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Information on how to enjoy Shinobue (Japanese flute)

Guide to the world of Japanese Shinobue

・What is Shinobue?

It is a bamboo called "Shinotake" and is made of bamboo that grows straight with a relatively long interval between knots. There are 9 holes, and you can breathe into the largest hole called the singing mouth and play the transverse flute.

Also, there are holes for creating scales at approximately the same intervals.

The pitch depends on how the holes are closed. The tone of bamboo is very warm

It will be a pleasant sound. It has a range of up to 3.5 octaves and can output from low to high tones, making it a very expressive and attractive instrument.

Many are performed at Japanese festivals and folk songs. The flute also appears when playing festival music and Japanese drums. Shinobue has been played by warlords and samurai for a long time. Among Japanese musical instruments, Shinobue is a traditional Japanese musical instrument along with shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, and wadaiko.

Because it is a small and light instrument, it can be carried anywhere and can be easily taken out with a travel companion, which is very convenient. When you blow the Shinobue in the mountains or rivers, you can enjoy the feeling of blending in naturally and create a wonderful world of flutes. It is the best instrument for hobbies and lifelong learning.

Also, when you listen to the flute at a room., it resonates with your body and soul, and you will be moved. Why don't you learn Shinobue, which has many charms like this! Please enjoy the traditional Japanese musical instrument, the Japanese transverse flute.

Lecturer　NEO　SUGIURA

The splendor of Shinobue!

Japan has four wonderful seasons. Because the four seasons are clear, we can think of various things as the times change.

Many flowers such as red, yellow and purple bloom in spring. Summer is hot and sunny, and you can enjoy going out to the sea and mountains, and miss beer and cold food.

In autumn, I like the colors of the leaves, and the fallen leaves fall. Haiku and tanka are sung according to each season, and I feel very sad.

I really appreciate the season in Japan. This is because each scenery is created each season. The rainy season has a proper humidity, so the sound of the whistle sounds very nice.

The Japanese flute, Shinobue, is made of bamboo tubes. Therefore, it depends greatly on the surrounding environment. The sound and tone of the whistle will change slightly if the weather is dry, rainy, humid, or dry.

The sound of the Japanese flute sounds wonderful when heard in a Japanese-style room. The sound permeates the tatami mats, clay walls, shoji screens, and spaces, and creates a calm sound space throughout the room.

The sound of Japanese, the deep tone, and the sound of bamboo cutting the wind, all of which are very much found in Japanese wooden houses.

I often blow the shino-bue even outdoors. At festivals and outdoor concerts, the reverberating space is omnidirectional. Therefore, the sound of my shino-bue sounds completely different, and I am often surprised.

It depends on the environment.

Shinobue is a Japanese sound. It is not a whistle made of metal such as inorganic substances. Originally, the flute lived as an organic matter, a living thing. I make it as a shinobue.

Therefore, it plays the tone that the original material has.

That's where the beauty of Japanese musical instruments lies.

Originally, the sound of the shinobue is very healing and warm. When you want to be healed, or when you want to calm down slowly, Shinobue's research gives us a moment of calm and peace.

Beyond the realm of beautiful sounds and beautiful tones, it resonates with the hearts of Japanese people and makes a big impression.

Is it because some nostalgic memories or memories that I have forgotten come back to life?

Early in the morning, the sounds I heard from beyond the sky seemed to portray the Japanese sky, and I was very impressed.

Shinobue that blows in mountains, forests and mountain villages, Shinobue that blows in fishing bridges and rivers, Shinobue that blows under waterfalls that stain from the mountains, etc. are very melancholy, and I feel indescribable splendor.

The Shinobue that blows in quiet temples and shrines is also very emotional. Shinobue heard from the silence. Unintentionally, I tasted and listened to the wonderfulness of each sound.

Shinobue blows with your heart. Each note is life. That person's thoughts are the sound of the flute itself. Japanese Shinobue, tanka and haiku that convey your heart and thoughts will lead to the thoughts of Hyakunin Isshu.

Sing with Shinobue and express joy with Shinobue.

Therefore, I want to practice not only to make sounds but also to express my heart.

