NATC 2025 Phoenix

Just as the desert presents unique challenges that demand adaptability, the world of music offers an array of scales and modes that can expand your musical expression and improvisational ability. This workshop focuses on using different scales and modes in shinobue playing to unlock new pathways for improvisation, enhancing your musicality and flexibility.
Through a series of practical exercises, participants will explore how varying scales, from traditional Japanese modes to more contemporary approaches, can add depth and color to their playing. By learning how to navigate between these modes and improvise with confidence, players will gain the tools to thrive creatively in any musical environment, much like how life flourishes in the desert’s sparse landscape. Whether you're looking to improve your solo performance or collaborate more dynamically with ensembles, this workshop will help you harness the versatility of the shinobue and find new dimensions in your music.

Prerequisite/What to bring: Equipment:
Shinobue (Utabue, #6 preferred)
Prerequisite Ability: Playing Ryo-on and Kan-on range on shinobue. Reading fingering notation (kanji numbers for Ryo-on)

Just as the desert presents unique challenges that demand adaptability, the world of music offers an array of scales and modes that can expand your musical expression and improvisational ability. This workshop focuses on using different scales and modes in shinobue playing to unlock new pathways for improvisation, enhancing your musicality and flexibility.
Through a series of practical exercises, participants will explore how varying scales, from traditional Japanese modes to more contemporary approaches, can add depth and color to their playing. By learning how to navigate between these modes and improvise with confidence, players will gain the tools to thrive creatively in any musical environment, much like how life flourishes in the desert’s sparse landscape. Whether you're looking to improve your solo performance or collaborate more dynamically with ensembles, this workshop will help you harness the versatility of the shinobue and find new dimensions in your music.

Prerequisite/What to bring: Equipment:
Shinobue (Utabue, #6 preferred)
Prerequisite Ability: Playing Ryo-on and Kan-on range on shinobue. Reading fingering notation (kanji numbers for Ryo-on)

This workshop will help you improve your Shinobue playing by improving your tuning and creating a cleaner sound. We will use different songs to explore different techniques. We will also work on higher notes and how to play them cleaner.
Focus on the performance of the Fue and how to project when playing with Taiko drums.
We will also focus on how to improvise to taiko songs. As a sample, we will play some phrases to some of the better-known songs, such as Yatai Bayashi.

Prerequisite/What to bring: Be able to play some melodies and bring #8/ Happonjoushi Fue.
We will have some extra Fues available if you don't own one.
Bring a music stand might help and we will work from the Book Learn to Play the Shinobue by Marco Lienhard but will have copies for those who don't have the music

This workshop will consist of a combination of lectures and hands-on experiences covering the following topics:

Shinobue Overview:
- Types of Shinobue: Koten, Uta, Doremi
- Shinobue Keys: Hon Choshi

Producing Sound with Shinobue:
- Shinobue is an air reed instrument
- Creating sound without using fingers
- Posture
- Finger Position

Shinobue Range:
- Ryo On, Kan On, Dai Kan On

Three Elements for Beautiful Shinobue Tone:
- Quality of the Breath (Diaphragmatic Breathing)
- Shinobue Position on the lips
- Direction of the Breath (Embouchure)

Prerequisite/What to bring: Prior experience with the shinobue is not nessesary. Participants are kindly requested to bring their own shinobue or may opt to purchase a Suzuki plastic shinobue from me on the day of the workshop.