Odaiko New England

Remembering What it Takes to Start from Scratch

Saturday night we performed for Zenshinkan Dojo, an Aikido Dojo in Worcester, to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Close to 100 members were gathered to recognize two decades of hard work. People got up and told passionate stories of commitment, personal transformation, friendships, and people working tirelessly on behalf of the group.  And they talked about love.

We didn't always have a dojo, but we had each other.

ONE in the late 1990's: We didn't always have a dojo, but we had each other.

It made me remember our roots and our 15-year history as a taiko group— the days where we didn’t have a dojo, the days when we didn’t have drums and we drummed on tires wrapped with duct tape. It’s incredible to realize just how much people can get done when our goals are in line and we work together.

As the martial artists told stories of what Aikido meant to them, I thought of the many times I had tried and failed or tried and succeeded to get through difficult pieces. I find playing taiko to be extremely difficult.  In fact, it continues to be one of the most challenging things I do. Playing taiko requires so much concentration — whether it be the rhythm, timing, kata, kiai, emotion, or the connection you make with fellow players or the audience — each piece takes an enormous amount of effort to get right. Which means that you have to get it wrong a lot before you get it right. There is no way that I could persist in an activity where I failed so much if it weren’t for the people and support I have felt through Odaiko New England. I understood exactly what the martial artists meant when they talked about love. When you watch someone persist and challenge themselves to do something difficult, you can’t help but love them.

One of our final songs was Mahora. It’s a physically demanding piece and I knew that as martial artists they would appreciate it. As I introduced it, I could hear them gulp when I said it was a endurance piece that required stamina and concentration and took ten minutes to play. At the end we got a standing ovation. If anyone understood what it took to play that song, they did.

The six of us: A little disheveled and sweaty after our performance.

Saturday night: A little disheveled and sweaty after our performance. (Beth, Cat, Joy, Karen, Shigeru, and Kristen) Photograph courtesy of Zenshinkan Dojo

Do-Ko-Splash: Honing Your Taiko Chops with Kayaking

A handful of ONE’ers met at Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Newton for an afternoon of grueling paddling — just for fun.  Taiko players are like that.

Orange Crocs

Joy's orange Crocs match her kayak...

...And the lovely foliage.

...And the lovely foliage.

I was nominated to write our blog post because I took the pictures.  This puts me in an awkward position — it seems indelicate to boast about one’s own reverse paddling skills in one’s blog post.  (But I am a really awesome backwards paddler!)

Kate puts-in.

Kate puts-in.

Tanya (standing) and Beth arrive.

Tanya (standing) and Beth arrive.

It took us a while to get organized and into the water, but when we finally did, we decided to paddle downstream, toward Boston.  Our goal was to reach Cronin’s Landing in Waltham, where we gigged in June as part of Waltham’s Riverfest.  It’s three miles away and we’re paddling into a strong headwind.  The water is so choppy our kayaks actually slap the water!

Why is this a taiko blog post?  Well, group kayaking certainly enhances the kumi of kumi-daiko, and the paddles put blisters in places your bachi might have missed.  Most significantly, kayaking is a good prep for Yatai Bayashi, which we’re currently working on in our Taiko Styles class.  Each pull of the paddle engaged my entire core.  I’m happy to have two full days of recovery before playing Yatai again.

We soldiered on.  Though I love that dirty water, I was really pushing it.  Perhaps my companions also would have enjoyed a break now and then, but, like me, didn’t want to be the wimp to suggest it.  Instead, we took pride in how strong we were.  Taiko did this for us.

We made it to Cronin’s landing and rafted together for a snack break.  That was when Kate endured the harrowing near-loss of her Odaiko New England water bottle.  Stainless steel sinks fast!  Luckily, Kate is faster.

Well rested, we enjoyed the tail wind for the ride back, with Ranger Kate pointing out a cormorant and a heron along the way.  We also passed many ducks, gulls and, at one point, ten swans in a cove.  Afterwards, Beth hosted dinner.  We might make this an official annual ONE event.

Kate, Joy, Tanya, Beth and Sheilarae at the end of a 6-mile trip.

Kate, Joy, Tanya, Beth and Sheilarae at the end of a 6-mile trip.

