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Japanese Zen Shakuhachi Flute

The Shakuhachi Flute is Japan’s most popular woodwind instrument. This Shakuhachi Flute has been used by Zen Buddhists as a tool for meditation and at the same time an instrument to play Japanese folk music, jazz or classical music.

Author: Tom Budko

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The Shakuhachi Flute is usually made from the very bottom of a bamboo stalk or bamboo tree, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. According to the experts the name shakuhachi is derived from the term "isshaku hassun" meaning one shaku and eight suns (1.8 Japanese feet). Usually the term shakuhachi refers to the standard size of the instrument, which is 54.5 cm in length, but it can also refer to many different sizes ranging from 1.3 - 2.5 shaku (39.4 - 75.7 cm) and longer.

Today the Shakuhachi Flute is becoming popular not only with Japanese people or Zen Buddhists but also to people of all ages that are musically inclined and love to collect different types of musical instruments. The Shakuhachi flute is perhaps the simplest non-percussive instrument ever created. This instrument has no keys or pads like the flute that you can see in Western music. There are no strings like guitars or violins and no inner mechanisms like in the piano and the Shakuhachi has no mouthpiece like a saxophone or trumpet. Indeed the Shakuhachi is one of the simple musical instruments that you can play and get a wonderful and soothing sound from. The Shakuhachi Flute has only five finger holes, which is fewer than any other flute or any other wind instrument. To play a note, your mouth and lips have got to become part of the instrument. In spite of its simple construction, the Shakuhachi can create an incredibly broad range of musical sounds.

You need to take a good care of your Shakuhachi Flute. Clean the Shakuhachi with a clean and soft cloth to remove the dust and moisture that could damage the functionality of the flute. Another thing to remember is to keep the flute properly stored in a case. Make sure that they are kept away from possible harmful elements like direct sunlight, fire and water.

If you want to have a Shakuhachi Flute but don’t know where to buy one; you can start looking on the Internet as there are website these days that offer different types of Shakuhachi Flutes, Japanese flutes and bamboo flutes. However just make sure that the instrument you buy is of high quality materials, well-made and affordable.

About Author

Tom Budko is a fan of http://zenbambooflutes.com. A traditionalJapanese bamboo flute which has been used in Zen Buddhism for centuries as a tool for meditation and learning to be fully aware of one’s breath. Visit us now at ZenBambooFlutes.com

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