Shakuhachi Sheet Music

Public Domain

Here are some (old) public domain pieces that I've notated on western staffs with shakuhachi fingerings added. I've transposed the music from its original key in some cases for better fingering. This notation was laid out using LilyPond and a simple Kinko-ish font for the fingering.

My primary practice is honkyoku but sometimes it's fun to see how non-traditional music sounds on a shakuhachi. If I apply this treatment to any other public domain pieces, I'll share them here.

  • Ave Maria. F major. Melody, dynamics, and shakuhachi 1.8 fingering. I'm not pleased with how I laid this out, but it's functional. The fingering is messy and there are redundant register indicators. I'm not sure this is a good piece for shakuhachi, but since it can sound great with voice or trumpet, here it is. Please note that this is Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, not Ave Maria by Franz Shubert. Revision 2006-11-20. PDFs: Letter & A4. LilyPond: source.
  • It Came Upon The Midnight Clear. Christmas carol. B-flat major. Melody, chords, lyrics, and shakuhachi 1.8 fingering. Revision 2006-12-16. PDFs: Letter & A4. LilyPond: source.
  • What Child Is This?. Christmas carol. B-flat major. Melody, chords, lyrics, and shakuhachi 1.8 fingering. Revision 2006-12-21. PDFs: Letter & A4. LilyPond: source.

Original

Original compositions coming. But don't expect much!