July 20, 2010
Become a Taiko Drummer
This is not your typical music lesson. You won’t count out beats with “ta ta ti ti ta”, but you will translate phrases like “Don Do-Ro Do-Ro Don” and “Don Don Zu-Ku Don Don Zu-Ku” into a series of beats and movements.
Women dressed in kimonos perform the tradition Hachijojima taiko in Hachijo-jima, Japan.
Taiko’s origin is in debate, but most scholars agree that the style was developed between 1,600-2,000 years ago. Traditionally, taiko was performed during wars and Buddhist ceremonies, but today’s taiko has a modern twist, often including contemporary influences like jazz, rock and hip hop into their performances. This transition began after World War II in no small part to jazz drummer, Oguchi Daihachi.American-based taiko group, TAIKO PROJECT exemplifies how these influences harmoniously blend together:
To learn this fusion of rhythm and dance, there are four fundamentals to practice: grip, stance, strike, rhythm. Below is a brief introduction to the art of taiko.
1. Grip – With the bachi (stick) laying on the ground, How you hold your bachi is very important. Your grip needs to be loose enough that the bachi can move, but firm enough that you don’t drop it. To get the right grip, lay your bachi on the ground in front of you, then pick them up again with your fingers together and your first finger and thumb forming a V. Grasp the bachi at about a quarter of the way up. Wrap your fingers around the bachi and push your first finger a little higher up the stick – this helps with your control. Always make sure the V is on top. When you strike you should be able to hear the bachi hitting against your palm; don’t make a fist.
2. Stance – Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your knees should be bent, to allow you to move about as you play. Keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed and down – remember that they shouldn’t rise when you strike. Your arms should follow a gentle curve with your bachi ending up resting above the centre of the drum. One analogy is holding a basket of rice. Finally, stand with a comfortable distance between you and the drum, not too much of a stretch and not too cramped. You should be just able to reach the middle.
3. Strike – The tip of your bachi should roughly describe a circle, or an inverted teardrop, the narrow end being at the drumskin and the round end being the apex of your strike. Your elbow should not go backwards and forwards at all, only up and down, with the circular movement coming only from your forearm.
As with many things, it’s all in the wrist. Keep it loose as your bachi comes down, then tighten it quickly as you hit the drum. To use another analogy, it’s like gently flicking paint off a paintbrush. Most of the energy used in striking the drum is in the form of lifting the bachi and the final flick at the end. Don’t force the bachi down – let gravity do the work. You can then use the bounce off the drum to get the bachi back up for the next strike. By keeping this in mind, you use less energy and can drum for longer without getting too tired. The final point to remember is don’t leave the tip of your bachi on the drumskin after you hit. This deadens the sound, and then what’s the point of playing great big drums?
4. Basic rhythms – There are three basic rhythms that I’ll mention here: san doko, doko doko and don ko. These words are kuchi-showa, a phonetic system used to describe the sound made by the drum.
San doko – This is the rhythm most commonly played on shime, a small drum used to count time. San is a crotchet beat, or quarter beat, and doko is two quavers, or eighth beats. In other words, there are two doko beats for one san beat. It is played as right right-left.
Doko doko – Two quaver or eighth notes, played in progression.
Don ko – A “swung” beat. The don is given heavier weighting than the ko. This is used for songs with a jazzier feel.
Now that you have the basics, start planning your taiko lesson!
Photo credits: Women playing taiko
Taiko how to’s from Wikihow
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