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| 05/06/2008: "Mac, shakuflutchi and Anasazi"
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Sure enough, the entry just below did end up getting triple-posted for a while. It's a little strange switching back and forth between Macs and PCs, which I do quite frequently these days. The Mac in particular seems to have periodic fits when it does completely inscrutable and puzzling things, only to reverse course and respond entirely differently to routine commands on the next day. But perhaps that's merely a consequence of my longer experience on PCs... it's probably good to maintain at least a degree of ambidextrousness between the two platforms.
I know we've talked about those blasted utaguchis far too much recently, but after making a dozen or so of them I'm finally tackling the true "shakufluchi" concept as described on January 10th-- that is, an utaguchi-bearing flute with a considerably oversize blowhole to facilitate extreme pitch-bending as on a Japanese shakuhachi. Should have some early results this afternoon, so a report will appear this week!
Another new thing I've been messing with is the so-called Anasazi flute. This is an end-blown flute with its mouthpiece cut in a style somewhat similar to both the shakuhachi and to oblique flutes such as the nay and the kaval, but somewhere in between-- although its embouchure technique is probably more similar to that of the shakuhachi.
These flutes are based on archaeological finds from the American Southwest, and I became aware of them only two or three weeks ago. Fairly difficult to play, but quite interesting and very unique, so we'll get to more on that subject soon. I've made one so far, in G# as described in the foregoing link. For me, this size/key pushes the boundary of playability in terms of arm and hand position, but other that that it responds amazingly well; I'll be making more of these in somewhat smaller keys soon.
But or now, we're off to work on that shakuflutchi.... --r.
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