Takin’ it to the Streets

Rockin' out on Shin-en

Rockin' out on Shin-en

With festival pieces like “Matsuri” and “Shin-en” in our repertoire, it was only natural that Odaiko New England would be invited to perform for the Allston Village Street Fair. Dubbed an “urban Mardi Gras”, this event featured many different bands and performers, and we were thrilled to be adding taiko to the musical stew for everyone to enjoy.

Our presentation for the fair was a bit different than our concerts; we played right on Harvard Avenue, between Commonwealth and Brighton Avenues! We played mainly to passersby strolling up and down the street instead of a seated audience, so we opted to perform 4 pieces as a set which we could repeat as needed for the duration of our time slot.

Due to our limited space, we arranged a setup of three chu’s, an okejime set, and miscellaneous percussion. An advantage of the set rotation was that everyone got a chance to play different roles for each song. Thus, I sometimes played chappa, sometimes uchiwa, and other times a chu daiko.

We played two popular pieces from ONE’s repertoire on nanamedai, or slant-stands – Matsuri and Hachijo. Personally, I thought we rocked out pretty well on Hachijo, and the dramatic choreography of that song made it a crowd-pleaser even for casual observers, compelling them to pause, listen & watch. Another highlight for me was my first-ever opportunity to finally play Shin-en on a chu! For more than two years I’ve had “ji duty” when playing Shin-en, setting the groove with the swing ji rhythm at our concerts and other performances, so there was real satisfaction for me in finally playing the chu part.

After awhile, the two main stages began sound checks for the PA systems and bands, and the volume was just too much for our unamplified drums. We were all set to perform the next song, but how much of it would anyone really hear? Mark came up with a great solution to this impasse: we grabbed all our portable equipment (okedo’s, chappa, uchiwa, kane and fue) and took our brand of taiko on a mini-parade down the street and back again! This unexpected excursion was really fun and made for a fitting conclusion to our performance.

I must add that our merchandise table was staffed by the indefatigable Joy. Despite nursing a sore ankle, she played chappa from her chair for a few songs and efficiently managed our table. And while the rest of us were busy preparing for the next song, or supervising a youngster having a go at playing one of our chu’s, Joy handled inquiries from the passersby stopping to peruse our wares and sign up on our mailing list.

Due to the transient nature of the audience we played for, one of Kenny Endo‘s pearls of wisdom came to mind – the notion that at a given concert there will be people hearing taiko for the first time as well as people hearing taiko for the last time, and we want them to have a good experience of taiko. On a warm, sunny, late summer Sunday in Allston, I think we left people in either of those categories with a positive  experience of taiko.

A Drum With a Past

I came home from Taiko Conference energized and wanting to practice all the time.  Husband Matt and I both decided to follow along with 30 Days to Better Shime: Round 3, which would mean that we’d need appropriate equipment.  We either needed to continue borrowing shime from the Odaiko New England drum closet, or get a practice pad…  but I was fantasizing about owning my own shime.

During two of my workshops at Taiko Conference I’d had the opportunity to play on a Remo shime.  Although they don’t  quite have the same sound as the genuine hide drums, I thought they seemed pretty decent.  I guessed that they are less expensive than a lot of natural skin shimes.  Also, as a vegetarian, I’m always wishing that there weren’t animal parts involved in my music-making.  So, I started fantasizing about getting my own Remo shime, but when I found out the price ($625) from Remo’s website,  I figured it would be a while before I got one…

…but what the heck, I’ll see what’s being sold on eBay…

Just what I wanted!

Just what I wanted!

There she was, a used Remo shime, and I won the auction at a price I could afford!

When she finally arrived, I opened the box with glee, but…

“Ew!  It smells like an ashtray!”

Before cleaning, the smoke residue came off on my bachi tips.

Before cleaning, the smoke residue came off on my bachi tips.

How did she end up smelling so bad?  Taiko is such an athletic activity, I don’t think many taiko players smoke.  Maybe she used to hang out in smoke filled bars and nightclubs.  She’s a hard working showgirl.  I think I’ll call her Smokey.

