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My favorite katsugi solo is by Masayuki Sakamoto from Kodo. His stick work leading to the crossover is amazing.

The crossover is the main attraction of playing katsugi because it's got the "party trick" that other daikos can't do.

You've given me a lot to think about for the future. At the moment, I've just switched from 2+2 finger grip (Vulcan) to 3+1 finger grip, building up my muscle memory for that. I'm switching from the older technique of going over the katsugi to the newer technique of going around the katsugi. Besides healing from the torn skin, I'm spending half the time in crossover and half on single head, but now I will spend a third on crossover, a third on playing one head, and a third on playing both heads.

I love practicing air bachi to improve my movement and my speed!!

What is the kuchi shoga/showa phonetics for triplets? I’ve heard it before but I can’t remember if it’s “Do-gi-ri” or “Do-go-ri”. Thanks.

Thanks for the video, I started Taiko classes recently and noticed the difficulties of being tall, I'm 187cm and I was starting to get frustrated because I couldn't maintain a good posture

reminds me of 3 steps ahead... 😁

I am in two groups about 85 miles apart in the Taiko desert of the southeast: 2 groups NC, 1 group SC, no group GA, AL, MS, LA, group trying to form in TN. (if you have a group in these states let me know) Triangle Taiko, 21 year old group, nice drums, central storage location, city park & recreation practice space. 22 active members, waiting list to join, Performance style group, more traditional Japanese than most American groups. Earth Spirit Taiko, 16 year old group, decent drums made by a former member, about 9 members 7 of which are 55 or older, no central storage so everyone take home one or more drums, play for fun, no fixed practice place, practice outside 7 to 8 months out of the year, mix in some other culture's music.

I am ordering my Taiko-1 tomorrow. My magnolia bachi (with rounded ends) has arrived from Taiko Center in Japan, my Katsugi Okedo bag is on the way from Kaiser Drums in Germany, got my 8 rechargeable batteries from my local Ikea. I’ll be getting Boss wireless system and Roland drum amp in 2 weeks time from local music stores. Your TimbreTaiko & Taiko-1 comparison has been very helpful, along with your Taiko-1 videos, so thanks! 👍 PS. And I’ll be modifying a moving dolly from a hardware store for my Taiko-1 stand for quick change of playing beta to katsugi style.

Thank you for this Taiko 101 History. For me kumidaiko is where Taiko became a truly engaging art with a lot of momentum to reach an increasingly larger audience. North American Taiko groups do tend to be more experimental than Japanese groups and Shangö Mountain Taiko's expansion idea is a good description for the emerging "4th era."

All kinds of your stuff shows up on my TH-cam recommendations now and most of it is interesting to a blank slate of a student. Maybe some of the drills and solo stuff are for later, but this one applies right now. I have, like others, engaged in ballistic experiments with my bachi. I've given a lot of thought into what causes them to take flight in the first place. In earlier months, it was fatigue or sloppy technique. Hitting one bachi with the other will do it. When it wasn't that, it was losing control and accuracy, usually with my left. Forearm pain, weaker grip strength, etc. New person stuff. Playing too tight and lacking efficiency in movement. I don't drop them nearly as often now, but it still happens. Hitting one with the other is a thing sometimes, usually caused by fatigue, but pure force is the issue for me now. I've learned to loosen up a bit, but I start to lose it in bigger and faster don movements. If I'm reaching for the ceiling and bringing it down fast, then I sometimes start to lose it. Or it just flies away. I'm not sure whether that's about my grip not being timed right or I'm really just swinging too hard to sustain it. Swinging high but metering the power is a challenge. What I've been practicing in class is "Forget it." It's interesting that "stop playing" was a piece of advice because it seemed intuitive to me to keep playing at all costs. The show must go on. They must not know... Our group performs with bachi bags, so I'm practicing keeping the thing going and grabbing another bachi. Great point about stopping if your playing is going to suck, though. I'm also experimenting with drumstick wax to get an advantage, especially with slippery new bachi.

