True Tall Taiko Tales

People often wonder how I can learn pieces so quic...

2012-05-21T15:51:50.170-07:00

People often wonder how I can learn pieces so quickly. And that's exactly what you described in your post - when I'm trying to learn something, it's never completely out of my mind. I'll think about it when I walk to work, I'll tap it on my thighs when I'm sitting down, I'll sing it to myself in the shower... Of course, that doesn't help with stamina ;-)

Critical. You know all those really horrible peop...

2012-05-14T18:13:50.865-07:00

Critical. You know all those really horrible people who audition for American Idol, and then are flabbergasted when they receive negative feedback from the judges? That's the result of all positive feedback. I dated a self-proclaimed "singer" once who was convinced that vocal stardom was in his future. Then I heard him sing. All of his "friends" lavished him with praise, and he poo-pooed all the negative/critical feedback because it was a small minority of comments. I don't want to be one of those people, and I don't want to unleash those kinds of people on the world! ;)

Absolutely! I can do something similar with my ar...

2012-05-11T14:43:59.933-07:00

Absolutely! I can do something similar with my arms but I didn't want to show off, lol.

That photo at the top, it's disgusting :-D

2012-05-10T21:50:44.669-07:00

That photo at the top, it's disgusting :-D

Thank you! I'll wait, but... it better be good...

2012-04-26T14:20:06.073-07:00

Thank you! I'll wait, but... it better be good :-D

Seriously, I've tried:
- Composing in my head - which works, but at some point, you have to put it down in a definite form, otherwise you just keep going around in circles.
- video/audio files: that's really hard to manage for anything other than keeping track of ideas on the spur of the moment
- MuseScore, which works but seems ill-fitted to percussion instruments, and is a challenge to manipulate when you want to move whole sections around to try things
- LMMS, which seems a little more suited to the task, but is harder to work with (I keep getting lost in the menus, and it crashes often, then I have to close/reopen). Plus it's not that well suited to percussions either. But it works better than other options I've tried.

So... maybe you have other ideas, maybe not. But if you've managed to at least get one piece into some kind of final form, I'm thinking you'll at least have your usual interesting insight into the matter!

So... Have a great weekend, and I'll read you on Monday!

2012-04-26T11:11:12.012-07:00

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2012-04-26T11:10:42.740-07:00

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Hi Audrey, I was writing a response, but it got l...

2012-04-26T11:03:44.764-07:00

Hi Audrey,

I was writing a response, but it got long and I think I'll make it into my next blog post! There are a lot of ways one can notate and it can't hurt to list what I've used before and currently. Hope you can wait until Monday? :)

What do you write with, when comes the time to put...

2012-04-26T07:48:23.815-07:00

What do you write with, when comes the time to put your compositions down in writing? I've been trying to find the best system and I still haven't found something that really works well.

I'm honestly a little mixed on the issue. I fe...

2012-04-16T17:57:55.727-07:00

I'm honestly a little mixed on the issue. I feel that I should have respect for the culture behind it-- but honestly I don't care about that stuff at all. (Ironic because I learned from Ben Pachter, and he's getting a Ph.D in this stuff!)

I'm glad that kumidaiko was created, because that means I get to have fun hitting drums and being active.
Sure, you definitely have to cite songs if they're not yours, but honestly I am really more interested in composing pieces and figuring out awesome ways to use the drums and other instruments.

And as the resident stand maker for the group I'm in, I get to take all those stands I see everyone else using and make my own--completely without an introduction on how to 'properly' use it. Do I care? Pssh! Where's the fun in that?

So those are my thoughts. I use taiko very much an activity to simply have fun, and I'm not one to be bogged down by the history or details.

You has a great blog. I'm very interesting to ...

2012-04-16T08:17:25.673-07:00

You has a great blog. I'm very interesting to stopping here and leaves you a comment. Good work.

Lets keep writing and share to us and other.

Nb: Dont forget to leave your comment back for us.

People think of taiko as a cultural tradition, as ...

2012-04-11T08:37:59.130-07:00

People think of taiko as a cultural tradition, as something to be treated with great respect. They could think of it as a form of jazz instead -- more mutable and flexible. That wouldn't make it better or worse, but it's an option that seems more rarely explored.

I'm not sure I understand the 'rules'....

2012-04-05T21:03:59.801-07:00

I'm not sure I understand the 'rules'. What is a performance? A large theater with paid tickets, a school demonstration, friends getting together and playing in the park? Other forms of music in the US let amateur groups play their music if they don't pretend to be the author. Why the concern about style and accuracy. If you are the best player, audiences will want to see you and not an inexperienced beginner looking to learn. I want to learn more, but I can't find ways. I have to wait until my group leaders learn something new and teach it to us. My enthusiasm gets squashed by composers who won't share. Taiko purists may be the demise of their art form.