Whatever her past, she’s moved in with us now, and I’ve promised to give her a new and healthy life.  Fortunately, after consulting with the helpful customer service at Remo, I found out that I could clean her heads with Windex and body with furniture polish.  Then with Joy’s help, I changed the rope.  She’s gone from stinky white synthetic to elegant wine-colored hemp.

Cleaned Up and Retied

Cleaned Up and Retied

And thanks to Smokey, I finished 30 days to better shime on schedule!

30 Days to Better Shime: A Review

My Practice Setup

My Practice Setup

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I absolutely love and recommend Kristofer Bergstrom of On Ensemble’s program 30 Days to Better Shime. I first heard about the course while attending this year’s North American Taiko Conference in Los Angeles, California. Not being one to often play the shime (a small, high-pitched drum often used to lead a taiko ensemble), I almost passed the program by without a thought. Luckily, I realized the very fact that I didn’t play the shime very much was exactly why I should sign up. 28 days in, I can safely say that in my 10-odd years of studying music, this course is one of the most singularly helpful and beneficial tools I have ever encountered.

If I had to find fault with the program, it would be that the title does not imply nearly the full scope of what it has to teach. The exercises and drills that Mr. Bergstrom has put together often focus on musical skills far more fundamental than technique for just this specific drum. The exercises in coordination, tempo control, ear training, and basic practice skills (to name a few) are so well constructed as to serve as training tools for fundamental rhythmic ability and overall musicianship. They’re broken down to their very basic forms, allowing them to easily be applied to other taiko, drum kit, percussion in general, and I’ve even used some of them in my guitar playing.

30 Days is ultimately as simple to use and to complete as it is useful. The entirety of the course can be completed with a single pair of drum sticks and a practice pad, and if you’re willing to practice in front of the computer, all of the materials can be downloaded for free. After a few weeks of practicing 15-20 minutes a day, I’ve already noticed a considerable improvement in my timing, technique, and consistency, and I would strongly recommend this program to any musician, percussionist or otherwise.

The Gig That Wasn’t

The Performance Tent

The Performance Tent

The expected email from Juni arrived shortly after noon. The gig was on! The forecast had been unsettled, with rain predicted for our evening outdoor performance in Leominster, MA. I had been checking regional satellite images all morning, and I wasn’t seeing a problem. Time to wrap up my work, print out some directions to the venue (to compensate for my flaky GPS), and start on the hour-plus drive.

The last gig I played was at our 15th anniversary concert, reVISION, at the end of May. I was hungry for another performance opportunity. I couldn’t ask for a better lineup: I would be playing two of my favorite songs, Mahora and Hamon; singing Kiyari for Miyake; and playing Shin-En for the first time outside of practice. It promised to satisfy that hunger, at least for a while.

Trying Out the Audience Seating

Trying Out the Audience Seating

The venue, located at a senior housing development called Brooks Pond, consisted of a large tent over a stage of interlocking sheets of plywood placed on the grass. Rows of lawn chairs provided seating for the audience. Two massive vertical I-beams planted in concrete footings on either side of the tent hinted at the amphitheater they are planning to build.

Unloading the drums, spiking the stage, and running the cue-to-cue were all executed with characteristic ONE efficiency. After running through the transitions for Act I, I happened to walk past Mark as he was talking to our Brooks Pond organizers. I heard one of them say something about a tornado blowing the tent away. That can’t be good, I thought.

Storm Clouds Gathering

Storm Clouds Gathering

Minutes later, Mark called everyone over to the tent to announce that the set was being shortened considerably, specifically, to nothing. The show was cancelled. A tornado watch had been posted for the area, so continuing with the show was too risky. The show must not go on.

We prevailed on Mark to let us play one song, since everything was all set up and the weather hadn’t arrived yet. We played Shin-En. It was a free-for-all getting to a drum, and I wound up on a 60-gallon drum, which is quite a bit taller than the chudaiko I learned this song on. Shin-En involves some nontrivial choreography, and during the song I whacked my right index finger precisely on the knuckle no less than three times. It is now a nice shade of purple. Deja vu: earlier in the day, Tanya, another ONE member, told me that she also recently played Shin-En on a 60-gallon drum and whacked her thumb, which she never does. The hazards of being a taiko player. I’m still glad we played a song.

