TAIKO DRUMMING
In Japanese, taiko literally means "drum," though the term has also come to refer to the art of Japanese drumming, also known as kumi-daiko. Taiko has been a part of the Japanese culture for centuries. Centuries ago, taiko was used predominantly in the military arena. As it evolved, Japanese Buddhist and Shinto religions gradually began to take it on as a sacred instrument. Historically, it has existed in a multitude of other environments, including agrarian, theater, and the imperial court. The art of kumi-daiko, performance as an ensemble, originated post-war in Showa 26 (1951). It was created by Daihachi Oguchi, a jazz drummer who serendipitously stumbled across an old piece of taiko music. Wondering why taiko were never played together, he broke with tradition by forming a taiko drum ensemble. More recently, taiko has enjoyed not only a resurgence of interest in Japan, where there are over 4,000 taiko ensembles, but also transplantation and evolution in North America.
Inspiration: Watch, listen and Analyse
COMMON TYPES OF TAIKO DRUM
An Introduction to some Taiko terms and concepts
Introduction to Kuchi Shoga
KUCHI SHOGA
'Kucha Shoga' (spoken words) is the system of singing that Taiko students use to learn taiko drum patterns. Syllables are learnt to help memorise which part of the drum to hit, and how hard to hit it. The most common kuchi shoga are:
DON - Hard beat to the Drum Head (Centre)
DORO - Double hit (hard) on the Drum Head
TSU - Soft beat to the drum Head
TSUKU - Soft Double beat to the drum head
KA - Hard beat to the Rim
KARA - Doulbe hard beat to the rim
TAIKO ARRANGEMENTS
1) RAKU
This is a great piece for beginner taiko players and a flute (fue)
SANSA DAIKO
An Intermediate level piece