one should say each culture has its uniqueness, and it appears the older forms of shakuhachi music preferred some notes to be more flat or sharp. This defies the current Western convention of equal temperament which society has accepted as the norm.
The design of this instrument allows great freedom due to its openness in the blowing edge with multiple degrees of freedom (up/down, left/right, yawing, pitching, rolling), providing fine control at microtonal level to the player. This is what makes it a difficult instrument to master as it means self mastery of the breath, embouchure, body and flute positioning, in addition to other aspects of music training.
For now my “antique” 玉井 竹仙 instrument will need a bit of DIY fix up (blue tac works wonders) advised by my teacher to bring it up to contemporary times. The higher pitched third hole (チ) note is lowered near to A4 frequency so that it is closer to equal temperament. I don't blame the seller for passing this flute to me, the "imperfection" created opportunity for me to learn more than I would have on a perfect instrument (is there such a thing anyway).
I advocate learning the shakuhachi at the onset with a teacher in person as it can greatly prevent unnecessary mistakes that if left unchecked becomes a deep rooted habit that impinges growth and development. Learning the shakuhachi one can encounter a major paradox: it is both easy and difficult to produce a good sound. It can be described as playing with ease because a relaxed mind-body produces clear, resonant notes. But the challenge is in the player because such relaxation is counter intuitive especially for a beginner. In the beginner's mind it often becomes a struggle between the self and the instrument. There can be much striving to master the instrument via controlling the body. There is also the lack of patience especially in the current technogical age where the idea of instant gratification is lavished on us. Bodily awareness requires mindfulness -- being mindful of sensations, movements, positions, and understanding how these are linked to sound production. Both interoception and proprioception are needed. Proprioception would include learning to be aware of lip tension, mouth cavity volume, finger contact position, and even vibrations of the flute. Interoception would include learning to be aware of abdominal breath activation, volume of breath, and internal rhythm. Awareness leads to fine adjustments that unlock the rich sounds of the shakuhachi. Such awareness does not come naturally, thus the need for hours of practice to build it up gradually, and for retention in body memory to take place. This also means there can be no single standard set of steps to ensure one gets a first sound on the shakuhachi because each learner has unique anatomy, degrees of awareness, and ability to relax. Initial guidance fortunately can still help the self-learner. They are like markers left by preceding travellers on their own learning path. We just need to try and use what works for us. Here are some resources to get started. But the rest of the journey we have to figure it out on our own.
Shakuhachi flutes have a certain appeal as they are specially made with root ends from mature bamboo. The beauty of the smooth stem contrasts with the gnarly roots, reminding us that life manifests in similar fashion: happiness and suffering are not separate.
Bamboo's appearance is deceptive, looking like a tree but is actually a grass. In fact it is often viewed as an unwelcome weed because it is difficult to eliminate once it populates an area.
Harvesting it is a tedious manual task in the first stage of flute making. It would seem the plant lost its life, but at the hands of a craftsman it takes on a new life, transformed from a weed into a lively instrument. In the Edo period of ancient Japan it was regarded as a dharma instrument (法器, hoki) that helped monastics in their meditation practice. The humble bamboo continues beautifully in a new form, the shakuhachi (尺八) -- "death" does not bring an end.
The Shakuhachi (尺八) is elegant through its simplicity - 5 finger holes being sufficient to bring out the chromatic scale reaching up to 3 octaves.
It is interesting how the Japanese innovated on this by looking outside of the box. A typical wind instrument has precise finger holes to determine the pitch. To illustrate, a hole can be in two states, either opened or closed, and each state produces its own pitch so there are two notes available.
For the Shakuhachi, each finger hole has a wider diameter than say a Xiao or recorder. This means each hole can be partially covered or shaded to access the finer pitches in-between two discrete notes. This in itself is not unique as there are other flutes like the North American Flute (NAF) that have half-hole techniques.
For greater versatility, the Shakuhachi can be blown with variation in the angle between the blowing edge and the lips (embouchure). And this gives the performer another means to control pitch. Such pitch variations through head tilting plus instrument shifting is also used for vibrato effects.
For example, the note D is played by covering all holes (on a 1.8 Shakuhachi) while lifting finger off the first (lowest) hole plays F. The notes E and Eb (E flat) are "hidden" between D and F. Magically through partial fingering and angle adjustment, these notes shyly manifest.
These "half" sounds are usually softer in volume and differ in timbre from a fully opened/closed finger hole note. Such imperfections contribute to the distinct sound signagure of a Shakuhachi, enriching the palette available to an expert player to convey different moods and imagery.
There is an inherent "uncertainty" or variability to each note produced, therefore the same song can sound anew when repeated even by the same performer.
