＜p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"＞＜span＞Katalox (aka Mexican Ebony), Jiari-style tapered bore shakuhachi, 1.8 Key of D. ＜/span＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph"＞＜br＞＜/p＞＜div class="video-embed soundcloud-embed"＞＜iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fgeoffrey-ellis-flutes%2Ftakiochi%3Fsi%3D6e3899a7c83741919f35eabc64a43b28%26utm_source%3Dclipboard%26utm_medium%3Dtext%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial_sharing&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false&visual=false" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay" title="SoundCloud track" data-soundcloud-url="https://soundcloud.com/geoffrey-ellis-flutes/takiochi?si=6e3899a7c83741919f35eabc64a43b28&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing"＞＜/iframe＞＜/div＞＜p class="editor-paragraph"＞＜br＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"＞＜span＞The shakuhachi is a Japanese end blown flute that is normally made with 5 holes and tuned to the pentatonic minor scale. It originally came from China and is traditionally made of bamboo, but modern makers sometimes use plastic, metal and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke School of Zen Buddhism in the practice of suizen (blowing meditation).＜/span＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph"＞＜br＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"＞＜span＞Traditionally there are two different types of shakuhachi: ＜/span＞＜i＞＜em class="editor-italic"＞jinashi＜/em＞＜/i＞＜span＞ and ＜/span＞＜i＞＜em class="editor-italic"＞jiari. ＜/em＞＜/i＞＜b＞＜strong class="editor-bold"＞Jinashi＜/strong＞＜/b＞＜span＞ means “without paste” and in the context of these modern flutes indicates that the bore is “natural” and is not built up in the way that the jiari style are. ＜/span＞＜b＞＜strong class="editor-bold"＞Jiari＜/strong＞＜/b＞＜span＞ flutes have a bore profile that tapers down and flares out. With traditional, jiari-style bamboo instruments the makers used an urushi paste to shape the bore (hence the paste references) but when the flutes are made from wood this shape is created using special reamers to cut the bore profile. A tapered bore allows for more precise upper octave tuning (which is necessary on flutes made with thick-walled Madake bamboo) and a distinct type of voice. Jiari flutes are more often the choice when playing in ensemble settings but many players choose them for their character.＜/span＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph"＞＜br＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"＞＜span＞I spent two years researching shakuhachi making and meticulously measuring the bores of a number of high quality shakuhachi flutes. The shape of the bore creates a characteristic feel and response with the jiarii shakuhachi, and most quality instruments have very similar bore profiles. After gathering the needed data, I set about manufacturing special reamers that would allow me to replicate the classic bore shape in a wooden instrument. My goal was to make an affordable wooden shakuhachi that could match the quality of high-end bamboo instruments. Some of the better quality bamboo shakuhachi can cost thousands of dollars (sometimes tens of thousands). The reason for the cost is due to the high level of skill required to meticulously shape the bore using traditional methods and the years of experience required to do it well. This often means that for many players a high quality instrument is far out of their budget. By using wood and special reamers to recreate the bore of a high end shakuhachi, it is possible to offer an instrument with superb performance characteristics at a small fraction of the cost.＜/span＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph"＞＜br＞＜/p＞＜p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"＞＜span＞My ＜/span＞＜i＞＜em class="editor-italic"＞Wooden Jiari Shakuhachi＜/em＞＜/i＞＜span＞ also have some advantages that bamboo does not have, most notably stability. Bamboo is highly sensitive to environmental conditions and is prone to cracking. A treasured bamboo instrument can come to harm in a dry environment (for example) if it is not properly stored and cared for. My wooden instruments are specially treated to make them nearly impervious to environmental conditions. Shakuhachi come in various sizes and tunings, but at this time I’m only offering this style in the 1.8 size (key of D).＜/span＞＜/p＞