Drill: Vocalizing your solo

If I had to come up with one solo drill to give to taiko players, this would be the one.

While clapping or stepping a constant beat, vocalize your solo. It could be a set solo or a improvised one, and the ji doesn't really matter because you're just doing the pulse with your body. You can use kuchishoga or scat or beat box, whatever works for you.

It will help you internalize the downbeat, which is probably one of the most important things a taiko player needs to do in order to have a successful solo. It's horrible when I see a potentially great solo (musically, visually) that's not connected to the tempo. It's like fingernails on a blackboard!

This is a great drill to do when you're walking, even if it's as short as going up the stairs somewhere. You can be pretty quiet with your voice, especially if you use kuchishoga and avoid risking people thinking you're insane. Hopefully! If you're walking a longer distance, this is great because you don't have to think about the tempo at all. Your natural gait is already engrained and you can just focus on your solo.

It's less natural to do it using your hands as the pulse, but it's very possible. Clapping, thumping the steering wheel, patting your hip, whatever works.

This may seem really rudimentary to some of you. Of course you can stay on tempo! Maybe you don't ever get off the ji, so what's the point? Well then this drill's not for you. :)

Another benefit to a drill like this is you get to listen to your solos. I know that sounds weird, since how can you not hear your solos when you're banging away on drums? Hearing is not the same as listening. When I mean listen, I mean how do your solos sound as music? Is it an onslaught of notes (is your mouth constantly making noise?) Are the notes grouped together with any sort of predictability for the audience to enjoy? Are there any dynamics or is it all loud, all the time? These are nuances that are easy to overlook but can make a solo stand out amongst the rest.

Sometimes it's great to take out the metronome and drum pads/tires/makeshift taiko and note the tempo while striking away. But it's also good to train your body to feel the downbeat, literally. This sort of drill can be done literally anywhere and adjusted to whatever difficulty level you like!