Shakuhachi breathing exercises

Breathing is the essence of shakuhachi playing. We need to explore breathing like a beginner player every time we play. It can be difficult to put breathing technique into words or even show to another person. It is all about internal movements and what is going on inside our heads. Our body and mind play tricks with us. Our breathing stamina loses momentum and we convince ourselves it is the same! We run out of air but actually we have too much!

The following exercises are from a collection of my posts to the shakuhachi forum but elaborated a bit. They are based on methodologies from my flute teaching days and have worked well with shakuhachi pupils. Their aim is to increase our awareness of breathing.

Firstly, do most of these exercises away from the shakuhachi. The key is to experience breathing in a new way and then recreate this next time we play. I know your family or friends will look at you strangely but believe me it is worth it!

If you feel any tension in the chest or are slightly dizzy when playing shakuhachi, I recommend this exercise. In my experience, pupils don’t feel tension or dizziness when doing this exercise. You can pace yourself and are not worried about getting a good tone.

Exercise 1

Blow against the palm of your hand as if blowing ro-buki. Be aware of the following:

Exercise 2

Then explore your breathing doing the following:

Be aware of how your body feels. Do you feel the muscles working in your lower stomach? Do you feel your lips buzzing? Do you lose your posture near the end? Make a count in your head. Only blow for as long as you are comfortable.

Exercise 3

Then try the same experiments with the shakuhchi held in front but not yet touching your chin. Don’t try to get a tone. Enjoy the muraiki!

Exercise 4

Try to recreate the same sensation of blowing with the shakuhachi in playing position for a few ro buki. Don't worry if there is no tone. It is the process that is important, not the result! Try not to change back to how you usually blow. Create a focused stream of air throughout the note. Switch off your ears! Focus on the sensation of breathing you had with no shakuhachi. Again, count how long you can blow. If it is shorter than without the shakuhachi, go back to blowing against the hand.

These exercises will bring huge improvements in your shakuhachi playing. Try exercises 1 and 2 as often as possible, for example when waiting for the kettle to boil or while standing at a bus stop!