Question

The shakuhachi has a varied history as a solo meditation instrument, a member of the gagaku orchestra, a crucial part of sankyoku, and a participant in jazz and other Western genres. Listen to the guided listening example of Tori Kadotsuke Hachigaeshi (located on the preceeding content page titled "Shakuhachi and Taiko") and answer the following questions:
How does its tone, or timbre, differ from the sound of a Western flute?
What qualities of the shakuhachi sound do you think make it desirable and flexible enough to participate in so many different genres?
What qualities of Japanese aesthetics, as outlined in the chapter, do you hear in the piece?

Answer 1

Answer:

1. The sound of the shakuhachi is deeper and deeper compared to the sound of the western flute.

2. It has the ability to be divided into three octaves on a five note scale.

3. The Japanese aesthetic quality that can be heard in the piece is the "ma", the "okua-den" lineage and the silence that can be noticed between the beats and the breath.

Explanation:

The shakuhachi is a wind instrument very popular in the east and very similar to the European recorder. It is made of bamboo and has a very simple appearance, with only a mouthpiece and 5 holes, but it has a great versatility which allows it to be used in many different genres. This versatility occurs thanks to its deep and raw sound that can be divided into three octaves and five-note scale.