Make a PVC Shakuhachi - Ken LaCosse

If you use a 3/8“ forstner bit to drill the holes, then enlarge to about 11mm, the tuning should be spot on. However, a lot depends on the degree of undercutting. If you’d like to fine tune the flute while drilling and undercutting, it’s very important to think holistically rather than fine tune the holes one at a time. This common tuning error is explained below. A common tuning error found on shakuhachi is a flute which plays progressively flatter when descending the scale. In other words, in otsu, if (I) is considered on pitch, (RI) might play 2 cents flatter than it should be, (CHI), 4 cents flatter than it should be, (RE), 6 cents flat, (TSU), 8 cents flat and (RO),10 cents flat. One cause of this tuning error is drilling and tuning holes one at a time. For example, lets say a 1.8 without holes plays (RO) directly on D. Then, the first hole is drilled (closest to the root) and tuned exactly on F. Then the second hole is drilled and tuned exactly on G. And so on. This me