Researchers 3D Print a Custom Guide to Help Beginners Play the Shakuhachi Flute

One day in my elementary school music class, our teacher brought in all kinds of instruments for us to try, to see if there was one we’d be inspired to learn. I remember trying a violin, a cello, a tuba, the flute…and when it came to the wind instruments, and I could barely squeak out a sound. I didn’t know how to use my breath or position my lips, and all I managed was one quack from a trumpet. I didn’t end up playing any instruments in the school band. Maybe, if I had a device like the one just developed by Institute of Science Tokyo, I wouldn’t have been so discouraged!

Researchers at Science Tokyo have digitally fabricated a device that recreates the spatial relationship between a musician’s lips and an air-reed instrument. Essentially, it’s a small guide that sits between your chin and the instrument to make sure everything is positioned correctly. The broader goal of the study was to find out whether a prosthodontic digital guide workflow could work for applications beyond conventional intraoral ones. As a proof of concept, the team designed a device specifically for the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese end-blown flute.

The shakuhachi is made from bamboo. (Photo Credit: Gen)

The shakuhachi is tricky for beginners, who must learn to coordinate the shape of their lips, the angle of their breath, and the position of the instrument to produce the right sound. This spatial relationship is hard to demonstrate, so new players traditionally rely on plenty of observation, instruction, and practice. According to the study, the lack of visual and tactile positional references can make it harder to judge the correct embouchure and slow down learning, so the researchers set out to design a device that could help.