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Every flute offered through Cloud Hands Music is made to be played for a lifetime. The selection ranges from affordable natural-bore practice instruments to rare root-end ginashikan shakuhachi suited to the deepest Zen repertoire, alongside the transverse bamboo flutes heard on Peter Ross's own recordings.
Flutes Crafted by Peter Ross
Peter's instruments draw on decades of making and playing. Each flute is shaped, tuned and finished by hand, then tested by the maker before it is offered for sale. His shakuhachi are made from various bamboos — Japanese madake and black or yellow Chinese bamboo — while his transverse flutes are crafted from bamboo with exotic hardwood mouthpieces. See the full range on the flutes crafted by Peter Ross page.
Flutes by Japanese Master Craftsmen
Cloud Hands Music also makes available instruments by celebrated Japanese makers, imported directly from Japan. These have included flutes associated with the workshops of Kobayashi Ichijo, Kimura Kanzan and Tom Deaver, as well as fine pieces from Peter's own personal collection. Availability of these instruments changes as they arrive; current pieces are noted on the news page.
Choosing the Right Flute
Flutes are identified by their key and their length. A beginner studying the traditional repertoire most often starts on a 1.8 (D) shakuhachi — the standard study size — while longer flutes such as the 2.4 (A) offer a deeper, more meditative tone. The full set of sizes and their Japanese names is laid out on the flute keys and sizes page.
- Beginners — a natural-bore bamboo shakuhachi or a two-piece hardwood shakuhachi in 1.8 (D) is an excellent, forgiving starting point.
- Meditation & honkyoku — a longer ginashikan (natural-bore, no filler) flute gives the sweet, mellow tone prized for Zen playing.
- World & improvised music — the Arabian shakuhachi and the transverse bamboo flute open up scales and colours beyond the traditional repertoire.
If you are unsure which instrument suits your playing, the descriptions on the flutes page explain the character of each model. To see how the instrument has been made across the centuries, you can also explore historic shakuhachi in museum collections. When you are ready, the order page explains how to enquire and purchase.