Absolutely aligns with my experiences as both a student AND instructor - Time Management is the monster. I think one way we screw up is the classic “ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag.” There are things you just won’t be able to do in an hour and a half, or three hours! And this applies to not just Taiko, but any skill or topic. One of the things we can do is only attempt to fill 2/3 of the time slot - including logistics, run throughs and people moving. Leave some flexibility for the unexpected, or slower than hoped progress. A workshop planned to run on tiny jeweled wheels on a Swiss watch timeline, will not survive a student struggling, or with difficult or repeated questions. Repeated questions often mean the student/s are not getting it and you have to slow down or take time to somehow explain *different.* You might be trying to cram more content than the participants can absorb. The absolute worst to manage is songs - it’s a preset amount of content that has to be crammed (sometimes pureed) into a constricted timeslot. You either end up not finishing the song, or covering the song in a very shallow or accelerated way, which is rough on beginners - who typically need more time. I’ve been to a couple where we straight up didn’t finish the song. But I am enough of a grown-up to realize the value of the time spent of preparation, concept, and fundamentals - while being disappointed that we didn’t get to play more or finish the piece. The other thing that can muck up time management is when the proportion of beginners is higher than expected, as they will typically take longer to grasp many concepts or skills, and would nominally need more drill. I have discovered that I can be much more of a “taiko a**hole” when we’re training with our group than when presenting a workshop - we can absolutely say, “we’ll pick up on this stuff next week. Practice what we have so far. Call me if you have questions. Renshu shimasu!” Time - is an inflexible, cold-hearted leather clad spike heeled dominatrix with no sense of humor - except at our expense. Keep it up, these have been very insightful!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to list out the Top 6 Comments here as a helpful tool for those who might not have English as their first language! (In order of the video) Top 6: - Fun Instructor/Positive Attitude - Those instructors who can keep the energy level up and create a fun, engaging, open environment tend to leave a really great impact on their students! - Instructor Prepared - At a bare minimum, an instructor should know the material they're teaching, and the order to teach things in. But a well-prepared instructor can also address questions as they pop-up without getting sidetracked. They can also anticipate what questions they might be asked. Some might also have a system of how to move people on and off the drums so that things move along efficiently. And others have figured out how to deal when their equipment doesn't show up in the first 5-15 minutes. - Meaning / Context / History - Meaning has to come from within, not from the instructor. However, if I explain where my dance comes from, where this song was borne from, or how these drills have evolved over the years - that kind of context helps people FIND meaning in what's being taught, which leads to a more impactful experience. - Pushed out of Comfort Zone - Some people go to workshops specifically to be pushed out of their comfort zone, because they're not getting it in their normal studies. But there are also people who do NOT want their comfort zones pushed. And then there are those in the middle who don't really care one way or the other. And it takes a great amount of skill for an instructor to identify who's in which camp, then push who wants to be pushed. On top of that, each person who wants to be pushed might have a different personality and skill level from the next, which makes it more difficult. An instructor who can handle all of that and still push those who want to be pushed shows remarkable skill. - Drills to Take Back - Overly-complicated drills are much less likely for students to take back and practice than those are easier to set up and play. While there's no need to "dumb down" a drill or workshop, ensuring that SOME of the drills can be taken home easily helps students retain the content after leaving the workshop. - Handouts - Every workshop at the last 5 NATC that handed out a handout got positive feedback for doing so. Of the workshops that did not have a handout, this was the #1 most-requested thing. Even in a digitally-oriented world, people really seem to like a physical piece of paper. This comes across as a thoughtful gesture from the instructor, who is not only preparing a workshop, but then also a handout. And while not every workshop needs a handout, every instructor should CONSIDER having a handout. - A handout can be many things, from a list of notes to remember, drawings/pictures, musical notation (Western or otherwise), a URL, etc.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to list out the Bottom 8 Comments here as a helpful tool for those who might not have English as their first language! (In order of the video) Bottom 8: - Too Much Talking - While nervous/eager energy can have someone very talkative, people tend to complain when the ratio of talking to doing is out of whack. Generally, it happens for one of two reasons. 1) The instructor wants to explain things perfectly so that people can play things perfectly. But that's not realistic, nor is it how people learn. 