The Miyako-Bushi Scale - Native American Flute

[@christopherdo1049]

I keep coming back to this FluteCast. Simply beautiful!

[@calvinchong8740]

Ah - thanks for this. I didn’t know you could play miyako bushi on the NAF! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@kyreshlcsw2229]

Where I work, native music is a big deal and it makes the people I work with feel acknowledged and significant. One kid who had six serious charges said that flute I played was important. Anything important to this kid is a miracle. Yes he was native. The hand that plays the flute is loved, the music is a gift and you are one of men who make this gift possible, you are significant. If you Bearhead sisters or roundance song, lincoln wanna, you may see the sweetness and vulnerability. Thanks.

[@BDWoodruffmusic]

Love this scale. Thanks again for all the vids.

[@rlowle1228]

Again just when im running out of stuff to learn and getting bored you come up with a lesson that peaks my intrest and gets me back on track. I will introduce this lesson to my flute group at our next gathering THANKS

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks for that! Have fun at your flute circle ... and tell us how it works out (clint at goss dot com - for direct email)

[@Quantum_Superposition.]

OMG. So nice.

[@ShirtlessMenNetwork]

I kept thinking one can resolve on the second-to-lowest note in that scale, but I do like the idea of leaving it unresolved. Either way, it's an even more melancholy scale than the minor scale of the flute. Thanks for this video. I look forward to giving it a try once my new one comes in (I gave my previous one away as a gift).

[@magickzman]

I love this!

[@Watchpocket]

At one point in my endless NAF meanderings, I started trying to find a way to emulate the sounds of a Japanese Shakuhachi on my NAF. Come to find out, everything I was playing was within this scale that I didn't know existed until now. I'm happy that my ear was leading me in the right direction. Thank you for the video!

[@kyreshlcsw2229]

Thank you so much my wife and I were wishing for this scale. Also my native finger (we don't say Indian any more) who is no longer called the unloved or the outcast finger is happy. My native finger is proud as it the one who makes this entire enterprise possible. I am in Tucson, Carlos Nakai says he is proud too of all of his fingers. "I love both hands" Seriously We love you and are grateful for these flute casts.

[@5ammo]

Love your videos! Thank you so much for taking the time to make them and teach us!! You're the best on here. I've only had my flute for a week. Loving it. I will definitely make a donation to you sometime soon! Cheers

[@samirdayalsingh0]

This is so beautiful. Thanks so much for making the video.

[@AwareLife]

Damn that was good. Great playing. I've sort of fallen in love with this scale. It's so exotic and expressive. I'm chasing it on the paino but love to get one of these flutes.

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks Rod!

[@orirune3079]

The paino, huh? Sounds like it hurts :D

[@allenwolfkill2781]

I am so impressed with your skill and excited that I serendipitously came across this video.

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks Allen ... Hope you can put this scale to use ...

[@allenwolfkill2781]

@@ClintGoss Yes, most definitely, thank you!

[@inesbernardes8321]

Incredible! I love this scale! Thank you for sharing this!

[@shonnyno]

May be that I found the same scale played by Mr. Psimadas (Greece), from up to down tones: [Bb]-Gb-F-Eb-Cb-Bb, very similar to our Eb minor.

[@ClintGoss]

Yep ... same intervals!

[@SamChaneyProductions]

I appreciate this video and as a student of Japanese folk music, particularly shakuhachi (bamboo flute), I have some information to add. First and most importantly, that high tension note as you call it (it would be an E natural in this case) is called tsu meri (ツメ) in shakuhachi music, and when using this scale you normally would not skip over it in the low octave as you do here, and it makes it sound much less authentic. I realize that it might be very difficult to play it on a native American flute in the low octave (its actually pretty difficult to play on the shakuhachi too!), but perhaps there is a way to play it by partially closing the lowest hole which is how you do it on the shakuhachi. Secondly, this note and the other half-step note (would be the B natural here) called ri meri (リメ) are usually much softer and darker in tone than the other notes. This is mostly because to play them on the shakuhachi you have to use partially covered holes and its not possible to get a bright loud tone out of them, and that is embraced in shakuhachi music. So you could probably increase the authenticity of the sound by playing these notes on the native American flute more softly. Lastly (and this isn't as important), this scale is also called In, and sometimes people refer to it as hirajoshi, though that term is actually used to refer to the tuning of the koto, not the scale.

