The shakuhachi is a very ancient Japanese and Chinese musical instrument which is shaped like a bamboo flute. The instrument was firstly presented in China, but it was soon a part of the Japanese musical culture in the 7th century. The instrument was most famous in Japan during the Edo period.
After the instrument was successfully introduced in Japan, the shakhuachi changed its forms and scales as the time went by. In the 17th century, during the Edo period, the shakuhachi’s shape changed to what can be seen today.
The instrument is usually made with the help of bamboo, but some are also constructed with hardwood. It was greatly used by monks and buddhas during meditation as a means for achieving self-realization.
As the instrument is very similar to a flute, the process of playing both the instruments is quite comparable too. Today, the shakuhachi is used in a variety of different ways. It can be used in electronica, pop, and rock as well, even if the use is quite rare in those situations.
This article will be covering a list of websites that will teach you how to play a shakuhachi. We will be giving a brief analysis on each of the website which will ultimately help you decide.
7 Websites To Learn Shakuhachi Lessons Online Review:
1) Wyzant
Wyzant is an online learning platform that believes in promoting real time one -on- one lessons. They are teaching students from all over the world. Their way of teaching these online lessons have definitely made their students satisfied from the results.
There are a huge bunch of online courses available on Wyzant, covering different topics. Every subject’s course has a different teacher who is a complete expert on the field. The teacher teaches his student in an online private class.
The only downside to opting for real time private classes is that you might need to set up a schedule which is right for both you and your teacher. If you’re okay with that, then Wyzant has some good news for you.
The website has one of the best shakuhachi online courses available on the internet. You will learn from a teacher who has had more than 20 years of experience in playing music!
2) Shakuhachi
Named after the instrument itself, Shakuhachi is a great website that offers online shakuhachi lessons. The website’s overall design and interface is pretty basic. The whole interface is made to be user-friendly for ease while navigating through the website.
The Highlight of this website is that it offers completely free shakuhachi lesson. The free online lesson come in the form of a private class from Patrick Johnson, who covers all the basics and fundamentals about playing a shakhuhachi, along with giving a brief introduction about it.
Patrick Johnson is an expert shakuhachi player who has been practicing and playing the instrument for over 25 years. Thanks to this website, you will get the chance to take a free on line private class from him, giving you the opportunity of learning from his experience.
The simple procedure for taking an online lesson from the master teacher is mentioned in the website. All you need to do is contact him via either Email or through a phone.
3) ShakuhachiYuu
Shakuhachi Yuu is a great option for learning online shakuhachi lessons. The website provides a great deal of content for learning about the shakuhachi. The whole website is based around teaching students about all the aspects of a shakuhachi.
The website offers an affordable and high quality shakuhachi lessons for both beginners and advanced players. The online lessons are recognized by professional shakuhachi players and teachers worldwide.
As the lessons are taught virtually, you can take these online lessons while remotely being anywhere in the whole world. This grants you flexibility while learning, making the process a lot easier.
There is also a whole store section, where you can buy different stuff related to a shakuhachi. All of the items are incredibly affordable. You can check out their store if you are interested.
The main shakuhachi course is taught in a private class by a professional teacher. The lessons are taught through skype while using a webcam connected to a computer or some other device.
4) FluteDojo
Flute Dojo is a fantastic website that offers online shakuhachi lessons. The websites feature a unique interface for their users. Jon Kypros, who is the owner of the website is the teacher himself, who has been practicing shakuhachi for years now. He has developed a burning passion for the instrument.
The reason of him making this website was to provide students with interactive shakuhachi lessons. He gives plenty of free shakuhachi lessons that are posted on YouTube. These online lessons are accessible to every user.
These free lessons are a great way to get started, and also learn more about jon’s teaching style. These lessons cover all the basic aspects of playing a shakuhachi, and also teach all of the essentials. He goes from teaching you how to properly hold a shakhachi to playing the instrument.
He also teaches you how to improve your skill by your own with the help of practicing. You should definitely check Flute Dojo for yourself as it is one of our top picks.
5) KikuDay
Kiku Day is a website named after its owner who is a professional shakuhachi player. She is greatly experienced on the musical instrument as she has spent more than a decade practicing the instrument. While she was born in Japan, she now lives in Denmark, and has travelled all around the world.
She teaches online shakuhachi lessons on skype, facetime, or zoom. These online lessons are taught in a private environment. This helps the student learn more from his teacher, without any distraction. The teacher can also adjust to however and whatever the student wants to learn quite easily.
Kiku Day gives you the opportunity of learning shakuhachi lessons from a complete professional. You will learn all about playing a shakuhachi. You will also be able to further improve your skill level, and become a professional shakuhachi player yourself.
Overall, Kiku Day is a great option for both beginners and advanced players as the online lessons will be taught exactly according to your skill level.
6) Shaku8Kozan
Shaku 8 Kozan is a website purely dedicated to teaching students how to play a shakuhachi and a koto. The website is available in both Japanese and English. There is a variety of content available regarding a shakuhachi in the website.
For instance, there is a whole section where the website gives you a basic introduction about the shakuhachi. This is pretty effective especially for complete beginners, as it helps them get to know more about the musical instrument.
There is a short-pre-recorded video available on the website which features the instructor teaching some of the basics about a shakuhachi. Apart from that, you will have to book a class in advance for taking online lessons.
You will need to either Email or telephone them for reserving a date and time for your online lessons. The online lessons are taught through a webcam using Skype, Facetime, Zoom etc.
7) ChikuzenStudios
Owned by Michael Chikuzen Gould, Chikuzen Studios is an online learning platform made for the sole purpose of teaching students how to play a shakuhachi. Michael is a master of playing shakuhachi, and a teacher as well.
The website gives plenty of services to its users. The best service includes giving you the chance of getting a teaching license. The shakuhachi is taught in multiple ways, including lessons through webcam, camps, and even home studios.
There’s also a store available where you can buy a bunch of DVDs, CDs, MP3s, and Learning materials for a shakuhachi. The online webcam shakuhachi lessons are 60 minutes long with a fixed price. Michael has been teaching on webcam for 15 years, which makes him an excellent teacher.
Before enrolling into the course, make sure you have access to a webcam, microphone, skype, and a PayPal account which will be used for payment. Once you start the course, you can expect to become an adept at playing the instrument.
Choosing The Best Shakuhachi Lesson Online
Learning new skills will always prove to be a very pleasant experience. These skills will help you improve your lifestyle, and will stay with you for a lifetime.
Learning something you love however, is something far greater. Whether you want to learn a shakuhachi out of pure interest, or even if its something you wanted to do for a long time, we’ve got you covered.
Here in this article, you can see a number of websites that focuses on delivering the best online courses for teaching how to play a shakuhachi. All of these websites are verified by us. All you need to do is choose any of the following websites, and start the online course!
Thanks – this is exactly the starting point that I was looking for since I am interested specifically in learning to play a shakuhachi.