I can definitely see where you're coming from....

2012-04-05T20:17:09.145-07:00

I can definitely see where you're coming from.
I guess, in one regard, there are people who want to have some sense of legitimacy that may take the place of accreditation (since it's not something we have in taiko.) A degree from Harvard, Yale, or Stanford endows a person with a fair amount of credibility in their chosen field. An autodidact, regardless of how intelligent he or she is, is unlikely to be hired for a position that calls for an MA. Even in hiring a tradeperson unknown to you, odds are you'd likely hire a ticketed professional over Joe Schmoe the handyman. As a martial artist I'm sure you can relate to having a preference to study karate with someone who has studied under Kanazawa Hirokazu as opposed to studying Joe Schmoe the unknown quantity (especially if he doesn't even know who Kanazawa-sensei is.)
My taiko skills are limited by the lack of regular and ongoing instruction with a highly skilled instructor but I teach locally nonetheless. I do, however, encourage my teammates and interested students to take part in whatever workshops they can whether it's with Tiffany T., Art Lee, the KASA/Mix Tour to Sado, NATC, etc.

This is something my group has never practiced and...

2012-03-30T11:05:10.876-07:00

This is something my group has never practiced and probably should! Sometimes I have trouble just continuing to play a simple ji while kiaing.

Ah! "The more things you do the same, the eas...

2012-03-22T11:14:50.497-07:00

Ah! "The more things you do the same, the easier it is" also explains how a musician who plays one kind of stringed instrument probably plays 4 or 5 other (stringed) instruments. As for the hara, yes, the core muscles. I should be using them for everything, not just taiko. Usually, I suspect, I substitute Shoulder muscles for Hara muscles.... a good checkpoint. Thanks again!

Thank you, Adam. This question, "What if eve...

2012-03-22T11:10:43.204-07:00

Thank you, Adam. This question, "What if everyone were doing what I am doing?" gets right to the heart of it. Picturing a ring of Me doing what I do, makes me squirm. Thanks.

Taiko Passionista!

2012-03-22T11:08:52.313-07:00

Taiko Passionista!

ocmd, it's hard to give a lot of advice throug...

2012-03-21T14:42:37.969-07:00

ocmd, it's hard to give a lot of advice through simple text, but I can give you some ideas.

- Think of what message you want to get across. High-energy? Playful? Lots of footwork/movement? You can craft a solo around a mood.

- If you're worried about not being heard, then think of movements that will be seen and keeping the strikes simple and intentional.

- If you're having trouble coming up with patterns to play, use variations of the rhythms in the song. As you experiment, you'll come up with patterns that get further and further away from the original patterns.

Hope that helps!

- Repetition can be a great friend. You can repeat a pattern twice to make a single bar, then repeat that formula for the next three bars with variations as you see fit.

Thanks for this perspective. But I need even more...

2012-03-15T17:35:44.399-07:00

Thanks for this perspective. But I need even more basic advice. I have to create a 4-bar solo for a temple matsuri performance. There will be 10-15 people on stage, in rows; everyone doing backbeat during rotating solos. I'm thinking I need to use some dramatic arm/body movements just to catch the audience's attention because I may not be able to play really really loud. Do you have any advice on that low-level pragmatic scale?

Awesome post Adam. You're the man!

2012-03-01T22:03:37.712-08:00

Awesome post Adam. You're the man!

Never discount your own potential... that's th...

2012-03-01T08:37:41.783-08:00

Never discount your own potential... that's the hardest part, is't it? "I'm making a lot of progress, but I'll never be good enough." This has been my train of thought lately, and it's not conductive to growth. It was easier in my first year of playing taiko - when you're a beginner, you have an excuse for doing things wrong, nobody expects you to know anything and you're learning in leaps and bounds. Now I should know *some* things and learning is harder - as is staying positive about the whole process. But you keep me thinking with your blog, that's good, thank you!

...and there's also the cultural/folklore aspe...

2012-02-28T06:16:36.882-08:00

...and there's also the cultural/folklore aspect of it, which probably falls more into the "art" aspect than "entertainment." Some groups and performers emphasize this more than others of course.

I've recently realized that there's an unh...

2012-02-27T22:11:30.698-08:00

I've recently realized that there's an unhealthy dynamic in a group where only one or two people are responsible for chooding drills and practice routines for everyone; most members get lazy about recognizing what they should try to improve, and the leaders get burnout as well as an inflated sense of their own wisdom.

I was thinking yesterday about the difference (and...

2012-02-27T07:29:54.008-08:00

I was thinking yesterday about the difference (and balance) between being an artist and being an entertainer -- and what one's ultimate goals are when going on stage, writing a piece (or just choosing one to perform), training and rehearsing, and even deciding to get into taiko in the first place.