Shakuhachi skill duly noted

When seeing a true master of any form of art at work, almost anyone who takes the time to stop, listen and watch can appreciate the artisan at the highest level.  Even the layperson who has had little exposure to the medium at hand can become entranced by the unbelievable amount of skill displayed.

After spending a few days at Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ, a forum I found recently, I asked for a "required listening" list of Shakuhachi recordings.  Who better to offer up a top-notch list than a fine group of players, teachers and masters?  Well, I didn't have to run far down the list to realize that these recordings were going to hold my attention for hours. Take the first youtube video from Chris Moran for example: this soulful and breathtaking performance by the late Yamaguchi Goro simply blew me away.

His embouchure and air control is phenomenal.  Listening to how far he can bend the pitch and how easily he moves between the registers is astounding.  This is the type of skill I would aspire to.  Having a small portion of this man's talent on the shakuhachi would satisfy most any person.  Take a listen to the recording, then head over to the post on the forum where Chris pointed out a lot of great shakuhachi recordings.