Category Archives: Shakuhachi for beginners

Shakuhachi for beginners, Shakuhachi practice

Shakuhachi Music for Beginners

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I’m excited to share my latest release: a complete beginner’s compilation bringing together all of my foundational materials in one place.

Inside this 55-page manual, you’ll find fingering charts, progressive exercises, a structured warm-up routine, and my Ten Easy Melodies and Six Elemental Melodies. The collection also includes four simplified honkyoku pieces and a couple of Japanese songs.

Links to private audio recordings are included to support your practice.

Important: If you’re just starting out, please note that this manual does not cover the basics of holding the flute or producing sound. Those fundamentals are available in my virtual dojo tutorials (Tiers Chiku or Kan).

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Shakuhachi for beginners, Shakuhachi Music

Kame-no-Shirabe: A Beginner’s Shakuhachi Composition

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Kame-no-Shirabe 亀 の 調

I’m thrilled to announce that my new composition for beginners, Kame-no-Shirabe (Tortoise’s Melody), commissioned by the European Shakuhachi Society, has been published in their Bamboo Newsletter of June 2025.

I am the fourth composer of their “Ignition Commission” program, and the first European one!

Celebration of slowness

Slowness is the motto of the piece!

“With calm and tranquility you’ll reach your goals”.

“If you sometimes feel like you are progressing slowly on your shakuhachi journey, this piece is a celebration of the slow pace of the tortoise. Slowness gives time to look at the details, to feel what is happening when you play, inside and out. It gives space to deepen your practice.
In some cultures, the tortoise is a symbol of wisdom, longevity and protection.“

Listen

You can listen to my composition here:

My Works for Shakuhachi Beginners

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