Lessons

General Information

What. I am teaching shakuhachi and shinobue.

Who. I teach beginners and advanced students. Everybody can learn playing shakuhachi and shinobue – no exceptions!

How. The ideal is face-to-face instruction, one teacher to one student, but I am also teaching online (Zoom, Teams etc), and group lessons are possible too.

Shakuhachi Lessons

I hold a shihan (teaching license) from the KSK (Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan), the school established by shakuhachi legend Yokoyama Katsuya sensei. The KSK repertoire consists mainly of honkyou (lit. `original pieces’ originating from the komuso – Zen monks) and pieces by Fukuda Rando, one of Yokoyama sensei’s teachers. But I also teach other repertoire and have a particular interest in combining shakuhachi with taiko and electronica.

Shakuhachi. The shakuhachi has a twofold nature: Over its long history it has been used as musical instrument (gakki) and as religious/mediation instrument (hōki). While today the hōki tradition is all but extinct, shakuhachi repertoire and technique are a unique blend of both traditions.

Why have a teacher? Many techniques and nuances are needed to play shakuhachi. Many essential elements are neither notated nor can they be learnt without one-to-one instruction from a qualified teacher. While learning without guidance is possible up to a point, it is slow and difficult, leading to most students giving up quickly.

Instruments. Although it is possible to start learning shakuhachi on any instrument, you should seek advice before buying an instrument. Expensive instruments are not always the best, just as buying a cheap flute from the internet is usually not advisable. Please get in touch; I am always happy to help you find a suitable instrument. There’s no obligation or charge.
My standard recommendation for a beginner instrument is the Shakuhachi Yuu, which you can order from different places on the Internet. If you have trouble finding it, I always have a few I use for workshops and that I can pass on at cost price. Please send an email to enquire if I have any available.

Certificates/licenses. In the spirit of Yokoyama Katsuya, the KSK does not place great value on certificates/licenses and has no formal system for this. (Other schools often require a student to be able to play certain pieces for a particular level, take exams, play a recital, etc.) However, depending on your progress as judged by your teacher, it is possible to obtain the usual degrees:

• Shoden
• Chuden
• Okuden
• Kaiden
• Jun-shihan
• Shihan

Shinobue Lessons

While I have only little formal training in shinobue, much of the technique can be transferred from shakuhachi. I’ve also been playing professionally onstage with the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers for about 10 years.

My main motivation for offering shinobue lessons is that especially in Europe it can be difficult to find instruction. In addition, my long experience playing shinobue in a professional taiko group has proven to be very helpful for students who want to pick up the instrument, especially if the goal is to play together with taiko.

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