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The_Shakuhachi_What_is_it_The_place_to_find_out_is_that_fountain_of_knowledge_called_the_Internet
| The Shakuhachi: What is it? The place to find out is that fountain of knowledge called the Internet.
When most people used to hear a new word the most obvious
reaction was to go straight to a dictionary and find out what it
meant or what the object was. These days you could go to on-line
dictionaries, but even that is often unnecessary. Just type the
word into your Web search engine (E.g., Google) and see what
comes up. How hard is that?
Well, fortunately I know what a shakuhachi is but I don’t think
I’d be wrong to say that many of my fellow humans have no
conception of what this magical instrument is.
http://www.shakuhachi.com/TOC-MM.html is the first site that
comes up on Google and it’s quite a good example of how
extensive the knowledge of something you’ve never heard of can
be, as well as how to create a thorough website. Although
‘Shakuhachi-Traditional Japanese Bamboo Flute’ is essentially a
commercial site that hopes for visitors to buy its products,
there is access to a stockpile of historical information as well
as links to all sorts of musicians and books related to the
subject.
This Tai Hei Shakuhachi site is full of photographs of this
beautiful looking and of course sounding instrument. The reason
I am writing this article is because the moment when I heard
this instrument played by the first non-Japanese Grand Master,
it simply changed my life. His name is Ryley Lee and what I
witnessed at his concert was the most focused, peaceful and
magical display of music that I could have ever imagined. This
flute only has four holes; you should hear how many sounds could
come out of it!
On this website under a section called ‘Endorsements’ (obviously
they want some credibility when selling their instruments) a
number of master players comment on the Tai Hei shakuhachis.
Ryley Lee was on this list and what he said about their
instruments was quite incredible; these guys must really know
their stuff. A good sign that the site is worthy of mention is
the fact that they endorse other people and their products.
They’re not just one-track-minded capitalists thinking only of
their own pockets.
I was able to click onto a link for Ryley Lee where it then
listed thirty of his recordings for sale (with pictures) as well
as his PhD thesis that looks at past and present processes of
transmission within the tradition of the shakuhachi honkyoku
("original pieces"). Zen Buddhist ‘priests of nothingness’
played these songs since at least the fifteenth century who
believed that playing the shakuhachi’s music was a form of
meditation and a medium in which to attain enlightenment. Pretty
cool huh.
So, next time you hear a new word or are told about something
that is not in your field of knowledge you know where to go. If
you’re searching for good websites or you want to see some
examples of successful ones, look for extensive and creative
examples where obvious time and effort has been put into its
construction. Anyone can create a website, but do some research
and you’ll see that some people have really done their homework
as well as displaying aesthetically pleasing imagery for the
visitor.
About the author:
Jesse S. Somer M6.Net http://www.m6.net Somer is technophobe
learning about the power of the Web that is even accessible by
people like him.
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