Flutes Crafted by Peter Ross
All of the flutes made by Peter Ross are endorsed by Hanzaboro Araki — shakuhachi player and son of Kodo Araki V. Each is shaped, tuned and finished by hand.
Natural-Bore Bamboo Shakuhachi
A great beginner's flute and an inexpensive practice instrument. The natural bore plays a little softer than a traditional tapered-bore shakuhachi, but it has a sweet, all-natural bamboo sound that many players come to love. Each flute is inlaid at the blowing edge, made from black or flame-cured bamboo, oiled inside and out, and bound for protection with five nylon bindings. Natural-bore shakuhachi are available in 2.0 (C), 2.1 (B), 2.3 (B♭) and 2.4 (A).
Ginashikan Shakuhachi
"Gi" is the plaster filler used in the modern shakuhachi; gi-nashi means "without filler," or natural bore. The ginashikan is therefore closer to the original shakuhachi that the Zen priests — the komuso — once played. Made from beautiful aged and cured root-end madake bamboo, these are long flutes with a sweet, mellow tone colour, excellent for the Zen style of playing (honkyoku). Because of the special nature of these instruments, Peter makes them only occasionally; as they become available they are listed on the news page.
Arabian Shakuhachi
Peter created a shakuhachi tuned to an Arabian makam scale. These flutes are made of the same black or flame-cured bamboo as the standard model, and a player who already knows the shakuhachi will be able to play this flute right away. Arabian shakuhachi are available in the keys of C, D and E, and hardwood versions can also be made.
Hardwood Shakuhachi from Japan
Imported from Japan, these flutes have a beautiful, rich tone colour. They are lathe-turned in the shape of bamboo, of two-piece construction, and ideal for beginners and for traditional study. They are available in 1.8 (D), the traditional size for study.
Hardwood Arabian Shakuhachi
The Arabian shakuhachi is a flute Peter created: it plays like a shakuhachi but uses an Arabian scale. The master player Yokoyama Katsuya enjoyed playing it so much at an international shakuhachi festival that he asked Peter to make a left-handed version. The hardwood model is lathe-turned from exotic hardwoods; its tapered bore produces ringing harmonic tones and good volume. It is inlaid at the blowing edge, sanded and polished to a fine finish inside and out, and of sturdy one-piece construction that is very unlikely to crack. It is available in E, with a bamboo model also offered.
Bamboo Transverse Flute
On the transverse flutes, finger-hole placement is matched to the natural shape of the hand and the octaves are precisely tuned. They are made from black or flame-cured bamboo, sanded and polished to a fine finish, oiled inside and out, and bound for protection. Their tone colour and volume are enhanced by the exotic hardwood lip plates Peter fits to them. These flutes are used on all of Peter's recordings because of their great sound, and they are equally suited to the student and the professional player.
How to Order
For a concise reference on how the shakuhachi is built and tuned, see Encyclopaedia Britannica on the shakuhachi. Pricing depends on the type and size of flute. To enquire about a specific model, key or size — or to ask about a current ginashikan or imported flute — see the order page and the flute keys and sizes reference.