本文翻譯自網頁「shakuhachi tips」（1999. Dec）
http://www.kotodama.net/shakuhachi/tips.html
原作者：柿堺香
英文翻譯: Zachary Braverman
中文翻譯: 麥浪
中文校稿: 琰烺（陳佩筠）
版權所有：國際尺八研修館---柿堺香老師
基礎篇---第26篇：有關音量的想法
談到尺八，當你聆聽自己的吹奏錄音，並且自認「還可以」，要達到這個地步，需要花一段蠻長的時間。（我並非指吹奏不佳的習慣。）
請細心地聆聽，一位職業吹奏者所吹的與你所吹的，有何不同？其中一個因素是音準，此點我已經提到過許多次了。而且，即使你未能吹出為大家所喜愛的夜鶯般音色，你仍然可以擁有屬於你自己的特別音色。想想一下Louis Armstrong（註1）吧！
還有另一個重要的因素是音量。在1999年7月我的專欄中，我曾談到過古典本曲的“ma”（間歇）。但是，此處並不是說，音量的變化只有在本曲演奏中才顯得重要。
學習者經常被忠告，拿著尺八「多一點唱歌的感覺」。此點主要用意是在於善加運用音量變化和掌控。
初學者和中期學者，在吹奏微小且完整的聲音上，會有困難。他們經常用盡全力和氣息，去吹奏大又響的聲音。大聲當然是有價值的，但是只有在它們能夠有效地，將微小的聲音襯托出來時。
有關微小、纖細音符的關鍵在哪裡？那就是穩定性。一個纖細的音符若要生動，則必須要能穩定。加點少量的搖音在這些音符上是不錯的，但是如果你的搖音，它使得音準變得模糊不定，那麼這個音符實際上已變質了。
為了要在吹奏微小聲音時能維持穩定度，需要做到的是，運用腹式呼吸來掌控呼氣，另外也要擴大你口腔的空間。當你吹奏時，請想像著，你的口腔裡含著一顆乒乓球。
你還覺得自己「還可以」嗎？
註1；有關Louis Armstrong的介紹
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E8%B7%AF%E6%98%93%E6%96%AF%C2%B7%E9%98%BF%E5%A7%86%E6%96%AF%E7%89%B9%E6%9C%97
B-26.Thoughts on Volume
In shakuhachi, it takes a long time to get to the point where you listen to a recording of yourself and think “that’s so-so” (and I don’t just mean getting used to bad playing).
Listen carefully to what differentiates a professional’s playing from your own. One of these factors will be pitch, as I have mentioned numerous times. And, even though you might not have a nightingale tone color loved by everyone, you can still have a distinctive tone color all your own. Think Louis Armstrong.
One other important factor is volume. I talked about the “ma” of honkyoku in my July, 1999 column, but it is not just honkyoku in which volume variation is important.
Students are often given advice to “sing more” with the shakuhachi. This refers mainly to making better use of volume variation and control.
Beginning and intermediate players have trouble playing small, quite notes. Often they put all their energy and breath into playing big, loud notes. Loud sounds are of course valuable, but only if they help bring out the smaller notes as well.
What is crucial for small, delicate notes is stability. A delicate note must be stable if it is to live. Adding a small amount of vibrato to these notes is fine, but if that turns into a wavering, uncertain pitch, then the note is effectively dead.
To attain this stability for smaller notes, what is necessary is controlled out breaths using abdominal breathing. Also, increase the volume of space within your mouth. Imagine you have a ping-pong ball inside your mouth while you blow.
Are you “so-so” yet?
