Creating solos, prologue

There are few things both terrifying and exhilarating as performing a taiko solo. It's your expression of personality and sensibility, of being in the moment.

Getting comfortable enough to solo is not an easy thing. There is an element of rhythm and timing, an element of movement, an element of performing, and that's just the beginning level! On a more advanced level, there's being able to pick up quickly after a mistake, being able to solo to any basic pattern, being able to solo as a duet, etc. etc.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here; let's get the foundation laid down first.

• Prepare before you even get on a drum

- You need patterns in your head before you can get them out on the drums. I have to assume you listen to music, so what have you picked up over the years? What you've heard is what shapes what you play. The more music you listen to, the more you have to draw from. This is also true for movement in solos - the more movement you're exposed to, the more options you'll have in your pocket.

• Practice soloing without drums

- You don't need any equipment to actually play on to develop a solo. You can get a drum pad (or your knees) and pop out rhythms. You can "air bachi" (using bachi but not hitting anything, just going through the motions). You can even beatbox in the shower (I do this a lot!)

• Keep it simple, keep it slow.

- If you're working on a solo for more than one drum, focus on just one drum to start. The other drum(s) can add texture, but you want to get the rhythm solid first. Once you get a feel for what you want to play, then include more drums. As for speed, work up to it. Sometimes you just have to practice a fast solo at a fast tempo, but slow gives you more chances to act as well as react.

• Consider the song

- There really aren't a lot of different ji in taiko songs. There are probably hundreds of songs that fall under a straight beat, for example. You wouldn't want to have the same solo for each of those songs just because the ji is the same, so consider the other elements. Is the song serious? Is it about African rhythms? Is it about personality? Knowing where the song comes from and the intent of the composer should influence what you play, even though it's your personality that truly shapes the solo.

Again, these are only the start of solo development. By no means is this list exhaustive on even the first level of soloing. Sometimes you just have to jump in there and do it!