Author Archives: Lpkaster
Notes on Night Train
I often wait until the early hours of the morning to make recordings, but then there are the occasional outside sounds like this train in the night. Then sometimes there are birds and sometimes puppies, or then the slide of … Continue reading
More About End-blown Flutes
Musicians interested to play flutes with a directed airflow might find my remarks helpful today concerning end-blown flutes without those details. I insist they are much more interesting because they have more expressive possibilities. What is an end-blown flute? This … Continue reading
Earthenware Xun
What is a Xun? Xun is a very ancient musical instrument, originally of clay. Is an end-blown wood Xun, a Xun in the strictest sense? Is a clay Ocarina strictly speaking a kind of Xun? Xun is often presented as … Continue reading
Raku Chawan; Tea bowls
Tea bowls specifically for Matcha tea have many subtle characteristics that make them most suitable for the enjoyment of Tea. Over the last 60 years I have made and sold a variety of chawan and here are a few photos … Continue reading
Zheng Improvisation with Windbells
LPKaster ยท Birdsong windbells.wav This recording started with an improvisation on my Zheng, tuned to Japanese Minyo scale. Then I layered it with a live recording of the tubular windbells in the photo below. These are the windbells I have … Continue reading
Silk and Kevlar Musical Strings
https://lpkaster.etsy.com A new source of Kevlar makes it possible to add all-Kevlar strings to my store. Here are some sound files: These recordings are made on my test bench, without any soundbox or effects Closeup view of Kevlar strings This … Continue reading
How I Make Xun
Here are some photos of the process of making the ancient clay musical instrument called Xun. Rolling coils Adding coils to the base Personally, I prefer to let the surface show the slow work of my hands and fingers Firing … Continue reading
Sunflower Stalk “shakuhachi”
Last Summer I grew a little grove of sunflowers, then in the Fall I collected a few of the bigger stalks. Lately I am making flutes with an embrochure or “utaguchi” similar to the end-blown Shakuhachi flute. Recording of Sunflower … Continue reading