2) Ego, where the instructor feels their training makes them so special that you're privileged to learn from them, or that they're so talented that it's your honor to hear them speak. While the former can be forgiven a little if the material/instructor is fun and engaging, the latter tends to really put people off and word of mouth spreads fast. - Not Teaching Workshop Objectives - Even though this wasn't the #1 comment, this is the one that pisses people off the most, judging on the feedback I've read. When an instructor says "If you come to my workshop, I will teach you ABCDE," the student expects ABCDE when they sign up. If the instructor only teaches ABC, the student might very well feel cheated of content. If the instructor teaches ABdL%, they've gone off-track and while it might be fun, it's still not what was promised. - This often leaves a student feeling like they should have signed up for a different workshop, one where they might have learned all of the content promised. - Assistants - There are two different comments here. By themselves, neither would make it in to the Bottom 8. But together, they do: 1) Assistants were needed. No one can tell exactly where a workshop goes from "doesn't need" to "needs" an assistant (or assistants). But it's easy to tell when you're in a workshop that really needs one. Whether it's having too many people to teach well, or very dense, intricate content that requires attention that can't be given. 2.) Assistants were present, but giving contradictory information. Having someone say "do THIS" when the instructor says "do THAT" can be very confusing - and even stressful - for students, especially newer ones. - Too Many People / Not Enough Drums - This is the same issue framed in two different ways. If I have 10 people and 10 drums, and I need 1 person per drum, great! But if I then have 30 people and 10 drums, some might say I have too many people, while others would say I don't have enough drums. Both are correct! Regardless, when people are waiting their turn to play, it can be demoralizing and people can mentally disengage if it's too long and/or too often. - However, this is the one comment that might not always be the instructor's fault! If they requested 15 drums and were only given say, 10, now they have to scramble to react to the new setup. Or if the equipment was meant to be sent over and gets stuck/left somewhere, same problem. - Not Enough 1-on-1 Feedback - Some people go to workshops specifically to receive 1-1 feedback, especially from instructors they really like. And when they don't get it (or enough of it), they can question why they even went in the first place. Why not just watch an instructional video that you can rewind and watch repeatedly instead? And while there are some who will never get "enough" 1-1 feedback, most people just want more than they're getting. - Focused on Other Skill Levels - There tends to be 4 skill levels offered in taiko workshops: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and All. Teaching more than one skill level at a time can be tricky, and instructors can sometimes fall into the trap of engaging one (or more) of these levels to the detriment of the other(s). For example, if I think the beginners need more attention, I might not pay as much to the advanced students. Or if the advanced students are really engaging and fun, I might forget to check in with the beginners. Either way, the intermediates often lose out. - This is almost like the comment above about 1-1 feedback, but on a larger scale. - Check out my video I made on this specific topic here: th-cam.com/video/ukgOePph7mY/w-d-xo.html - Teaching Patterns, Not Skills - If I say "I'm teaching a Naname Skills workshop, please come!" and you come, but for 90% of it I teach a SONG, you might very well feel cheated. I promised skills, and you instead worked on memorization. Now you might get to learn naname skills in my song, and if you take it back home and keep practicing it, you will probably get better, but I promised one thing and delivered another. This is essentially the same comment from above, about not teaching workshop objectives. - This is also a complaint when very long/complex drills are taught, then discarded for the next, over and over again. Again, this is more about memorization and honestly, most people aren't going to remember what each drill was about after they leave. And it's worse in many cases than learning a song, because at least with a song it's just ONE thing being memorized, vs. several drills that get learned then left behind as people move to the next. - Not Enough Time - This is the #1 biggest issue for taiko workshops, but it's not actually about time, it's about time management. An instructor with good time management can teach something in 90 minutes that someone with poor time management couldn't teach in 3 hours. - The reason this issue comes up so much is because it's at the root of so many other complaints. With better time-management skills, instructors could easier teach promised workshop objectives, give 1-1 feedback, teach better to multiple skill levels, etc. - Think about how the average workshop (any workshop) is structured. You learn the basics, you put them into practice, learn how they tie together, then onto applying them in a skill or skills. The difficulty slowly ramps up, maybe not evenly but overall in a general linear manner. But what tends to happen in a LOT of taiko workshops is the first sections don't ramp up as quickly, and tend to be more "flat." Then the instructor realizes they're short on time and crams in the rest of the material, which often tends to be the more difficult stuff! This often leaves students feeling rushed, confused, frustrated, etc. And even if the bulk of the workshop was fun, when it ends in this way, the feeling people can leave with is a negative one. - This is even worse when being taught a song, because no one will drop the last part of a song; they will always cram the end in so people technically "learned" the song. - No one is happy when this happens, not even the instructor, but it keeps happening. It's far too common in our taiko workshops. Because it's such a big issue, I plan to make a future video just focused on addressing just this.