・Shinobue tone　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

□ The lowest sound, which is almost determined by the length of the flute tube, is a sound with a profound feeling like a shakuhachi.

□ High-pitched sound produces a sound that resonates very far. Sounds that reach the opposite bank of a large river are also possible.

□ Each person who blows the Shinobue and each player plays a unique tone. The sound of the whistle will make your personality stand out.

□ You can play any song such as melancholy tone, healing flute, meditation flute, folk song flute, lullaby, etc.

・How to enjoy Shinobue

□ The fun of blowing a Shinobue that is fun and exciting like at a festival

□ You can enjoy the quiet and calm tone that blows in the silence, and the image of Shinobue as time flows slowly.

□ Shinobue that blows in nature such as mountains, sea, rivers and forests gives you a sense of unity with nature and you can enjoy the wonderful world of flutes.

・Types of Shinobue

There are 8 to 1 flute tones,
Of these, 7 tones are the most popular and are attractive because they produce clear sounds. The 6-tone tone is often used for festival music. The difference between the 7-tone and the 6-tone is that the pitch is a semitone and the 6-tone is lower. The distance between the finger holes increases from the four-tone position, and the length of the shinobue tube also increases.

・Shinobue fingering

Please see the fingering chart. A typical holding method is described.

In addition to this fingering, there are many alternative fingerings in Japanese festival music.

・Shinobue performance song

　Lullabies, nursery rhymes and Japanese folk songs are wonderful expressions of the flute.

・How to blow Shinobue

First, hold both ends of the whistle with both hands, make the shape of the mouth the letter E, and gently blow on the mouth. At that time, blow downward so that your breath blows under you.

If you breathe into the lead of the whistle, you will hear a sound. If there is no sound, tilt the whistle back and forth a little and blow it. If you want to make a high octave sound, tighten your lips and blow out strongly to exhale. To make a semitone, open the fingering of Shinobue a little to make a semitone.

・ Shinobue lesson

The basic lesson of Shinobue is as follows.

□ Practice from the 6 th to a single note, making the note as long as possible until the sound is stable.

□ Next, suppress the sounds 6, 5, and 4 that you make with your left finger in order to make sounds. When 3 sounds are produced stably, press your fingers in the order of 4, 5 and 6 to make sounds, and practice until stable sounds are produced.

□ This time, it makes a sound continuously with 654 and 456.

□ When it comes to sound smoothly, blow continuously without holding your breath.

□ Next, practice by making a long sound with your left finger as well.

□ When it comes out stably, change each finger to 123 and practice until a stable sound is produced.

□ If the sound is stable, change your finger to make a sound.

□ Finally, do not hold your breath and blow with continuous finger changes.

□ With the above, if you practice the whistle every day, you will know the position of your fingers and the sound will be stable.

・ON-LINE member recruitment details

Lessons are possible at video conferences such as ZOOM, SKYPE, LINE, and TEAMS.

Monthly member: Set a lesson day every month and settle the account in advance to practice each time.

1-year course member: The schedule and fee will be decided one year in advance and payment will be made at once.

2-year course member: The schedule and fee will be decided 2 years in advance and payment will be made at once.

3-year course member: The schedule and fee will be decided 3 years in advance and payment will be made at once.

Experience member: Please experience and experience the lesson content. ON-LINE is free.

・Payment method QR payment or remittance

If you have not purchased the whistle (please specify Shinotake or Matake), it will be Shinotake.

□ Seven tone (with bag) Used in the classroom

□ Six tone (with bag)

□ Four tones (with bag)

□ Other consultation

Payment can be made by wire transfer or QR payment.

・ Flute sheet music

The score of the flute is a numbered musical notation. The numbers indicate the pitch and the position that determines the fingering of the flute.

It is expressed in a very easy-to-understand manner.

Please refer to the image with the notes of the flute.

・Flute lesson method (example)

Practice will be explained in English or Japan.

The score of the flute is a PDF file. We will send it by email.

Or send the image with LINE

１. Behavior and how to care for Shinobue

2. Practice how to make basic sounds and breathe

3. Practice making sounds without tonguing

4. Practice switching between bass and treble

5. Practice fingering and raising fingers

6. Play a simple song