Answering your shinobue questions!!

I've gotten a lot of questions lately💓,

and if one person is curious about something, chances are a bunch of you are wondering too! So let’s dive in together!

"I just got my first shinobue today and can't make any sound. 😫 Please help!"

It's completely normal to struggle with producing sound on a shinobue, especially if it's your first day. The shinobue is a primitive and simple instrument, and unlike recorders and harmonicas, it does not have a built-in mechanism to generate sound for you. This lack of mechanism allows the shinobue to produce an infinite variety of tones. In contrast, instruments with built-in mechanisms limit you to the types of sounds they can create.

As a result, learning how to produce a tone may take some time, and it can take months (or years!) to achieve a beautiful sound consistently. To improve, I recommend practicing every day using the playlists I created on my YouTube channel. If you are a brand new beginner, use this playlist. Watch this playlist if you are working on getting the beautiful sound consistently. You can also learn songs from my YouTube channel and download free sheet music. Have fun with it, and you’ll be amazed at how much progress you make!

"I love your fingering tutorial videos. Would the fingering work with any hon choshi?"

Yes, you can use any hon choshi! Do the same exact fingering, and the song will sound fine! For example, in this "Ghost of Tsushima" fingering video, I am using a 6 hon choshi. But you can use any hon choshi, follow my fingering and the tune will come out like the original song. The pitch won't match my sound, but it will still sound like the melody you are trying to create. So bring your shinobue and give it a try! It's a slow song, so you might find it easy!

Don't go to bed with your questions unanswered!

"When I play, it sounds like the Western flute. How can I make it sound Shinobue?"

That is a very good question! But it's hard to answer in words. I'm sure the answer depends on the person and teacher, but when I make my breath more "dense" and "heavy", and less flowy and moving, I feel it sounds more Japanese. To do it, SLOW breath that comes from the core muscles is the key. I teach my students to use slow breaths too, because Bunta sensei REALLY stresses it. Slow breaths don't mean weak breaths. It's dense and heavy, like moving a big ice block. It takes a while for anyone to get this concept, but I feel this is the key to making the sound more Japanese. This is just my opinion. And, of course, using "Yubiuchi" for repeated notes makes it more "shinobue", too!

"When you play shinobue, you have vibrato. How are you doing that?"

Believe it or not, my vibrato actually comes from relaxing the throat (vocal cords). For me, because I am a trained opera singer, vibrato came naturally. (Shinobue playing and singing have many similarities). But, I am trying not to do it too much because my natural vibrato is very fast (like a machine gun 😣). There are many ways to do vibrato in the Japanese way, and that is something I haven't really mastered. Some people nod their heads. Some say they use the core muscles. Some say it's a combination of different things. If you want to explore vibrato, I suggest that you start by practicing relaxing your throat. Opening and relaxing your throat is good for your shinobue playing anyway!

"Nana korobi, yaoki"

Fall down seven times, stand up eight.

"To play kan on (higher octave), I just blow harder, right?"

It's very tempting to blow harder when kan on doesn't come out. After all, if you are struggling to blow out a candle, you would blow harder, right?

But with shinobue, blowing harder with your mouth is NEVER the solution since it creates a windy, aggressive, and tight sound. You must use your core muscles to propel the air while keeping your embouchure relaxed.

Blowing hard with your mouth is never the solution for a beautiful and powerful shinobue sound.

My teacher, Butan sensei, always talk about using Tanden.

In order to utilize and activate these muscles, the first thing you must learn is to breathe LOW in your body like this.

To improve your tone when playing the shinobue, it's essential to learn how to engage your lower body. If you neglect this, you'll likely blow harder with your mouth, which can result in an aggressive and windy sound. Focus on using your lower body to enhance your playing technique.

As you dive into practicing the shinobue, it’s perfectly normal to have lots of questions! Don’t hesitate to reach out—I’m here to help! When you share your questions with me, I can create fun articles and videos that will not only answer your queries but also help everyone on their journey. Let’s keep the learning going together!