Good shime daiko technique will improve your technique on all sized taiko. This class will concentrate on the intricate shime daiko techniques and patterns found in the lively festival music of Edo Bayashi (Tokyo festival music). This technique is quite refined and has applications to all sized taiko. Emphasis will be on timing, playing with precision, grip, sound, nori (groove), and relaxing.
Narimono Circuits is patterned after circuit training for strength/endurance conditioning except in this case each station is dedicated to learning basic aspects of various auxiliary percussion instruments. Instruments covered include hyotan/shekere, atarigane, and a few more surprises!
SJT will use this simple Matsuri song to develop a toolbox for movement and presence (energy or "ki"). How do our individual performances/solos connect with what we want to accomplish in kumidaiko (ensemble) playing?
Naname (slant-drum) style has been one of my great joys in taiko. The combination of glitchy rhythms and full-body movement is heaven! This workshop introduces a set of not-so-standard techniques that I have recently found most useful.
Teaching Plan: http://k--b.org/performances/advanced-naname-workshop-1-iti-2019
Reflect on 25 years of Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational through rhythm meditation. Share first taiko rhythms. Brainstorm what's to come!
Teaching Plan: http://k--b.org/performances/iti-25th-anniversary-reflection-celebration-imagination
For a variety of reasons some people have a hard time expressing themselves on the stage. Believe it or not, many taiko players feel shy! How can we set up an environment where people feel comfortable stepping outside their comfort zone? How can we get beyond forced smiling because that is what we've been told to do to something more genuine? Often this starts with building a supportive group culture. Genki is a Japanese word that means happy, healthy, and full of life! We will play games and work in small groups to identify challenges and share tips to showing our “inner Genki” and spirit. We will then divide into 3-4 groups and learn a short composition that involves creating ‘group solo’ that is performed in front of others with lots of support. Participants will leave with tools and perspectives to take back and share with their groups. Come prepared to be open, have fun, and learn more about yourself as a performer. This workshop is appropriate for all levels and will include a mixture of discussion, small group exercises, and practice on drums.
This workshop takes a look at different ways to take on a leadership role in your group. Defining leadership and identifying various leadership models will be discussed. How to manage the other members of the group, drill exercises to help bring the group together and suggestions on how to best maintain order and focus during your practice and performance will be reviewed.
Tap into your Ki (energy) with activities that will build awareness, activate individual and group Ki, and erase the boundaries between players and the audience. This workshop will challenge participants in movement, rhythm, timing and improvisational skills, all without using taiko...the Ki to becoming a better taiko player.
TaikoPeace is dedicated to unleashing creativity, spark new connections of co-creativity, and heal the human spirit through the dynamic energy of taiko drumming. This workshop will stimulate imagination, boost inspiration, and liberate self-expression. It is an invitation to expand your tools to set intention, purpose, and responsibility of your role as a taiko player.
Ondekoza and later Kodo arranged elements of the traditional music from the Chichibu Yō-matsuri (night festival), creating a powerful and dynamic adaptation that has been popularized throughout Japan and the world. This workshop covers elements from basic form to staged performance, and will include exercises to help improve power, endurance, stamina, and musicality.
Do you know those times when you play pattern sequences and they just fall apart? In this workshop you will learn a short shime daiko piece that you can drill to improve personal and group timing.
A creative and fun way to create rhythms and musical pieces based on the spoken word.
Taiko performances don’t always include improvisation; however, the practice of improvisation develops group and individual skills to build overall awareness, insight, hearing, sensitivity, creativity, strength, and confidence. The workshop will cover basic improvisational exercises for taiko, percussion, musical instruments, and body movement.
Odaiko Fundamentals will focus on basics and then learning some patterns to help with phrasing. The patterns will focus on both punctuation and building confidence.
Soloing on multiple surfaces may seem daunting, but anything is possible with the right tools. This workshop will cover techniques and exercises that will help you feel more comfortable playing between drums, as well as strategies for applying those techniques to soloing.
Propelled by the quest to find fluidity in movement, this workshop provides a space for participants to enhance their sensitivity with naname choreography. In this session, we will search for full body awareness and connection between ourselves and the taiko by exploring in depth body mechanics and breaking down techniques to generate a rich sound while moving around the taiko. Through all this, we will enhance our vocabularies and tune into our natural flow to find full dynamic expression within naname choreography.
If you love rhythm, why not play two (or more) at the same time? Polyrhythms are fun and challenging ways to strengthen our understanding of the music we love to play -- and you may just find yourself with a few new tricks up your sleeve to add additional flair to solos, compositions, or just a jamming good time.
The chappa is a versatile instrument often overlooked in a taiko ensemble. Almost every group has a pair of chappa but often nobody wants to play it! The goal of this workshop is to learn basic patterns and techniques that will help you develop facility with the instrument and unlock its sonic potential. By the end of this workshops participants will have patterns that they can practice and be excited about the potential of the instrument.
When we compose taiko pieces we often have a rhythm or idea but don’t know what to do with it. This workshop gives participants a great set of tools that they can apply to their rhythms or phrases that will help them develop their idea into something more substantial. These tools are also very useful in developing solos and composing entire pieces.
This workshop will cover practical approaches and drills on the Naname style to help you create a solo that is more meaningful to you than just a medley of all your best and flashy moves.
Soloing and improvisation are key aspects of many North American taiko pieces. Incorporating improvisation into your own playing can make taiko more fun and engaging for performers and audiences. While there are no strict rules for improvisation, our workshop aims to provide tools for practice and performance to make it more approachable and natural.
This workshop is geared towards those interested in staying involved with taiko after college. Through an interactive discussion, Taiko SOBA members will highlight various ways to continue taiko, including teaching, playing as an individual, playing in a recreational or professional group, and staying active with the greater community. Our aim is for participants to be aware of the different opportunities available and feel encouraged to continue the evolution of taiko worldwide.
Odaiko form and endurance practice, with special focus on intensity and expression when playing with your side to the audience. Some stretching, some exercise, some form work, a lot of fun, and not too much talking.
This workshop will explore different aspects of movement within the context of kumidaiko. We'll work on creativity, control, and intention to help players bring a fresh approach to how they move around the drum.
Do you ever have trouble expressing yourself? Do you get the jitters when you're playing taiko in front of an audience? Then this workshop is for you! We'll explore the fundamentals of what ki means to us in the context of a taiko piece and apply our discussions & brief exercises in a performance-like setting. I hope that by the end of this workshop, you'll be more confident and comfortable sharing your love for taiko with the world around you.
This workshop will help participants improve hand dexterity, physical coordination, and rhythmic understanding through drills and exercises centered around the paradiddle, one of the key rudiments of drumming.