• • Bachi Tricks

    • Bachi twirls and tosses are a great way to add flare to your solos

    • Refer to the video to the right for tips on different types of bachi twirls

Song: Matsuri Arrangement for Recital

• Oroshi

  • Right and left alternating

  • Start slow and big strikes (Don Kon), and increase speed as strikes become smaller (Doko Doko)

• Ji 4x

• Melody twice

• Solos 1-3

• Melody once

• Solos 4-5

• Melody twice + Ka!

• • Form Reminders

    • When raising your arms in preparation for big hits, remember to keep your palms facing each other

    • Lead with your elbows pointing at the taiko

    • Arms and bachi should follow parallel lines

    • Wrist snaps as hand approaches taiko to strike the taiko's surface

Song: Matsuri Arrangement for Recital

• Oroshi

  • Right and left alternating

  • Start slow and big strikes (Don Kon), and increase speed as strikes become smaller (Doko Doko)

• Melody twice

• Solos

• Melody once

Composing Solos

• Play what you know!

• Keep it simple

• Repetition is a great way to build a solo

• Changing the dynamics of a rhythm (e.g. alternating playing loud then soft, or adding movement) can add more variety to your solo

• Some sample vocabulary

  • Don Kon Don Kon Doko Su Doko

  • Don tsu Kon tsu Don Kon

  • Don Doko Don Kon Don Hup!

Song: Matsuri 

• Practice playing the melody over the ji using the video

• Use this video to also practice your solo

• Level up- Increase the playback speed to practice playing at a faster speed

• Extra practice- Practice playing the ji with the melody video from Week 3 and 4

Naname Fundamentals

• When preparing to strike with your left, remember to extend across the front of your torso at or under your chin

• Keep your left palm facing down as you extend and as you strike the taiko

• Feel free to experiment with movement in between strikes

  • Refer to performance video posted in previous weeks for examples

Song: Renshu

• Line 4: Don Doko Don Doko Don Doko Don Kon (2x)

• Line 5: Hup! Don Hup! Kon Hup! Don Kon Sore! (2x)

Song: Matsuri Lines 4-5

• Kuchishoga

  • Doro Ka Ka Don Kon Kara Ka Ka

  • Doro Kara Don Kon Don Kara Ka Ka

• Practice singing the melody while playing the ji

  • Level up: Play melody along with the performance video

• Refer to Kuchishoga document under the videos

  • Includes an 8 count above the kuchishoga for reference if that helps you keep count

Naname Fundamentals

• When striking the taiko rim for Ka's, aim to use 1-2 inches at the end of your bachi

• You should be positioned so when you extend your arms, the tips of your bachi will reach the top edge of the taiko

Phrases for Opening and Closing Practice

• Yoroshiku onegaishmasu- Please bear with me

• Domo arigato gozaimasu- Thank you very much

Song: Renshu

• Line 3: Doro Tsuku Doro Tsuku Doro Tsuku Don Kon

• Keep bachi down when playing Doro so you can easily play tsuku by simply lifting your bachi

Song: Matsuri Lines 1-3

• Kuchishoga

  • Don Kon Don Kara Ka Ka

  • Don Don Hup! Kon Don Kara Ka Ka

  • Su Don Kon Don Kara Ka Ka

• Practice singing the melody while playing the ji

Naname Fundamentals

• Stance

  • Remember to sit in your spine and into your hara

  • Imagine sitting at the edge of a stool

• Stroke

  • Keep a loose grip

  • Use your ring and pinkie fingers to control the bachi

  • Thumb, pointer, and middle fingers should also be loosely wrapped around bachi

• Lead with your elbow

• Use your hara to power your stroke, use the momentum to pull your bachi towards the taiko

• Refer to Yuta Kato's video at bottom of this page for an example of form as well as a naname drill

Song: Renshu

• Line 2: Don Kon Don Kon Doro Tsuku Don Kon

• Doro- loud right left, keep bachi down

• Tsuku- Very soft hits. Lift your right wrist, then left. Bachi will naturally bend and tap the taiko

Song: Matsuri

• Ji (basebeat) is played to help keep time and also to add another layer to a song

• Kuchishoga

  • Don Doko Don Kon

• Refer to performance video to hear how melody fits with ji

• Try practicing the ji with the video

Naname Fundamentals

• Stance

  • Wide, relaxed stance with toes facing forward

  • Hara (your center or hips) face the taiko and at the level of the top of the taiko

  • Knees are slightly bent, not locked

• Stroke

  • Keep a loose grip

  • Palms face each other

  • Grip only tightens when bachi bounces back after striking drum and then relaxes

• Lead with your elbow

• Keep shoulders relaxed and level

• Use your hara to power your stroke, use the momentum to pull your bachi towards the taiko

Song Learning: Kuchishoga Drills

• Taiko traditionally learned through kuchishoga ("kuchi" means mouth, "shoga" means song) or singing the lines

• Each word means a different kind of hit

  • Don Kon- loud right then left

  • Doko- medium right then left

  • Tsuku- soft right then left

  • Ka Ra- rim right then left

  • Su- rest

  • Hup! Sore!- kiai, vocalization

Song: Renshu

• Written by Seichi Tanaka

• Renshu means, "Practice"

• Originally composed to students could practice rhythms from San Francisco Taiko Dojo's repertoire

• Now a popular beginners song in the taiko community

• Lines 1 and 2

  • Don Hup! Kon Hup! Don Hup! Kon Hup!

  • Don Kon Don Kon Doro Tsuku Don Kon

  • Repeat Lines 1 and 2

• Remember to kiai the "Hup!"