I have been a musician of some sort for over 20 years now, and I have always found myself drawn to the "traditional" or "folk" music of indigenous cultures from around the world. Whether it's the tribal beat of African or Native American drums, the lilting dance music of Ireland, Scotland and Cape Breton, or the poignant evanescence of Japanese gagaku, these and many other forms of world music have an intrinsic earthiness and spirituality which for me is the essence, or soul if you will, of music.Exploring the Native American Flute has brought me into contact with numerous other types of "world" flutes. I have been able to revisit my Celtic music past via the Irish Low whistle, and I have started a website devoted to this gorgeous instrument called "the Pipersgrip."I have also been taking lessons with Phil "Nyokai" James on the Japanese bamboo flute, the Shakuhachi. One of the simplest flutes in design, the Shakuhachi is also considered by many to be the most difficult to play. Taking a life time to master, it can sometimes take weeks for a beginner just to make a sound! Besides being similar to the NAF in sound, construction and use as a meditative instrument, I was also drawn to the Shakuhachi for it's close relationship to Zen Buddhism. Much of the traditional repitoire (honkyoku) was written by Buddhist monks for the purpose of meditation and seeking enlightenment through sound (sometimes reffered to as "suizen" or blowing zen). Thus the Shakuhachi embodies and reflects my own, personal philosophy of the connection between music and the spiritual.
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