My Shakuhachi Has Lots Of Spit, What To Do?

A few weeks ago a Shakuhachi student told me they have too much spit when playing and it gets in the way of their sound and ability to keep a steady tone.

Is this something you have experienced too?

I get it! I was there too, once. It is not easy to play when you have an ocean of spit filling your bamboo! And of course, we always want to sound our best at all times and having the extra condensation is no help at all.

How do we fix this?

In this short blog, I will go over some pointers that may help.

First and foremost, it’s important for you to know that this is a pretty common problem, especially when you have an extra long practice session. We are blowing hot air into the bamboo constantly, and spit gets in there and builds up. Before you know it, you look down the tube and the river is flowing.

Another possible problem is over salivation Hyper-salivation.

Shakuhachi And Spit Don’t Mix

One common reason that we over salivate is hunger. On the other hand, if you just recently brushed your teeth or just came from a meal, you might also be over salivating. If you even think about food your mouth begins to water—at least mine does, but I love food too much. Keep in mind that thirst may cause salivation as well.

Okay—solutions?

The obvious ones are easy. If you are hungry, eat. If you are thirsty, drink. It almost sounds like a Zen darhma talk now. Our body sends up signals when we are hungry and thirsty, and salivation is the beginning of the digestion process.

During practice, always have a glass of water or tea nearby. It isn’t good to have sugary or syrupy drinks while playing Shakuhachi. You really don’t want that stuff inside your instrument. #moldsucks

Another thing to keep in mind that some medications may cause either excessive dryness or over salivation in the mouth. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot that can remedy that, but I do have an anecdote that might show a light at the end of the tunnel.

A good friend of mine, Kindo, is a professional beat boxer. You may have seen us together on YouTube doing some collaborations. I asked him once about the problem of spit for beat boxers. One would think that spitting all over the place would be a concern for them. Here is what he had to say (I’m paraphrasing):

https://www.facebook.com/KindoBeatbox/photos/a.1052150641649952/1295340523997628/?type=1&theater

Actually, that was a big problem for me in the beginning. But what is really interesting is now I don’t have that problem. In fact, when I start beat boxing, my mouth starts to dry up, but not overly dry. Just a comfortable dry where I can do any technique necessary.

Kindo Beats

I noticed the same thing, over time, playing Shakuhachi. It becomes a feeling, and when the shakuhachi is on my chin and I begin to blow the note, it is like my body knows it is Shakuhachi time, and it stops producing saliva. However, I own a few flutes that smell like BBQ because they are smoked bamboo, and I have to tell you, hickory smoke is a sure way to get your mouth watering.

Finally, playing for a long period of time, especially when tonguing individual notes, will make your mouth naturally salivate more, because it is getting tired. A quick and easy solution is taking a swig of water, or simply swallowing. Also, don’t forget to swab your shakuhachi when you are done playing.

Robuki for 10, Thanks for reading.

with warmest regards,

Shawn Renzoh Head