Shinobue Flute: Can't Get a Good Sound? Check Your Lower Lip and Jaw Position

Konnichiwa! If you can't get a good sound, check your lower lip and jaw position VERY CAREFULLY using a mirror. I had jaw tension which caused my lower lip to go forward slightly, which kept my breath from going into utakuchi (shinobue mouth hole). But I did not know it for a long time, during which my sound was airy and forced (because I had to force it to make a sound because it was airy). Also, your upper lip should look prominent when you are playing shinobue. In this video, I have included several pictures of fantastic shinobue players' mouths so you can compare them to yours.

There are three elements you need to master to get a beautiful sound from shinobue.
1. Shinobue position
2. Direction of your breath
3. Quality of your breath
(Watch    • Shinobue Flute: 3 Elements You Need to Get...   for details)
This video first touches on the position of the shinobue, then the rest of the video focuses on the direction of your breath.

Please observe these amazing shinobue players and learn from their technique!
Shinobue players in photos (in the order of appearance in this video)
Mr. Yasukazu Kano    • 佐渡おけさ〜砂山　 篠笛：狩野泰一／Sado Okesa ~ Sunayama  '...  
Mr. Makoto Takei    • 【鬼滅の刃 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba】和楽 紅蓮...  
Ms. Sarah Akiyoshi https://www.youtube.com/@sarah-akiyos...
Mr. Bunta Satoh (My sensei)    • 宙 SORA 　LIVE映像　　津軽の笛とフラメンコギターの世界  

I get a lot of comments and emails asking about how to get a better sound. There is no other way but to practice, practice and more practice! There is no magic advice I can give to make the beautiful tone magically appear. Everyone who has the beautiful tone has it because they practiced. But use my playlist called "Technic Builders" to help progress faster, and enjoy the journey. If you practice, you WILL get better little by little!!!

***For a free shinobue buying guide and a list of free online shinobue tutorials from Japanese shinobue masters that are easy to understand for non-Japanese speakers, please visit https://www.saitomusic.com/shinobue.***

Ready to try a shinobue? I have partnered with Suzuki, and now you can get their wonderful and affordable shinobue without paying high shipping fee from Japan and waiting for weeks to get one on ebay! (Due to outrageous international shipping costs, I can only ship them inside the USA. Sorry...) For more information, please visit:
https://www.saitomusic.com/suzuki-shi...
-If you live in Europe, you can email this company and ask for a Suzuki shinobue.
https://www.thomannmusic.com/compinfo...

For free shinobue sheet music with both western notation and Japanese fingering number notation, visit saitomusic.com/free.

🇯🇵 Born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, I play Shinobue (Japanese Bamboo Flute), Koto (6 Ft. 13 string instrument), piano, sing and compose. I speak/write both English and Japanese. My goal here is to introduce Shinobue to the world and help those interested in shinobue but having difficulty getting information, instructions, and materials outside of Japan. 🇯🇵

I post shinobue tutorials, performance videos (of anime songs, Japanese traditional music, meditation music, etc.), shinobue information, purchasing guide...anything related to shinobue!

► WEBSITE
https://www.saitomusic.com/shinobue

► SOCIAL MEDIA
• Instagram ➭   / miki.saito  
• Facebook ➭   / saitomusic  
• LinkedIn ➭ www.linkedin.com/in/saitomusic

► EMAIL
[email protected]

🇯🇵 Based in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland area), I offer fun and educational Japanese music programs to schools, Universities, cultural and diversity events, Japanese American community events, etc. Please visit saitomusic.com/Japanese for more information.🇯🇵

私は、横浜で育って、今はアメリカで 音楽をやっています。篠笛、お琴、ピアノ、歌, 作曲します。篠笛はまだまだ始めたばかりですが、佐藤ぶん太先生と狩野嘉宏先生のご指導とアドバイスをもらいながら、アメリカ、それから世界で篠笛に興味のある方々をヘルプできたらと思っています。
もしよかったら、私のウェブサイト（saitomusic.com）ご覧になってください。オンラインで歌、ピアノ、作曲のレッスンしてます！よろしくお願いします！