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Beginner shakuhachi exercises

Exercise	Description
Breathing	Blow against your hand. Focus the airstream. Remember the temperature of the air and the sensation of breathing in the following exercises.
Balance the shakuhachi	Balance the shakuhachi with the middle fingers, right-hand thumb and chin. Initially pick the note with all fingers off or only the thumb on.
Get the angle right	Keep the shakuhachi at 45 degress to the body and the head upright.
Getting a sound	Do not worry if no sound comes out. Focus on balancing the shakuhachi and breathing calmly.
Descending exercise	Oscillate between adjacent notes. Try to keep fingers quite low but at equal distance from the bamboo.
Ascencing exercise	The opposite of above and only after Ro can be played easily.
Long tones	Start with the upper tones.
Review	Practice one element at a time: Breathing against your hand. Balance the shakuhachi. Get the angle right. Get a sound or no sound! Play down and up the basic scale. Remember to focus on the process and not the result!

• Read the beginning shakuhachi tips page.
• Combine what you have learned from these exercises with the basic breathing exercises.
• Discover more about breathing and the Japanese aesthetic of space and silence here.