Beautiful Spring Songs for Shinobue Flute

Spring has arrived in Japan! This beautiful country truly cherishes nature, and there are so many delightful songs that celebrate the changing seasons.

Let’s enjoy some lovely Japanese spring songs on the shinobue!

For beginners: "Tulip"

This beloved children's song was composed in 1932 by Takeshi Inoue. It contains only ryo on, so it is a very good song to learn for beginners. But it starts with ryo on 1, so if you are having a hard time playing ryo on 1, it might be a bit challenging. You can download the free sheet music for this song on saitomusic.com/free.

I have uploaded tutorial videos (lessons 1-3) for this song.

For intermediate players: "Sakura Sakura"

Japan is famous for its stunning sakura blossoms in spring, and who can resist this iconic song? "Sakura Sakura" is likely the most recognized Japanese folk tune.

But for shinobue, it is a challenging song to play. That is the reason why I have not released any tutorials (since most of our viewers are beginners). But if you are an intermediate to advanced player, here are the fingering!

2　2　3、2 　2　3

2　3　4　3　2　32　七メ

六　四　六　７メ　六　六四　三　

2　3　4　3　2　32　七メ

六　四　六　７メ　六　六四　三　

2　2　3、2 　2　3

六　七メ　３２　七メ　六

Depending on the key of the karaoke track, I start with 六。But with this version, I need to bring up 3rd and 5th phrases one octave higher to avoid missing the lowest note of the song.

六　六　七、六　六　七　

六　七　１　七　六　七六　四　

３　１　３　４　３　３１　七　

六　七　１　七　六　七六　四

３　１　３　４　３　３１　七　

六　六　七、六　六　七　

三　四　七六　四　三　

Here is a video of me playing in that version.

Intermediate to Advanced Players: "Samidare" from Naruto Shippuden

I absolutely love the Naruto series and have watched all the episodes (over 1,000) as well as the movies. While I adore the characters and the storyline, my greatest passion lies in the music! My number one favorite Naruto song is "Samidare." To me, this song is perfection.

The term "Samidare" means May Rain. In Japanese, it connotes light rain that keeps falling, much like during the rainy season. With its melancholy melody, it feels almost like tears that never stop! 😭😭😭

How beautiful is that? It’s so poetic! I can’t help but get emotional every time I play this song!

Needless to say, I have uploaded numerous videos featuring this song.

This is the 8 hon choshi version, which has almost 3K views.