rssTamuke playing tips
Tamuke means 'hands folded in prayer'. For me, this always conjure up images of the reverence Japanese people show for their ancestors when praying. This honkyoku has both calm acceptance of the impermanence of life and grief for those near ones who have left us. When I play Tamuke, I try purposely not to show emotion. This somehow results in a more emotional performance. I have picked out some common themes and outline when they occur.
There is variation in how a phrase ends. Many phrases die away into nothingness. Others have a light but sudden end. I have illustrated the latter in the score by placing a '-' immediately after the final tone. An example is page 1, line 3 which has a sudden phrase followed by one that dies away.
There are a number of repeated notes accompanied by furi or a dip and lift of the head. When I play these, I try to create an echo effect. These occur in page 1, line 5 and page 2, lines 1, 5 and 9.
The general flow of the melody is smooth and predictable. However, I like to create a sense of unease like sudden grief when playing the notes hi in page 1, line 3 when san no u occurs.
There is a fairly steady pulse for most of Tamuke. However, a few phrases remind me of the jo-ha-kyu rhythm where there is a gradual speeding up and then sudden stop. These occur on page 1, line 7 and page 2, lines 3 and 7.
Enjoy the contrast in tone between enharmonic notes (same pitch, different fingering) such as go no hi and ro kan and the second pair ri-meri and san no u.
Take enough breath for two phrases when they are both short but still enjoy the moment of silence. Examples include the middle two phrases of the first line and the second last line.