Hmmm.. place in history? Given that the less than a year old Shangö Mountain Taiko is a community taiko group in a small, rural Applachian town far from the centers of North American Taiko - with no Zen Temple, no Buddhist Church, No Japan Society, No significant Asian American Community, No Colleges or Universities, and no major Institutional Sponsors. Our schools here in rural Morgan County, WV are chronically strapped for cash. So essentially bunch of hillbillies with sticks, with an intermediate player as Facilitator. Where we stand in the vast Taiko universe? We are probably best described as part of what might be considered an emerging "North American Taiko” movement, honoring it’s Japanese roots but expanding and exploring the possibilities of taiko. For instance, bringing in African rhythms like “Shangö” and jamming with classic rock tunes. The emerging “4th era” which we seem to be entering might be called “Expansion” - both in the number of stylistic interpretations and overall growth of Taiko in North America and worldwide. $ 0.02

Thank you!

Very helpful, thank you

I dropped this into the Taiko Community Group on Facebook - Out here in the WV panhandle, every taiko player here… I’ve essentially had to train myself. That said, like many of us, when I run intro workshops, my subversive purpose beyond spreading and sharing Taiko - like many of us - is recruitment for the delicate cherry blossom that is Shangö Mountain Taiko. So it occurs to me that you have to hit a tricky balance of content, enough fun variety for utter beginners to keep them engaged, but not overwhelm them with a tsunami of Taiko STUFF. The two fatal reactions are “this is BORING” and “this is TOO HARD”. Both gone, never to return. So ideas? Advice? How to find the right balance of content, challenge, and intensity to encourage people, and get ‘em hooked? Got an intro ‘shop coming up Mar 2. Hoping to encourage attendees to come BACK and kick in with us pack of “hillbillies with sticks. Thumpin' on things and shouting in Japanese.”

I watched this wondering if it would shed some light on my issue. Well, one of them anyway. I'm not at a point where I have a death grip on the bachi. I'm pretty loose with them on the way up and then grab hard right before the strike to have a strong attack and keep the bachi from bouncing around. I'm using my wrists and fingers to do this, but I don't think I've perfected it and I'm not sure if I'm going wrong somewhere. I'm either losing the bachi inch-by-inch during more intense drills and forced to adjust or I'm getting beaten up on my left hand. It feels like a harsh vibration through the tips of my fingers and my pinky finger often gets bruised. My left hand is definitely drummer, so I'm wondering if I'm gripping differently with it. I don't have this issue on the right. If it's not a grip issue, then I wonder if I'm still just playing too hard? The concept of reaching high and swinging down fast without going max power, it may still be a bit elusive. What I'm taught is to let gravity to most of it instead of using muscle or else I will die, but maybe I'm still learning to calibrate.

Here is a drum key hack I use to replace drum heads . Some drum keys can be used with a cordless screw gun. NASCAR pit crew speed, without the head cramps.

Just bought my first katsugi okedo and this video is what I was looking for! Thx very much

happy New Year and thanks for sharing your New clip to start this year

I just saved this one to my playlist. I didn't pay a ton of attention to the solo topics because I thought it would be a long time before I was ready for it. I thought wrong. My group did not go through a practice dedicated to the best practices for soloing. We were just doing something completely different and then Sensei pointed at all of us and said "go." Well, I guess we do that now. Sure, I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but it looks like we're going to figure that out. The gist I'm getting is that everyone will do a little something in practice, but it may be up to us if we want to do cooler things. A few random syncopated don/kon strokes are cool and I do respect the concept of ma, but I want to do cool things if I'm going to bother. I'm not really inclined to look like a deer in the headlights the next times he does this, so I'm going to review a few drills and some of your videos about soloing. What you said about connecting the hands and the mind hits home. I need to have the vocabulary for certain things before I can do it reliably in real time and not forget completely about the tempo.

where can i buy this?

