A Shakuhachi is a vertical flute which is thought to have been brought back from China in the 18th Century. It is made out of thick bamboo and has four finger-holes on the front and a thumb hole at the back (similar to a clarinet).
The Shakuhachi is an aerophone, so the overall sound is very breathy. Unlike a clarinet (as I referred to above), this piece uses no tonguing at all, but at 0:47, they use an overblown note which gives the piece an airy feel.
Comparing this to the Ney (which is also an aerophone), there are hardly any overblown notes, and the majority of the notes played are clear. The only overblown note I heard was at 0:59 which gives the piece a slight breathy feel, but not as strongly as the Shakuhachi.
Task 2: Compare this music with the Egyptian arghul. What similarities/differences are there in terms of tempo, melodic range, use of rests and texture?
The Egyptian arghul was much more upbeat than the other two. The note durations for this piece were a lot shorter than the long, sustained notes we heard in the other two pieces. The melodic range is more varied than the other pieces, but is still quite small and is an easily sing-able tune.
The rests occur after each phrase, which is similar to the Shakuhachi, but different to the Ney as the performer only rests when he needs to breathe.
On the other hand, the texture is a lot more similar to the Ney as the melodies are accompanied by another instrument. The Shakuhachi is a solo piece and has no accompaniment.
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