Shakuhachi (experimental)

If you loved the Picard flute then you might like my experimental build of a Shakuhachi. A Shakuhachi is a Japanese traditional flute. 

From Wikipedia:

This style of shakuhachi is longer and thicker than the older shakuhachi, and its volume, range, scale, and tone are superior to those of the older shakuhachi. It is made from the base of the bamboo, and the average length is 54.5 cm (21.5 in), which corresponds to 1 shaku 8 sun; the outside diameter is 4 cm (1.6 in), and there are 5 finger holes – 4 at the front, 1 at the back.

This project is still in design and there are lots of refinements to go but I thought I would share with you all the build so far and provide the models if you wanted to play with the design. I am running a print of this latest rev now and will upload photos and videos as soon as its done tomorrow to share on the progress.

I was inspired by the beautiful AireedX built by an incredible instrument maker in Japan. Also inspired by other traditional bamboo versions of the instrument I wanted to have the cool factor of the AireedX and the potential feel of bamboo. I also found some other measurements and diagrams that I used as note and hole placements.

This has been a bit of a passion project for me as I love thinking about traditional instruments and how they can be apart of our daily lives. I also like meditation and this flute is one thats also used in meditation practice. 

Please enjoy and feel free to share your own designs/re-designs so we can all enjoy this wonderful instrument together.