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| 2/29/08: Leap Day
2/24/08: Finally an utaguchi 2/20/08: Stasis Thawing 2/9/08: Stasis Sucks 2/8/08: Hey, a Hornpipe! |
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February 29, 2008
Leap Day
What did you do on leap Day four years ago? Darned if I can remember what happened on Feb. 29, 2004; will have to look in the Archives and see if there's anything there. Congrats to anyone out there who was born on this day-- I saw a human-interest profile in the local paper this morning about several such people, and one of them mentioned a perk that had never occurred to me: you know those restaurants that offer a free meal on your birthday? In three out of every four years, leap-year babies can claim two such freebies merely by visiting different restaurants on Feb. 28th and March 1st. How could they justifiably refuse service on either day? It's almost hot for the last day of February here in Portland, OR: mostly sunny and pushing 60 Fahrenheit. The daffodils have begun to bloom, so we'll get the annual daffodil photo up soon. See ya then! --r.
February 24, 2008
Finally an utaguchi
We've been talking about adding an utaguchi to a transverse flute for the past three months-- and here's Model 1, Number 1 at last:  This is a D minor flute with the usual seven-hole configuration, and I couldn't be happier about how it turned out. Can't wait to do more utaguchi flutes, and upcoming experiments will involve African blackwood and ungulate horn as utaguchi material as well as the acrylic shown here. Many if not most contemporary shakuhachi makers use acrylic on their standard instruments. By the way, the flute's for sale. About time we sold a flute in 2008, don't you think? More pics on this gallery page... (Well, there may have been a couple of others sold so far, but 2008 biz in general has been so snoozy that they seem like a distant memory.) --r.
February 20, 2008
Stasis Thawing
It's appropriate that the last entry bemoaned the suckitude of stasis, since it's sat onsite for a near-record time without further comment. Winter is almost over, and the Complex is finally stirring some new brew for springtime consumption. I'm currently finishing our very first transverse utaguchi flute, and pics of it will appear here in a day or three-- whoopee! My international apprentice is visiting this week, which is quite invigorating since it's always a blast to reveal flutemaking *secrets* to future More vernal brew very soon. ---r.
February 9, 2008
Stasis Sucks
This site has been much too static for far too long. After all, what's the point if you don't keep bobbing and weaving with the internet tides? Daily I cringe when contemplating that stale greeting which questionably regales first-time visitors to this domain... when will it change? Soon. Reportedly there exist the Audio, and the Video-- and these newfangled media should surely submit to our control within your lifetime. Also, the text on our opening pages will be rewritten within this decade. --r, recalcitrant Luddite
February 8, 2008
Hey, a Hornpipe!
 We gots a reed instrument, and it's for sale! Been talking about them long enough... this one is is auto-bellydance mode: it's not tuned to a regular diatonic or pentatonic scale, but to a fixed tonality evoking a belly-dancy Middle Eastern atmosphere. That is, the player can run straight up and down the scale or skip around in any interval order, and the instrument will stay within its home mode without any discordant notes popping out. Such an approach makes the horn very, well, approachable: just about any musically-challenged individual capable of wrapping his lips around the reed and honking away can very quickly be summoning genies around the campfire and having a blast doing so. I'll check the tuning on this thing soon and see what approximate key it's in. As usual, inquire if interested. We also have several very nice flutes available, and it's time to start pointing such things out a little more proactively. Photos of those will begin to appear VERY soon. [Few minutes later: here are a couple shots of the first one in C minor] (NOTE: in this photo the reed isn't attached. At the pictured angle one wouldn't be able to see it anyway, but the black elastic reed binding would be visible near the top of the instrument.) --r.
February 4, 2008
Surrendering to the Leprechauns
I've often pointed out my preference for minor scale flutes, which is undeniably quirky and commercially counterproductive. Still think it's a superior system, though-- and even without claiming that it's the "best" way to make bamboo flutes, it's at least much more interesting than churning out one ordinary major-scale flute after another. Although we've stressed over and over that one can still play in However, I'd resolved to bow to commercial expediency this year and make a higher percentage of major scale flutes, especially those tailored for the leprechaun market. (Look, leprechauns: here's ANOTHER shiny and alluring D Major flute! Buy! Buy!) Producing a significantly higher percentage of major flutes wouldn't be too demanding, since we've probably managed a mere 2% of the output so far! But for me even 10 or 15 percent would seem tedious: each time I sit down to make a major flute it's like, blecchhhh, how boring-- do I really gotta do this? But St. Paddy's (NOT "Patty's!") Day is just a few weeks away, and now that I've discovered that even Groundhog Day was based on old Celtic traditions it's clearly time to acknowledge and duly exploit my Irish genetic heritage. And then there's the reeds. That too. --r.
February 2, 2008
Groundhog Day Revelations
 Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 2, as this is the cross-quarter day on the solar calendar, halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox... Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication. In Gaelic folklore, Imbolc is the day the Cailleach -- the hag goddess -- gathers firewood for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if she intends to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. Therefore, people are generally relieved if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over. (Wikipedia) Well, that clears up a lot of longstanding questions! No wonder I've always invested Groundhog Day with awe and reverence: it's genetically imprinted! Nothing but steady, unceasing rain to report for today here in the PNW. --r. (Adding a couple of hours later) Despite the oppressive dank grayness of the day, I just now heard a chickadee's springtime territorial song for the first time this year. It's almost as if they know that today's Imbolc and that the Cailleach is sleeping through this one...
Clarification
It's been brought to my attention that visitors unfamiliar with the tone of this site might have taken that "pizza" recipe a couple of entries down as a serious example of our culinary preferences. Sorry-- that was the most abominable excuse for a recipe I've seen in ages, so there it is. Eat your greens, kids! Nothing wrong with proper pizza once in a while, but seriously... --r. |