[@ClintGoss]

Hello Sam - I am a bit confused ... the note I have calling high tension is Do2#, which I think is go no hi chu meri (ゴ ノ ヒ チュ メリ)? Do# in the low register often sounds *really* unpleasant on Native American flutes, partly because of the lack of embouchure control on an instrument where the first jump is a minor third, partly because of the straight bore, and probably other factors. Also, my flute has an E3 fundamental, so the tension note is E#4 or F4. I am using the name Miyako Bushi since Hirajoshi is, in various references, called by many rotations of the 5 notes of Hirajoshi. This set of intervals I am using (1-4-2-1-4) was identified as Miyako-Bushi based on en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_scale, which cites Titon, Jeff Todd (1996). Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples, p.373. ISBN 0-02-872612-X. Identified as Kumoijōshi by [Malm 2001]=Traditional Japanese Music & Musical Instruments, page 205, figure 25 and the "In scale" on page 160, fig 21 of [Malm 2001].

[@SamChaneyProductions]

@@ClintGoss As a clarification I write meri as just メ instead of メリ because that's how its usually notated for shakuhachi. It looks like you are using Rechberger's Scales From Around The World as a reference for the shakuhachi note names. While there is a lot of great info in that book, the section on Shakuhachi on p205 is a little confusing and I don't think its the best way to think about it really. He is using solfege to describe shakuhachi but defining "Ro o meri" to be Do, but the real root note of the shakuhachi is Ro. As a side note, its usually called dai meri (大メ) not o meri. The natural scale of the shakuhachi (Min'yo) is minor pentatonic so I think its best to think about Do as being Ro, then Tsu would be Me (flattened Mi). Calling Tsu meri Do# is strange because its the flattened second note in the scale, not a sharpened first note. The normal hole notes of the shakuhachi converted to solfege this way would be: Ro Tsu Re Chi Ri Ro (ロ　ツ　レ　チ　リ　ロ) = Do Me Fa Sol Le Do. I would suggest finding books specifically on the shakuhachi. Below is a fingering and notation chart that does a pretty good job: shakuhachi.wdfiles.com/local--files/fingering/shak_fingering.jpg As another clarification, I'm using relative note names, not absolute. Your flute sounds like its tuned close to Eb so I'm calling that note Ro for you even though Ro is usually D on most shakuhachi. ゴノヒ is a sharpened version of ヒ (same note as リ in the first octave) in the second octave. Chu meri (small flat, usually written as 中メ ) would flatten that down back to ヒ or at least close to it. The note you call the high tension note, with all holes but the top one covered on your flute would be called Tsu meri on shakuhachi. For completeness, this scale (Miyako Bushi) on Shakuhachi is written as: Ro, Tsu meri, Re, Ri meri, Ro (ロ　ツメ　レ　リメ　ロ) Alcivin Ramos has a good video on these scales: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZWbdnaufM-kjcU I see how the lack of embouchure control (since it has a fipple) might make getting an accurate shakuhachi sound difficult, since the pitch bends and vibrato on shakuhachi are done by changing the angle of the mouth to the blowing edge. Interestingly, the first jump on shakuhachi is also a minor 3rd which is why playing Tsu meri is so hard, since you're basically bending down a whole step. It is strange that most of the music made for shakuhachi is written in Miyako Bushi even though the actual holes on the instrument don't match it and naturally form Min'yo, but that's part of what makes its history so interesting. Thanks for the videos, I've been interested in learning to play Native American Flute.

[@professor62]

Awesome video, as usual. Such an exotic, beautiful scale. Thanks, Clint!

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks Russ!

[@usahinu]

Hi there thanks for posting another awesome vid, you're inspiring I was wondering if you can also cover the hirajoshi scale for NAF key of F#

[@randymotz134]

Love it! Thanks, Clint. May you and Vera have a joyous holiday season!

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks Randy ... **Wonderful** show you did at Flute Haven ... people *loved* it!

[@randymotz134]

Thanks. I appreciated to chance to perform and glad everyone loved it.

[@platypusponderings1378]

Very helpful. Thanks and God Bless!

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks!!

[@didiermermet-projetevolution]

Thx you for this video. Nice scale .... great melody 👍

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks!!

[@orirune3079]

I play a Stellar Flute and had to make one couple tuning adjustment, which I'm putting here in case anyone else is getting the same things as me: Note 4: add 6th finger All the others worked!

[@ScooterAKalldayy]

Dude you’re a genius. I love you

[@Cj12sings]

Gorgeous !!!! just gorgeous....thanks for all your efforts ..I so have to get to one of your flute seminars....one day !!!!!

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks so much ... Flute On!

[@johnjochecketts5073]

Really use full once more Clint - it is a lovely scale and very motivational!

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks John ... And gives a totally different feel ...

