Themes > Arts > Music > Musical Instruments > Musical Instruments of East Asia > Shakuhachi
Click on photo for 116K WAV 116K AIFF sound file	The word 'shakuhachi' itself refers to the standard length of the instrument according to the metrical units formerly in use in Japan, i.e. one Shaku and eight (hachi) sun, or 54.5 centimeters. There are, however, several instruments both shorter and longer than this. A common feature of shakuhachi of all lengths is that they posses five fingerholes, four on top and one below. On the standard instrument, blowing with all the fingerholes closed produces the pitch D. The range of the instrument is approximately two octaves and a fourth. Although no more than a bamboo vertical flute of extremely simple structure, the very simplicity of the instrument means that variations in fingering and movements of the neck, chin, lips and tongue enable the production of subtle expressive nuances involving the use of microtones and tonal variation. Noise effects can also be produced through the application of sophisticated breathing techniques.
It is indeed astonishing that such a wide range of expressive effect can be generated by a single shakuhachi. In this sense the shakuhachi is one of the most modern of instruments.