How to play 7 meri with shinobue flute
As a shinobue player, you might feel a little hesitant when you see the symbol "メ" next to a finger number. It means you only need to cover half of the hole, and let me tell you, it can be tricky! Playing beautifully and staying in pitch while doing this is harder than it looks. But don’t worry! The notes 7メ (or 七メ for ryo on) are pretty common, so you’ll definitely come across them as you play. I’m here to share some helpful tips to make playing them as easy and enjoyable as possible!
Many attempt to cover the hole halfway by placing their finger at its midpoint like this.
Picture #1: What most beginners do to play 7メ
However, successfully achieving the 7メ technique involves covering only half of the hole while maintaining the regular finger position as much as possible. How can this be accomplished?? Here is how.
Position your left index finger as if you are playing 6.
Picture #2: The hole is completely closed.
2. To cover the shaded area of the hole in the diagram below, apply pressure to the utakuchi (mouth hole) side of your finger. This action is more like tilting your finger. Simultaneously, slightly lift the tip of your index finger.
From above, the finger looks like it's covering the hole completely, although I am indeed doing 7メ in the picture below.
Picture #3: 7メ seen from above left
But from the angle below, you can clearly see that my finger only covers half of the hole, as the tip of my index finger is slightly lifted. Also, I am putting more weight on the utakuchi side of my finger.
Picture #4: 7メ seen from the side front
This way, your index finger position pretty much remains the same. You are just tilting the finger to the utakuchi direction and slightly straightening your fingertip. Since you are not moving the finger position much at all, you can quickly play 7メ and play another note right before or after. Compared to the picture #1 method, this is far more efficient.
What if I need to play 七メ right after kan on 1?
This question came from our fellow viewer, Toothless, who was learning "We Three Kings" from my new ebook Shinobue Songbook for the Holidays. (Also, be sure to read about the Shinobue giveaway sponsored by Toothless in this newsletter!)
In the song, you must play: 1 - 七メ - 六.
For most shinobues, 1 (kan on 1) sounds better when played with the left index finger lifted up (not covering the hole). That means you need to quickly bring down the index finger and cover half of the hole to play 七メ. Since you can't see where the hole is, it's very hard to land on the hole covering only half of it.
So this is how I do it.
I land on the hole as if to cover the hole completely (like I'm playing 6), and very quickly feel the hole to see where the hole is. This is a split second thing since you cannot sound 6.
Immediately or almost simultaneously, do the "Tilt" thing I talked about above.
As I tilt, I listen to the pitch and adjust the tilt.
This takes practice, but you can get pretty consistent with this!
So practice メ this holiday season and...
"Have a very Meri Christmas!!!!!!"
(Thank you, Syafiq, for providing this new holiday greeting! 😂🎄🎁)