Why they discontinued Taiko 1? Are they replacing with new product?

have the advanced students explain or demonstrate to the beginners is also a good win-win strategy ... curious for the rest of the series... thx for sharing!

Great first video! I started teaching a few years ago and found it quite isolating as it was hard to learn "How to teach Taiko". I think it would be great to hear the differences in approaches in leading workshops vs multi-class sessions, product-based vs concept-based teaching, and giving students opportunities to perform or in some way synthesize their learning so that they have a feeling of accomplishment.

Good idea for video series, but also would be good for tips on how to be a supportive teaching assistant. When to chime in and demonstrate in ways that help and not hinder and at the right time

You mention how "grueling" the setup was for the Taiko 1 and that you never want to disassemble it for transport. Well... I find myself in a situation where I've bought a second hand Taiko 1 in Japan for a real bargain price and need to do exactly this to get it home as I don't think my airline will accept it as cabin baggage fully assembled. I've tried undoing the nuts with a standard Pearl drum key, but they won't budge. The key just spins on the nut (either they're in super tight or the nuts are stripped from the previous owner over tightening). Have you got any advice on what I can do to loosen them?

I’m on the verge of being able to afford a Ronald Taiko-1 by the end of the year (for better portability, more sounds & lower cost than buying a traditional Taiko), so this is great news!

This is exciting for me to hear! I'm just starting to study the katsugi with my professor, and it's my absolute favorite drum to play. The hands have been confusing for me, but I'm learning!

Hi Sir, thank you for the video. I copied file to pendrive but it's showing empty when I connect to the Taiko. Could you please advise me why this is happening and the solution?

At the advice of this channel, I've been practicing with western pads and sticks and can say it's serving me well. Practicing the widest swings with full power at home is just not practical for me. I'm 6'3" and my results were sticks/bachi on the ceiling or ceiling fan. I'm still trying to figure out mechanics for those full range-of-motion full power don strokes and have resigned myself to relying on my teachers and the copious amount of drilling in class. That's an environment where I have the real drums and bachi, someone who knows what they're doing, and someone who sees what I can't, especially if I start getting tired and my form falls apart. I'm happy to accept this as a limitation to the pads or home practice in general. The biggest value I'm getting from the pads is learning my group's repertoire. It's helping me catch up more quickly and be able to play more with the intermediate students. The other thing is raw technique. I'm getting more comfortable with standard middle-of-the-road strikes and rhythms and getting my wrists involved. The teachers are helping me with form overall and hitting hard, but I want to connect the other end of the spectrum and get fine control with my fingers and wrists. Single-stroke rolls, any group of 16ths, etc. It will be different on bachi, but I think these pads will help quite a bit in this area. I've been looking at a few things on youtube, but also playing random groups of 16ths mixed with 8ths using a metronome. 4, 5, 7, 3, triplet.... Whatever. I don't have great coordination and independence between my two hands yet and look forward to figuring that out. I plan to use the TimbreTaiko for composition or maybe some practice exercises later on, but I think it will be a niche item for me. I planned to use MIDI, but that's going to be more work than I'd anticipated. I could see using it just to do certain parts to give it a more human feel along with programming and using finger pads. I could also see using the sounds from the TimbreTaiko just to demo something.

Add more gaps. Add gaps in off beats. Add gaps in odd timings. Keep em guessing ;)

I'm not going to leave a rambling paragraph this time. Just trying to be supportive with the algorithm.

