Drill: Acting!

It's almost Halloween, and San Jose Taiko is gearing up for its annual Halloween in Japantown. One of the things we do is a gig for the little 'uns where all the members are playing songs in costumes of their choosing.

To prepare for that, the last couple of years, we've practiced playing Matsuri Taiko (Festival drums), a well-known taiko song that a lot of taiko groups in NA play a version of. What makes this different is that we play with Japanese masks. There are demons, old men, shy women, foxes, monkeys, etc. The whole idea is to embody a different character and lose inhibition.

The drill this time is about emoting or assuming a role that you may not normally portray while playing. It doesn't matter what ji you play to; it's about acting the part. If you don't have someone/something to hold a ji for you, you can still try it.

First thing you have to do is not think "I look stupid." You have to give into the role, have fun with it. Second, don't worry about how immediately useful these roles are, because you're developing your acting "muscles". Think about your physical muscles; you get stronger working a group of muscles than focusing on any single one, right? Same concept for emoting.

Try these to start:

• Joyful
• Furious (don't kill the drum!)
• Shy

Don't neglect the impact of your face when you take on these roles! That's easily 80% of the effect right there.

These are more difficult:

• Very old/Very young
• Super-confident
• Overly dramatic
• Mischievous

Think about how many notes you play as well as the volume. Think about the physical space you use - or don't use.

Finally, some really challenging ones:

• Playing as a person you know (taiko idol, fellow performer)
• Playing as an animal (how would an elephant play taiko?)

Think of who you really notice when you play taiko and think of their performance character. Think of their face and how they make you feel when you're watching them. Maybe they're not as confident as they look; but how then are they conveying that? How can you? Practice, that's how.

Ultimately, if you want to look confident, you have to act confident. It sounds a lot harder than it is, so go try it!