Folksong Shakuhachi

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Shakuhachi (Pronounced “Shah-koo-hah-chee”) is a Japanese bamboo flute that is held vertically.

 
The Shakuhachi is named after it's length: one shaku 
(an old unit of Japanese measurement just shy of a foot) 
and eight tenths of said unit, hachi is the Japanese word for eight.

During the Edo Period (1603–1868), it was a very popular
instrument. It wasn't unusual to see Komuso 
(shown in the picture to the right) playing on the streets meditating and asking for alms.

 
Because the shakuhachi can play any note within it's range, there are many scales to which it can be played. Represented by these chimes is the slightly more modern Gaikyoku Insenpo scale, a minor pentatonic scale most commonly played in small ensambles featuring the
shakuhachi along with the shamisen and koto.



Again, thank you for taking interest in my chimes !