Since I started playing this summer, I've started to learn songs. I'd love to say I pick them up super fast when they're shown to us live in class, but I'd be lying. If I want to be a quick study in class (which I do), then I need to do some work outside of class. I've started working on random drills at home as well as learning songs. For the actual hitting of it all, I've settled on two Western drum practice pads on snare stands. The first one was the cheapest Chinese thing on Amazon and the second one is an Evans Realfeel pad. It's much nicer. Some of the songs require two drums, so two practice pads is a quick way to solve for that. There are a couple traditional songs with the drums played perpendicular to the floor. I just rotate the snare stands 90 degrees, then hack away at them while leaning forward in an office chair. For learning songs that aren't spelled out on my group's website, I'll find a performance video and then slow it down when needed in a media player like Quicktime or I'll dump it into a video editor (DaVinci Resolve) and loop just certain parts until I can play through it. I'll use a note taking app (Keep) to listen through the song and then map out the parts, sometimes with an attempt at kuchishoga. This gets me to where I can play through the song at home and then "get it" more quickly when they show it to us in class. I've recoded video from the group's last performance and started to proactively learn songs. I recently got a KaDon TimbreTaiko as well with a plan to use that for recording ideas, samples, or eventually original songs. The MIDI part of it is a pain in the hindquarters, but the raw audio from it is realistic enough to get the point across. I tried an Alesis Samplepad before the TimbreTaiko, but the pressure sensitivity (velocity) was difficult to figure out. The TimbreTaiko is not perfect, especially with MIDI, but it feels good and gives you at least a little bit of dynamic range.

I got excited when I saw the word, "beginner," but I realize that's not the intended audience. Even still, I watched the whole thing and can relate at a micro level in Taiko and more so from playing guitar. I started playing with a group in June and feel like I've taken in a huge amount of information in a few weeks. The majority of it was a mixture of nerves (fear of etiquette mistakes, some of which came to fruition), physical discomfort, feeling overwhelmed, low confidence, feeling like I should be "getting it" faster, excitement at learning something, and motivation to press ahead. The progress is not linear. Some days, I feel like I've gotten somewhere and some, I feel like I've regressed. Since this is a group activity, I feel like I let everyone down if I make an audible mistake or don't pick up a new beat (especially kuchishoga) right away. I'm starting to see some progress in that I'm learning songs, there's less muscle pain (waiting for the forearm tendon to get it together), and it's less of an epic struggle to make the big wooden sticks hit the drums where and when I want them to. It was torture being able to hear the beat and when to play, but coming in late or early because I didn't know how to move the giant sausages attacked to my shoulders. I'm not perfect there yet by any means, but I've gotten just far enough to see light at the end of the tunnel. I can get through a class and feel like less I've wrestled an agitated gorilla. There's plenty to do better, but I can play a song and not be the reason it train-wrecks. I'm pretty excited about that and it's giving me a little bit more mental bandwidth to think about these other mindsets. What's helping to keep me engaged is having goals. The mentality is less that I'm a new player and more that I'm new to the "band" and need to catch up to everyone so I can pull my weight. I want to move into the main group so I can learn more songs and perform. There's no rushing raw skill. I have to hack and slash my way through that until my nervous system and muscles get with the program. What I can do, however, is to take ownership of my journey and see what I can do proactively to get closer to where I want to be. Mainly, that's getting online and learning songs outside of class. I'm going to keep doing that to the best of my ability so that I'm "quick" when they show it to us live. That frees up mental bandwidth to get the beats down quickly, then work more on technique and form. I can think about what I want to get out of this and push in that direction. Another thing I'm doing is more classes when available and taking advantage of chances to play with the main group. There are two beginner groups and one has more experienced players, so I'm doing both when I can. It's the best of worlds between learning songs, but also working on fundamentals and helping people who are newer than me. That MAY be in line with the professional mindset. I need to get this stuff down... Maybe on the artistic side, I'm looking at ways to compose. I've downloaded Taiko Creator (it's awesome) and that will give me more than enough to work with when I'm ready. That's meant to be played with a keyboard for cinematic stuff, but I want the option to physically play drum parts. I started with an Alesis Sample Pad 4, but returned it in favor of a Timbre Taiko (the thing that got me watching your videos in the first place). I'm not there just yet, but that's a thing to look forward to. I'm learning how the drums work and I play heavy metal... Whether it's successful or not, I intend to make those worlds collide, at least on my computer. As always, I do appreciate the videos. They're a great set of resources for a newbie and I've used some of them for drills at home. I'm not ready to take over on the shime yet, but I've hit one now and it's becoming less foreign.

