If you didn't believe that I was crazy...

The things I do to fill me time, eh?  Today, I decided I'd like a nice, bassy shakuhachi...  I went with 3' of the left over piping; it was waaay too hard to make a note and kept hitting harmonics, so I scaled down to the longest shak I've heard someone repeatedly make - a 2.6.  It played a note!  Great!!  Now, where the feckles do the holes go?  I used http://www.mujitsu.com/howtomakeshakuhachi.pdf for a really awesome guide, and just like that, it played in tune!  It's in G#, to be precise!  Magical.  It actually sounds pretty nice, but you have to take it slowly with the notes, kind of letting them warm up... it's not responsive like the one I made on Tuesday! Have a listen... sorry!

I then had another tiny bit of pipe and no joints left, so I thought, "why not make a mini one?".  So I did.  It's official size is a 0.5 (only 15.5 cm - lol), but guess what... it's in tune as well!  G# again... freaky.  It's got no second (Kan) octave, though, unlike the bassy-one which always wants to jump right out into the upper-register where it plays responsively at last!

It's very interesting, this shakuhachi flute-making malarky!  Wee oop!

Here are some piccies and sounds!

Shakuhachi Crazy!!

I think I've gone a bit (more) mental.  Y'see, I've got this problem...  I'm addicted to musical instruments; I always have been.  Anyway, I recently decided to buy another Shakuhachi, which is a type of end-blown Japanese bamboo flute (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakuhachi), from a NY-based maker, Perry Yung.  I say "another" as I already own an "Earth" model flute by him, so I know my next one will be lovely too!

The wait was just too much for me, so I decided to make my own while I waited.  It cost me a grand.... (lol, just kidding)... total of £2.99 (and I could make at least 3 more the same for that price), and only took just over an hour and a half to get the stuff (some pipe and a joint) and make it!  Pretty good, eh?

I'll probably get round to blogging all of the instruments I've made/own eventually, but I can't be bothered just yet so it's just this one today.  I call it my "Crapucrapshi".  Hehe.  It's actually not all that bad...  have a listen.  BTW...  I simply couldn't be bothered to spend all day recording something nice and adding reverb etc, so I just plugged in a camera-mic and played some rubbish, so don't expect anything lovely... lol.  Enjoy...