Afterward, the organizers graciously invited us inside for pizza and beer. (I drank water because I can’t stand the taste of beer. I realize this limits the fullness of my taiko experience, but I’m OK with that.) We chilled, swapped taiko stories, and sang Happy Birthday to Jasmine.

Am I disappointed? Sure. A lot of good still came of it, though. I practiced the songs, finally learned Shin-En, and spent some time with my taiko family. And with the time saved by not performing, I wrote this post! I know there will be many opportunities to play in the future. I’ll be plenty hungry for the next one.

World Wide Wednesdays in Chelmsford

On July 29 ONE introduced its brand of high-energy, engaging and entertaining taiko to Chelmsford, MA for one of the town’s “World Wide Wednesdays” concerts.

It was a fun gig, rather like a combination of a Young Audiences show and concert. Mark started things off with some lively katsugi okedo playing, then the rest of us bounded into action for a joyous Shin-En. I had the opportunity to play chappa for it on this night, and I did my best to roam around the perimeter of the audience, jump, skip, frolic and generally look like I was having a grand old time. Actually I was enjoying the moment, so I didn’t have to act. That came later.

I should add that we rattled the rafters of the venue with one of our big-sounding, full-cast, all-hands-on-deck repertoire pieces – Mahora.

Mark, Juni & Kristen performed a chappa trio midway through the show, with delightful flourishes, crisp exchanges and inventive soloing. Usually Shigeru joins at the very end, adding to the comedic elements embedded in the arrangement. However, he wasn’t there this night… but I was.

Timing, goofy play-acting and a big pair of cymbals (trash can lids look great but don’t have much of a sound) are the prerequisites for the part. Since I’m already kind of goofy, big & ungainly I was halfway there. All I had to do was arrive at the right moment beaming a big, silly, eager smile. My countenance then morphed to perplexed when the others didn’t join me, then transitioned to sad. Just to add my own stamp on the performance, I gave the audience my best sad-puppy-dog-look and dejectedly ambled away. Kudos to Cat for suggesting I take the part in Shigeru’s absence, and to Mark for trusting I could make it happen. I think the audience got a real kick out of it.

After our spirited finale of Matsuri, we received a rousing standing ovation. Thank you, Chelmsford!

The Taiko March

taiko-march
While we were at Summer Taiko Institute, Tanya, Beth and I had the unique opportunity to join Kris Bergstrom of On Ensemble in a demonstration of the Taiko March, a piece he had composed and choreographed as part of the Taiko Games at North American Taiko Conference. He had had everything planned out, but at the last minute he needed 3 more marchers, and we were excited to be able to join in.

Kris composed the Taiko March based on the Algorithm March that’s become a fad in Japan and throughout the world. The Taiko March demonstrates many of the well-known traditional forms of taiko.

The Taiko March was arranged and choreographed by Kris Bergstrom. What I share here is only my imperfect understanding of it. Because Kris is a proponent of open-source everything, I expect that a more authoritative version will become available soon. I present this as my own experience with the Taiko March.

My descriptions of the march moves are far from complete and are just to give you a sense of what’s going on. If you wish to learn the more complete version, I would be happy to share what I know (which I felt would not translate well into text), or you can try contacting Kris directly.

The steps are marked in the image at the bottom of the page.

The Taiko March

Lyrics (in Japanese) Translation of lyrics Movements
1 Ip-po susunde
Bachi Kamae
Take a step.
Get into ready pose with your bachi
Take a step forward.
Emulate a ready pose, using your index fingers as bachi.
2 Ip-po susunde
Tsugi naname
Take a step
Next slant stand
Take a step forward.
Step to the side, assuming a stance for slant stand playing.
3 Ik-kun kaite
Odaiko
Turn around for the moment and
Odaiko! (big drum)
Turn around in the first two steps.
Mime hitting an odaiko
4 Don! Yoku ni aruite
hachijo
Don! Take a step to the side
for Hachijo
Say “Don!”, then step to the side.
Mime the motions for hana-hachijo.
5 Chotto shaga de
tsugi Miyake
Get a little low,
next it’s Miyake
Turn to the front and take a low Miyake stance.
Mime hitting the Miyake drum with your left and then your right
6 Katsugi-daiko o
mochi agete
Carry the
slung drum
Mime slinging the drum over your shoulder.
Turn around completely, jumping on your left foot.
7 Tsukaremashita
Kyu-kei
We’ve worked hard –
break time
Wipe the sweat off your forehead.
Dip down and touch your hands to your knees.
8 Uchiwa auge,
Sore! Sore!
Wave the fan drum.
Let’s go! Let’s go!
Wave your outstretched arms in front of you.
Turn around completely, waving your arms in front of you.
9 (three times)
Soro soro,
owari ka na?
This has gone on a bit,
Why don’t we end?
Take a step,
do a conga line move
Owari! The end! End balanced on your left foot

