Weekly Newsletter for Shinobue Lovers

August 11, 2024

Kick that perfectionist inside you, if you want to get good at shinobue.

Do you get frustrated when you can't get a good sound or any sound at all? Do you feel discouraged if your fingers stumble? You want to punch the wall because you've been practicing the same thing for 5 days and you still can't get it? I have some advice for you...

Allow yourself to SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a Japanese saying: Shippai wa seiko no moto.

Failure is the foundation of success.

There is another Japanese saying: Nana korobi yaoki

Seven times fall, eight times get up

Do you know what happens when you don't allow yourself to fail?

You quit.

That's ONE SURE WAY that you don't get good at shinobue, I guarantee it. 👍

So, sound bad. Look bad. But don't feel bad! Laugh away your bad sound and keep on going!!

Shinobue teaches you to be humble. You sound good one moment and you lose it all together the next. We all can use something that makes us humble!

Spend time with shinobue and build a relationship with it. Ask how it wants to be played. Let shinobue guide you because shinobue doesn't judge you. It will always be there waiting even if you suck! 🥰

There are many techniques in shinobue that take months and years to achieve, such as creating more space in the mouth for better tone. If you try it for only 3 days and don't see any improvement, and then give up, you will NEVER achieve it.

Remember to allow yourself to suck and practice expanding the space in your mouth every day, regardless of whether you think you're improving or not. Progress often happens in small increments that may not be obvious in the moment, but when you look back after 3 months, 6 months, or a year, you'll see how much your tone has changed.

That's why you can't quit even if you think you suck!!!

Don't listen to that voice of perfectionist saying "Why do you bother practice? YOu are not getting any better." "Why can't I play this? I've been practicing for xxx days and I still suck at it." "Shinobue is too hard."

Well, suck at it then!! WE ALL DO at first!

I still think I suck, but I keep on doing it because I love shinobue.

If I play thinking, "Wow, I'm a superstar. I'm so good at shinobue!", maybe that's when I should quit because who wants to hear such egotistical music?

So go ahead and SUCK at shinobue!!!!!!!!! 🎊💕

GREAT NEWS! Shinobue Wako is coming!!

Shinobue Wako offers amazing bamboo shinobues with beautiful colors and a bright, rich sound that I'm sure you'll love! I'm currently working out the details with them so that I can bring Shinobue Wako to you. Stay tuned for more updates - exciting things are coming your way!!

My Go-To brand, Shoji Shinobue is here!

I had a great meeting with Mr. Shoji when I saw him in Japan, who assured me that more Shoji shinobues would be in stock soon. Get on my Shoji shinobue notification list here!

Get on the Shoji Shinobue Notification List

Q & A:
Does the embouchure change when I switch shinobues?

Answer: Nope. The basic embouchure remains the same regardless of which shinobue hon choshi you play. However, the position of the shinobue on your lips may vary very slightly. For a smaller shinobue, you may find that you need to place it slightly higher on your lips, maybe around 1/4 mm higher.

🎊Win a free Suzuki shinobue 7 hon choshi!!!

Share my YouTube channel link on any social media platform and tell everyone how it’s helped you with your shinobue journey! (YouTube.com/@MikiShinobue)
Take a screenshot of your post and email it to miki@saitomusic.com. 📸

Once my YouTube channel reaches 2,000 subscribers, we'll pick the lucky winner.😍 We are now at 1,907!!

Shinobue Lessons with Miki (click below for more info)

Email me your Shinobue questions; I will answer them in the following newsletter! It can be about the instrument, your practice question, etc. My email address is miki@saitomusic.com

Reply to this email with your questions and thoughts!

See you next week!