[@sleepingturtle8888]

Hey Clint, great videos, can you make some videos on the Rim Blown Flutes (Pueblo, Anasazi, Mojave and Hopi)?

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks Isaiah! ... Rim blown is not really my forte ... I leave that to the truly dedicated ...

[@sleepingturtle8888]

No problem. I just began playing the Anasazi Flute, while it is difficult, I do like the sound of it. I purchased Scott August's "Kokopelli Flute" Book. It has helped me get better results so far.

[@ClintGoss]

Keep at it, Isaiah!

[@GrootsieTheDog]

This Japanese scale is beautiful and has a haunting, floating quality - love it. But...it’s difficult to get that classic shakuhachi quality because of the inability to get a strong semi tone above the lowest tone. Some flutes can get there with a half closed hole but I’m not a fan of the half closed hole for technical and practical purposes. Still, there are some work around to get that classic Cherry Blossom scale on the flute.

[@ClintGoss]

I would look into (what I call) "Lifted scales" rather than (what I call) "Grounded scales". We mostly play so that the root of our scale is at the fundamental / all holes closed - a Grounded scale. Move the root up from

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Clint Goss thanks Clint! I’ll play around with these fingerings/scales.

[@ClintGoss]

Love to hear the results!

[@MoechtegernPimP]

@@ClintGoss thats an awesome tip! thank you very much

[@davidsandomirsky1196]

Very nice! Many thanks! Will be indian bansuri scales? :)

[@ClintGoss]

Native flutes are tuned quite differently from Bansuri flutes ... a lot of shared techniques, but they diverge when it comes to scales ...

[@heikoweise9679]

hello! how ist the maker of this beatyful flute? thank you

[@ClintGoss]

The flute is by Barry Higgins of White Crow Flutes.

[@jeffvanlaningham8855]

My flute is made of Rosewood, a hardwood , in the key of E. It is very tempermental, hard to finger the holes and hit the fundamental, it can squeak and squak alot. any suggestions?

[@ClintGoss]

Is the bottom of bird level with the nest? Are there any cracks in the body? Other than that, it might need the assistance of an experienced flute maker ...

[@jeffvanlaningham8855]

Absolutely beautiful. What Key is your flute in?

[@ClintGoss]

That's an E Minor

[@jeffvanlaningham8855]

@@ClintGoss really enjoy your tutorials...thank you!

[@KwanKrauss]

Thank you so much, I’ve been playing this scale all day. May I ask who’s the maker of the Flute you’re playing with and what key is it?

[@ClintGoss]

Ali Hamad ... thank you for your kind words!! The Flute is by Barry Higgins of White Crow Flutes ...

[@KwanKrauss]

Clint Goss thank you

[@kyreshlcsw2229]

What if you called the native finger, once known as the unloved finger the noble finger, because like Atlas it hold up the who thing?

[@ClintGoss]

The noble finger ... interesting!

[@DeeBroughton]

Would be helpful to know the scale intervals, or notes, so it can be found on other flutes. La-Re-Mi-Fa-La-Li?

[@RizalBudiLeksono]

Yes

[@ScooterAKalldayy]

Can I play this in g minor? It doesn’t sound right

[@ClintGoss]

Should work in any key ...

[@rohansingh8997]

How can get to buy a flute

[@samirdayalsingh0]

I have a stellar flute in the scale of A. But apparently, the note with just the third hole from top, doesnt quite play the sound it's supposed to. Am I doing something wrong ?

[@ClintGoss]

I vaguely recall that Stellar flutes do have a different fingering … not all flutes have exactly the same fingering - something of the charm of these instruments. Sorry - should have mentioned it!

[@RomanCoop]

Hi! Where can one purchase this flute? I live in Canada, and I was trying to find ways to buy an indigenous flute here, but didn't find anything where I could be sure that this would be the right instrument

[@usahinu]

Can you also let me know if the last note works on f#

[@midodon4294]

So what notes are in the scsle?

[@kyreshlcsw2229]

take a look at, Bearhead Sister Roundy, on youtube, Its very sweet.

[@didiermermet-projetevolution]

A little video with this scale : kzbin.info/www/bejne/m57Ho3iep7CDldU

[@ClintGoss]

Cool!

[@sjeter61]

what key is this flute please

[@ClintGoss]

E Minor!

[@sjeter61]

@@ClintGoss Thank you! Your videos are very helpful.

[@ClintGoss]

Thanks Steve!

[@leonardoakaloward7643]

real trap scale

[@kyreshlcsw2229]

Tell those beardhead sisters that the finger that makes their music possible is unloved.

[@brandoninu7140]

sounds like phrygian but ok