The picture here is of Sun Mingming, the newest height-happy basketball player for the media to enjoy. The dude is 7'9", three inches taller than Yao Ming!
The picture is sort of what it's like for me playing kumidaiko (ensemble druming)...
After concerts, when the group heads to the lobby to finish the encore/greet the audience, I inevitably get at least one comment on my height, usually more. Granted, tall taiko players are still pretty uncommon, especially those with the flexibility to get low in stance.
Over the years I've realized that shorter players don't realize what it's like to have "limbs of length". There are moves that shorter players can do quicker and even when speed is matched up, the shorter player will look faster. Unfair, I say!
Another disadvantage is the visual contour of a song. In a song with five drums in a line, odds are I'm in spot 1, 3, or 5. When I was newer, it was on either end (1 or 5) but those spots are mainly for the newer members. Now I'm almost always in the middle or in the back row (support, percussion, etc.) I also tend to block more of what's behind me, which can sometimes be a staging issue.
I'll never look like the other performers, either. If a song or section calls for a uniform look, the contour will have a "bump" in it. I'm really lucky that I can play quickly and move decently well, otherwise I might have an even harder time fitting into a song.
When teaching, it can be really hard to teach someone with a different body type than your own. Sometimes I found that the people teaching me didn't have a real concept of what my body was doing, which meant some things didn't work and I had to figure out how to make other things work on my own. It's not anyone's fault, it's just how it is. I had no one to match up to; no one could translate things for my build.
Lastly, and it took me a while to realize, but I also needed longer bachi (drumsticks) because the "appropriate" length is elbow to middle finger. The standard length didn't cut it, but I was using it for years! However, for "community" bachi, those we use for other drums, I don't get a different length than anyone else. Someone 4'11" is going to be using the same small-drum bachi as me, which, given the huge height difference, is insane! You wouldn't go up to bat with a chopstick, would you?
It's not all bad, mind you. I can reach a lot farther when it comes to multiple drums; I just have to make it look like it's hard work. ;) I have more options with my wingspan than a lot of people even with just one drum - I can move farther out and still reach. I also have the option of getting higher when I want/need to, for drums or stands that are taller.
I'm really not complaining, honest. Just illustrating what it's like for a person of height. And I wouldn't want to change a thing.
Hey, Mr. W.! I really appreciate the comments you made about learning and form, and how different the same move looks on different bodies. I have had the same problem with boxing, learning from short Latino men with long trunks and short arms and legs: they sometimes do not get that my body will look and act different, that the momentum and rhythm will be different, and that certain moves actually break the "natural" flow of my body.
ReplyDeleteI saw you play, and you do stand out... but it's a good thing! =)
Good post, though I can't empathize because I am one of those 4'11" people you reference.
ReplyDeleteInteresting ideas in the "teaching" section. I agree that anatomical differences can prevent certain teacher/student connections, but I never thought about it with your level of clarity. Your post makes a case for diversity of instructors not only in pedagogy but in body type.
Finally, comments from another tall drummer!!! Somebody who gets it!! Us few stilts in Odaiko New England have been mumbling about this for ages. (I have said that the only way I will go to a Taiko conference is if there is a session called "Taiko for Tall People." Have you ever thought of leading such?
ReplyDeleteTaikoKate, I'd love to do something like that! The only issue is how many people would actually show up... But it makes me think about what I would teach...
ReplyDeleteTell you what, if you or any height-enhanced taiko player finds me at Taiko Conference, or is in San Jose, or we come visit, please get a hold of me for a few minutes and I'll impart what pearls of wisdom I can! :)
I know that at least one height-enhanced member of Odaiko New England will be at Taiko Conference, and I think he'd be eager to chat with you.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article. I've been pointing all of my tall taiko player friends at it since you posted it on Facebook.
Now, the next article we need (not from you) is about playing taiko with breasts .... because they really do get in the way more than one might expect
Thank you for blogging about this! I'm the height-enhanced member of ONE Joy referred to in her comment. :) Taiko-ing at 6'1" is challenging-enough for me, so your insights ring very true. Waiting to find out which workshops I'll be assigned at Taiko Conference - you might see me at WRISTS! Hopefully between sessions we can meet up and you can share a few of those pearls of wisdom...
ReplyDeleteLet me know; I've got two different workshops available! Knowing me, I'll be wandering around the plaza a lot, mingling and causing trouble. I'm also easy to spot!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a good one to talk to about developing flexibility, which is key to counter height. I don't know enough about how or where to increase it.
If I had to give one overall piece of advice for tall people, I'd say it's even more important to keep energy throughout your limbs. Keeping them alive with *intention* makes you look tall; when they don't have that energy, they make a player look gangly and awkward.
I know this is an old thread but I have to comment on it. I'm short, but I have really long arms and legs and a ridiculously short trunk. When I see myself on video I always think I look "gangly and awkward", to use your phrasing from your last comment. So the problem is not limited to super tall people; it just depends on your body proportions :-) Most of my teachers are Japanese (or Asian) (short arms, long body)... I'll keep "intention" in mind - I've been playing for less than two years so I'm still a beginner, but it's good to keep this in mind!
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