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CD:‘Sound Meditation with Shakuhachi’
This CD of Shakuhachi
music is designed to be used as an aid to meditation or relaxation, and
therefore has a cyclical structure.
It begins with lighter, folk-style tunes (‘Minyo’),
taking you gradually into deeper, more meditative zen
pieces (‘Honkyoku’), returning to
lighter pieces towards the end.
It ends, as it begins, with the folk tune ‘Komoro
Bushi’, albeit played on a slightly longer
Shakuhachi, with a different timbre, to reflect the subtle changes that can
occur during meditation. The CD is designed to
be listened to in its entirety, as a complete meditation. You may prefer to listen on
headphones, which will minimise any disturbance from outside sounds, and
enhance your overall experience.
In keeping with its meditative quality, the recording level has
deliberately been kept relatively low. It is recommended that
you find a comfortable, warm place to sit or lie down, where you will be
undisturbed for the duration of the CD (c1 hour). The price of the CD is
£10 & £1 p&p ( To purchase a copy, you can pay via Paypal
to the email address: stephaniehiller9@yahoo.co.uk Alternatively, you may send a
cheque, payable to Stephanie Hiller, to the address below: Upper Flat No.1 Olde Mill House Wells ‘Sound Meditation with Shakuhachi’ Stephanie Hiller 1. Komoro Bushi (folk tune)(1.8 Shakuhachi) This tune is called
‘Song of Komoro’. The words of the song say,
“Again this morning, I set out from Komoro. I can see the smoke rising from the
Asama volcano”. 2. The name of this piece
means ‘Girl from 3. Fukuchiyama Ondo (folk tune)(1.9 Shakuhachi) Unfortunately, I
don’t know anything about this folk tune. I was sent a recording of it by a
fellow player in 4. Sakura (folk tune)(2.2 Shakuhachi) This is probably the
most famous folk tune in 5. Murasaki Reibo (‘Honkyoku’ -
traditional Zen repertoire)(2.2 Shakuhachi) Reibo (“bell”)
is a word that appears in many zen pieces, as it
represents the famous bell of the monk Fuke, who
founded the shakuhachi-playing Fuke
sect of zen Buddhism. This version of the piece is
attributed to the famous (and somewhat notorious!) Shakuhachi player, Watazumi (1911-1992). 6. Tamuke (‘Honkyoku’ - traditional Zen repertoire)(2.6
Shakuhachi) The name of this piece
means ‘Blessing’. It is often played at funerals and is said to
aid the passing of souls from one life to the next. This piece, and the two which follow,
are played on a very long shakuhachi with a
particularly deep, haunting tone. 7. Sanya Sugagaki (‘Honkyoku’
- traditional Zen repertoire)(2.6 Shakuhachi) ‘Sanya’ means ‘3 valleys’. This particular version comes from the
Sugagaki region and it describes the life of a monk
with its ups and downs, and essential repetition. This is one of the earliest pieces I
learned with my first Shakuhachi teacher, Yoshikazu Iwamoto, and it holds a
special place in my heart. 8. Daha (‘Honkyoku’ - traditional Zen repertoire)(2.6
Shakuhachi) This piece is said to
represent the yearning call of the sea, and the rhythmic sound of waves
breaking on the shore. The
evoking of nature is an important aspect in many traditional Shakuhachi
pieces. 9. Lament (by Stephanie Hiller)(2.2
Shakuhachi) This is a simple,
folk-style piece written in 2006.
It is dedicated to Mr. James Smith (1912-2006). 10. Komoro Bushi (folk tune)(1.9 Shakuhachi) This is a repeat of
the opening folk tune “Song of Komoro’,
signalling the end of the “Sound Meditation”. ****************************************** To be added to the mailing list, please email me at enquiries@StephanieHiller.co.uk
with the subject ‘mailing list’. |
