Postcards from Shakuhachi Summer Camp

Greetings from Shakuhachi Summer Camp!

For the next four days, I’m attending summer camp in Claremont, California. And lest you think I’m busy singing camp songs, creating arts and crafts, and cooking s’mores over a campfire, I’ll tell you right away, this is not that kind of summer camp. It is, in fact, Shakuhachi Summer Camp.

Quite simply, we are a group of “campers” gathered together to polish our skills and explore our mutual passion for playing Shakuhachi.

Shakuhachi (pronounced “shaa-koo-haa-chee”) is a Japanese flute played vertically as opposed to a flute you might see in a marching band that is held horizontally. Shakuhachi first came to Japan from China sometime during the 7^th or 8^th century. However, the style and design of the Shakuhachi instrument that I play today is merely 500 years old.

A Shakuhachi is made of bamboo, with one hole in the back and four holes in the front. It can vary in length, but most commonly measures 1.8 feet in length. A quality Shakuhachi is made from the root end of a bamboo stalk, which gives it a slight curve and bubble at the bottom.

The first time I heard a Shakuhachi was in the 1988 movie soundtrack of “Willow” produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard. I was transfixed by the otherworldly sound that sang through the rest of the orchestration and just had to know what it was. After that, I began to notice the pure notes of a Shakuhachi woven throughout other movie soundtracks such as “Mighty Joe Young” and “Jurassic Park,” as well as featured in samurai or karate movies like “Shogun” or “Karate Kid, Part II.”

These next four days, we will be totally immersed in all things Shakuhachi. We’ll learn new skills, engage and work with Shakuhachi masters, and explore a collection of music that features the Shakuhachi.

I can hardly wait.

All my best,
Andy

Greetings all!

It’s another beautiful day here on the Scripps college campus in Claremont, California. Initially known as Shakuhachi Summer Camp of the Rockies (SSCR), the camp originated in Boulder, Colorado in 1998. Now in its 25^th year, this is the first year SSCR is being held in Claremont.

Speaking of history…I acquired my first Shakuhachi when I was 22 years old. A generous flute professor at my college gave me a copy of a lesson book and I began to teach myself to play. That first Shakuhachi flute was very poor quality and I wrestled with it for many years, but what did I know?

It was during this time that I began to learn how to read the music that is specifically written for this beautiful instrument. Unlike western music notation, the Shakuhachi reads Japanese Kinko, which features a variety of embellishments applied to the characters. It’s quite lovely. It’s also written from top to bottom and read from right to left on the page, which makes it challenging for westerners.

Since those early days of exploration, I’ve upgraded to a Shakuhachi Yuu finished by Monty Levenson. I’ve also enjoyed a few private lessons with some amazing Shakuhachi masters. Additionally, I’ve had the privilege to participate in two workshops. The first took place in 2014 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii and now I’m attending this gathering at Scripps College.

Both experiences have been overwhelmingly positive with amazing instructors and fellow musicians, making me eager to participate in more large group settings in the future. (In fact, there is a World Shakuhachi Conference happening in Texas in 2025 that looks quite tempting!)

All my best,
Andy

Greetings from summer camp!

It’s day three and still not a frank or bean in sight…and that’s just fine by me.

Today I was thinking about how my exploration of Shakuhachi has enhanced my connection with my students. I’ve been playing music with western notation since I began playing the piano at age 8. Music was always a part of my household and learning how to read it came naturally and easily for me. But learning a unique instrument like the Shakuhachi has provided me with an opportunity to engage in music in which I have little to no expertise. Through this experience, I feel more strongly connected with my own students because my own struggles and challenges learning Kinko music notation is fresh and ongoing.

And of course, we can’t forget about performance anxiety! (Believe it or not, even professional musicians have performance anxiety!) Of course, we learn how to mask it and how to make our mistakes look like intentional choices that our audience believes were planned. But to perform with an instrument with which we are not in control? Or even trying to get our muscles to do what we know they can do alone at home, but in the presence of a Shakuhachi master? In a very real way, even lessons are performances on a small scale, so like many musicians, I do get nervous.

The upcoming student recital tomorrow night is likely to be one of the most nerve-wracking things I will have done in recent years. Of course, I’m going to focus on producing quality sound that pops clean and fast like I know I’ve done at home. But no matter the outcome, I’m thankful for the experience that’s helped me better relate to my own students.

Wish me luck!

All my best,
Andy

Greetings on our last night of summer camp,

If you have read these postcards, I hope you are encouraged to learn more about this beautiful instrument and listen to more Shakuhachi music. 

The Masters’ concerts on both the island of Kauai and at camp tonight produced some very happy memories. Tonight’s concert was an especially wonderful mosaic of performances. It included Honkyoku (solo) (similar to this performance of Hon Shirabe) by Steven Casano, student of Master Bob Herr and assistant at the Kauai Shakuhachi Workshop in 2014, and Sankyoku (ensemble) performances similar to these musicians playing Chidori no Kyoku. Additionally, there were a few pieces performed with the Koto (a Japanese zither-like instrument) played by Yoko Reikanon Kimura who was with us at camp this week, and the Shamisen (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument also sometimes called a Japanese banjo) played by Yoko Reikano Kimura. 

You can find lots of different genres for these instruments, everything from traditional folk (Kojo no Tsuki) to jazz (Brubeck’s Take Five), contemporary (Mushi Kuyō’s Insect Memorial Service), and even heavy metal (Wagakki Band – compilation of the Top 10 Daisuke Songs).  And if you are inspired to want to learn, I’m happy to help you with basic sound production, reading, and opening the door to this world a little wider for you to join me on the journey.

In closing, I’d like to share some words of wisdom to consider should you decide to explore Shakuhachi yourself: 

Someone once asked a Shakuhachi master how long it took to learn the Shakuhachi?  The master responded, “The Shakuhachi takes a lifetime to master. So, the earlier you start, the longer it takes.”

All my best,
Andy

Enjoy more photos from camp: