The penultimate post! Such pressure.
Anyways, one of the reasons I started this blog so many years ago was for it to be an outlet for my thoughts and rants as well as a place to chronicle some of my adventures, performances, and tours. So this post is going to be about me and how things have changed over the history of this blog.
I know some of my posts riled people up, and while I do enjoy fostering debate, this was really a bad forum for any sort of discussion. Still, it gave me a chance to say things, propose ideas, challenge people - and I still plan to do that, even if in a limited capacity on things like the Taiko Community on Facebook.
I found that I wound up with new insights and perspectives in writing a lot of my posts. The whole Question Everything series made me less judgemental in my opinions as I tried to just pose questions and come down on one side or the other.
The biggest benefit from my blog, personally, was in practicing what I preached. I felt obligated to walk the walk I was laying down. Trying harder, pushing myself, expecting more from myself, being a better student, being a better teacher, all of it. Not saying I ascended to a higher plane or anything - I'm only human! But I found that I would take the more rewarding option, even when it was harder in the short run.
A good example of this was last week we were about to do a round of Roy Drills, 30-40 minutes of one ji on naname going from slow to fast to slow to fast and then switching to the next ji. I contemplated grabbing the bachi I have that are about an inch shorter, to make it easier on me, but then I considered all the stuff I've said in the past about challenging oneself, to not go the easy route. I wound up using the longer pair and dealing with the difficulty.
I always loved hearing from people that enjoyed the blog, from those who found a drill really helpful to those who never considered a different perspective, from those who just liked having something to read about taiko to those who supported me composing or practicing the asalato.
The end of this blog does not mean the end of my passion, the end of my playing, the end of pursuit of excellence. I know I'm not a pioneer like those who started groups long ago, I don't have a unique style that people flock to me to learn, I'm not a prodigy, I don't have all the answers. But I do have questions!
At the end of the day, I'm just a taiko player. I play because it feels good to play. I play because I learn more about myself every time I approach the drums. I play because it's in my blood. I play through the blisters, the sore feet, the broken bachi, because it's in my blood.
Stay tuned for the final post!
image credit: http://www.succeedinginsmallbusiness.com
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