Native American Flute and Japanese bamboo flute

　　What is that sound? I don't know why it is so nostalgic, like the wind sweeping over the plains or howling across the valleys, or like whooping of the water birds. It is also similar to the sound of Shakuhachi, Japanese bamboo flute, but deeper and softer.
　　The same sound echoed at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City. It is the Native American (NA) Flute that the native people living in Utah played.
　　This flute is vertically held, made of red cedar with 4 to 6 finger holes. Near the mouth end a special device is attached, which produces a sound more easily than shakuhachi. The NA Flute is part of the Native American culture throughout the continent, and is played on occasions of tribal ceremony, love affair, and so on.
　　Although European wind instruments are tuned on the octave scale, the NA flute, Shakuhachi and Yokobue, Japanese horizontal flute, have different scales, which create more subtle sounds. The NA flute music CD by Carlos Nakai of Navajo-Ute descent is very popular in Japan. I think that the culture of Native Americans is similar to the traditional Japanese culture in the term of coordination between man and nature. Both the NA flute and Japanese flutes might spiritually urge us back to nature. That is why the NA flute music attracts Japanese.
　　Recently the medical people have been concerned with the NA flute. The fact is that listening to its music could reduce the blood pressure and heart rate. What is more, the miraculous case was reported that a patient of traffic accident in coma surprisingly recovered reacting physically to the music coming from the boon box of the bedside. The Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD healed by listening to it. Thus in the U.S the healing power of NA flute has been appreciated.
　　Tim Crawford, the author of "Flute Magic" says, "There is no doubt in my mind regarding the ability of certain kinds of music to be significantly beneficial as a supplemental tool in the healing process, whether mental or physical, as well as helping us with the maintenance of our daily wellness."
　　A new school year starts in April, Japanese traditional musical instruments are introduced into music classes in the elementary and junior high schools in Japan. I hope the students would learn their healing power of Japanese music instruments.