The Taiko March

Food and Friends: Fuel for Kumi-daiko

Dinner with new friends: Mary, Lisa, Stacey, Mari, Kaoru, George, & May

Dinner with new friends: Mary, Lisa, Stacey, Mari, Kaoru, George, & May

There are two things a taiko player likes to do: banging on drums and going out to eat. At least these are two of my favorite things! Taiko Conference was not only about learning new techniques, songs, and drills. It was also about making new friends, and then…… going out together to eat!

The opening reception brought hundreds of us together with tables full of delicious food cooked by local LA taiko groups. I got to see some old friends from Hawaii, meet some new ones, and find out about the famous Korean BBQ Taco Truck that drives around LA – thanks Meg!

At Wurstkuche, I watched Kelvin eat a rattlesnake & rabbit sausage. His verdict: tastes like sausage. At Tofu Village I tried shochu for the first time – thanks Matt. My verdict: I’ll stick with water.

Bombu Taiko of LA confirmed my theory that dinner time means whatever time practice is over (we arrived at the restaurant at 11 PM) and that west coast taiko groups eat just like east coast taiko groups – a lot! At a Japanese restaurant, John-Paul and I were amused but also impressed with Beth’s chopstick skills as she got her natto from her bowl to her mouth. I enjoyed bringing ONE members to some of my favorite places, like Daikokuya for ramen and of course, Pinkberry, and to see them enjoy these places as much as I do.

Celebrating with old friends: Matt, Cat, Dave, Jadelyn, Greg, Diane, Joy, & Beth

Celebrating with old friends: Matt, Cat, Dave, Jadelyn, Greg, Diane, Joy, & Beth

I loved my birthday dinner with ONE community members and my daughter Jadelyn, who arranged for us to go to a shabu-shabu house. The waitress brought us endless trays of meat and vegetables to cook in our hot pots (more than we could eat) and a free bottle of champagne! Thank you ONE for celebrating with me and making my day special.

Whether it be a quick breakfast gulped down with DianeMark, a curry lunch with Beth & Lindsay, or dinner with Diane, DaveCat & Greg where we laugh hilariously at every comment made, these are the bonds we make when we are away from our drums, so that when we get back behind them, our kumi-daiko creates something special.

I took away so much from my first Taiko Conference, and although I may forget some of what I learned, I’ll always remember sharing the week – drumming, laughing, and eating, with both old friends and new friends and definitely some of the best people I know.

Taiko Conference: First Impressions

Taiko players packed the room, and enjoyed dinner together at the opening reception on Thursday evening.

Taiko players packed the room, and enjoyed dinner together at the opening reception on Thursday evening.

The first full day of the North American Taiko Conference (NATC), Friday the 7th, was even more of an eye-opener than I thought it might be. While it may be that not every North American taiko group currently in existence was represented there, the experience, skill level, and chops of those in attendance both inspired and challenged me. As a sempai for most of our Community Members in ONE, I bear a responsibility for maintaining and improving my taiko and serving as an example for others.  Translating this to the larger taiko community, it felt somewhat like a wake-up call for me to evaluate anew my capabilities, weaknesses, and taiko IQ, one might say, relative to my experience. Not in a ruthlessly competitive way; more along the lines of seeing a fellow workshop participant play well and thinking, “Hey, that was pretty good and he had said he started playing taiko just 2 years ago….” The skills flashed by the different groups performing in the Taiko 10 concert drove home that point.