The personal shakuhachi relationship

Simple in looks, sophisticated in musical refinement and profound as a personal practice, the shakuhachi has an exciting and unexpected well of possibilities for making beautiful music, or even simply making beautiful and rewarding long tones. There is an undeniably soulful connection between the player and the bamboo instrument. An intimacy forms quickly, and the tones produced on the flute seem to come from a deep vibration within the soul of the player. Each players' sound is different and unique, the result of a personal relationship that best develops under the care of a teacher.

David Sawyer

David Sawyer, of English origin, was born in Paris, France in 1951 and has been a full-time artist and musician all his life. He became a purveyor of Japanese-made shakuhachi as a result of the difficulty for most people in contacting makers in Japan and auditioning instruments before buying. At the time there were very few fine shakuhachi available in circulation in America.

David first encountered shakuhachi by accident, whilst living in Santa Fe many years ago, when a friend left an instrument at his house. He didn't like the sound at all to begin with, but became intrigued by its difficulty. Thereafter the aesthetics of traditional Japanese music in all its forms and instrumentation took center stage in his interests. The appreciation of honkyoku came from a much duplicated old cassette tape of Yoshio Kurahashi teaching 'Mukaiji' lent to David by a friend. David sought out Kurahashi-sensei and became his student immediately and for many years following, eventualy leading to a teaching licence and the given shakuhachi name, Yūdo (幽堂 meaning mystical or ghostly shrine).

Mujuan dojo

Yoshio Kurahashi asked David to form the second of only two Mujuan dojo branches outside of Japan, the other being the Texas branch under Stan Kakudo Richardson. Mujuan dojo originated with Kurahashi's father, Yodo in Kyoto.The lineage goes all the way back to the 1930's and originates with the historical shakuhachi player Jin Nyodo, who amassed a very special collection of old honkyoku solo pieces from all over Japan.

David's wife, Yoko Hiraoka teaches Biwa, koto and shamisen, so together they offer a wide panorama of traditional Japanese music and instruments in their Japanese dojo home in Louisville Colorado, as well as via internet lessons. Yoko also teaches Japanese Tea Ceremony. Yoko has been performing concerts with Yoshio Kurahashi for almost 30 years, in Kyoto and the USA. Kurahashi's father was the performance partner to Yoko's string teacher, Saito Yoshiko, so the connections go way back to the 1950s, and across the world and across nationalities too.

Repertoire

The original collection of honkyoku compositions collected by Jin Nyōdo in the 1930s forms the core of the transmitted pieces. These are beautiful solo shakuhachi masterpieces. They have titles such as: 'Fog over the misty ocean', 'Empty bell', 'Waterfall', 'Void' etc. These old honkyoku are exquisitely polished gems of music, and the relationship that develops between the student and each piece becomes charming, spiritual, personal and artistic. Many of the compositions have titles with Buddhist connotations: they were played historically by zen monks as part of their spiritual practice.

As students progress they will also encounter folk music, ensemble sankyoku pieces and some modern works, including Enka popular song, which is great fun to play on shakuhachi.

Teaching approach

David teaches at at all levels. He has a compassionate teaching style, encouraging students to relax, enjoy, and be happy with wherever they may be on their shakuhachi journey. Wherever they may be, they can be confident their teacher has been there too! David trains students to become deeply aware of the tone color of their sound and the available subtleties of embouchure shaping and efficient breath delivery. He approaches the shakuhachi experience as a moment of exquisite attention, where all one's faculties, both within and without are brought to a fine point of focus, in the service of good form. There are many layers of subtlety in the music and as the student builds skills and awareness, they can go deeper into the pieces naturally. Jin Nyōdo, the father of this lineage, was very clear about the repertoire: honkyoku has a deep spiritual component, but it always unfolds in the form of Art, and thus can be considered an art form of the spirit, like brush calligraphy, tea ceremony, Kyudo archery and other Japanese art forms with zen philosophical underpinnings.

Building solid form and an excellent approach to playing lay the foundation for a lifetime of joy with shakuhachi. A lot of early teaching emphasis goes towards good skill-building with many types of exercises and a gradual building of strength as a player. Eventually players have such a solid foundation they become self-sufficient and confident in having a good core practice.

Beginner students and healthy playing

David Yūdo brings beginner students into an awareness of the mechanics of making a tone, with great care and intent to build good shakuhachi 'bones'. Issues of posture, breathing, hand position, shoulder stress and sight reading are all given a great deal of careful attention right from the first lesson. The first efforts at making a sound are guided precisely by careful examination of embochure shape and elegance of approach. Students learn how to relax whilst playing; how to become aware of and release tensions in the body, particularly in the hands and shoulders.

Internet Lessons

Individual lessons are available in Louisville, Colorado and also shakuhachi teaching can be done via the Internet. Lesson costs are $35.00 per hour, payable in advance via Paypal, or by personal cheque or money order.

For those not familiar with Paypal, it is a simple and free to use internet payment service which enables users to pay for goods and services using a credit card or bank account.

http://www.paypal.com

David will provide Paypal payment details.

Click here for technical details on how to set up the video teaching link.

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