Shaku Shakurina

This page reflects an ongoing attempt to build ultra-low-pitched shakuhachi. G is about the lowest pitched shak normal humans can play. Beyond that it's a matter of arm/finger length. Below G, various problems conspire to make the flute more and more unplayable. A D3 shak (one octave below the standard 1.8) is probably not possible except for players who could compete in the NBA (long arms and BIG hands).

By capping a tube (think panpipes), the frequency is halved thereby dropping the pitch one octave. Thus, capped tubes and vessel flutes (Helmholtz resonators) are low pitched. Along with this drop in pitch is the loss of higher harmonics from the sound envelope. Closed volumes resonate primarily in the fundamental harmonics. However, shape of the volume does play a role in harmonic generation and somewhere between a capped tube and a sphere may lie a region where there are enough harmonics to play a second octave. This would be a ultra-low-pitched shakuhachi with a weak second octave or an ocarina which has second octave capabilities--a Shakurina.

Ocarina fundamentals:

The frequency of a standard ocarina (Helmholtz resonator) is governed largely by it's volume. The size of the Voice Opening contributes to the extend that sizing the voice opening can facilitate tuning of the fundamental and setting the timbre.