Such a clear and effective way to explain the three mindsets! Genius.

Great contribution, thank you! Do you know if the Taiko-2 will come soon? Taiko-1 has been on the market for two years...

ghoh Adam, youtube made on the general clip a texting = terrible how they "translate" words : ex. taiko becomes "title" (google phonetics?)... But as "abonee" this texts (translations) do not appear... Crazy businsess - By the way - feels a pitty you did not put more attention/importance to the personal challenges instead of focus of competition, but i appreciate your conclusion 🤩

Beg your pardon. I like the idea of adding in some BGM. But I feel that a fast pace taiko track with a bunch of stuff going on is a bit too distracting. Maybe try some more calm Koto or Shakuhachi? But being only 5 minutes into your video, so I'll add something more substantial the whole way through. 1. Having people who want to introduce new ideas into a Taiko group is how we went from 3 or 4 Taiko groups in the U.S to over 500. In my town alone we had one group 10 years ago, some of the members said 'let's do some contemporary stuff' the leader was like 'no lol' and thus, another group was born. Then some other guys wanted to explore naname and Yoko Uchi, and now we have 3 groups. So in a way, Taiko is like any other social institution - desire for new ideas introduces diversity into the Taiko community. Nothing wrong with that. 2. I think there are two kinds of competition. There's the kind where groups are competing in a controlled, limited environment, for the purpose of progressing the artform as a whole. That means coming up with zanier rhythms, being more in tune with other players, integrating more interesting elements to impress the judges. That kind of competition can be fun and rewarding for all groups, even if you lose, because you get to witness a more impressive display and potentially learn from your competitors. Either you win or you learn, so it's a win regardless. Then there's the other kind of competition where the Taiko community is overcrowded and there's a limited number of events to play at, the quality of play is fully optimized, and groups become less collaborative and deliberately undermine each other as a result. Kind of like the way businesses already work. I think that's Taiko capitalism, and it isn't here yet but I suspect it will come when Taiko leaves the niche and becomes the mainstream. I feel as though Taiko Ventures is a big step towards that. And I feel that distinction might be the core difference between competition in Japan vs. Competition in America. Competition in America means tribalism, withholding information and realpolitik.

This is a great breakdown for a new person, especially one who has the luxury of more than one choice. In my city, there are two groups that seemed to start from one and it does appear there are differences. One had monthly "intro" classes with a new beginner course starting in September. They're doing it in waves of similar experience, it seems. The other had no organized intro class and you just jump in with the beginners. People who are new off the street join in with people who've been there several months. This one is led by people who are from Japan and place a lot of emphasis on culture and etiquette. We bow, use Japanese phrases, start and end in a circle, etc. It's everyone's job to take care of the dojo (clean, lock doors, turn off A/C, pick up anything that's out of place, polish/move drums, etc) whereas the other seems to have less of that. The songs from one group seem to have more movement and vocalization whereas the other has more complex and energetic drumming. I ended up using TH-cam videos of past performances to make my choice. I felt that one group was playing songs I liked better and that the recorded performances were more consistent over the years and groups of players. This group seems to request more in terms of commitment and flexibility. I got an e-mail yesterday (7/5) changing the time of class on Saturday (7/8) and asking for volunteers to help at a festival on the 7th and 8th. I have another commitment on Saturday and should still be able to make it work (barely), but I'd prefer more advance notice. The other group charges less per month and seems to be easier for planning and commitment, but I think I'll progress more quickly where I am in spite of the parts I don't love as much. Something they do on one day is have a 30-minute overlap between the intermediate and beginner classes. The newbs catch the end of what the intermediates are doing and occasionally join in some of it. That looks like a great way to judge progress and see what the next steps look like. I think what they're going for is to have the more advanced students help out the less experienced. This video actually helped me think about whether or not to switch dojos this fall. The other one would be easier in terms of cost, driving distance, and organization. Where I am now, however, is probably where I'll learn faster and eventually play in styles I'd enjoy more. I don't really want to move and yell. I want to bash on drums. I understand those performance elements are important, but drum-centric is where my introverted self wants to be.

This was very thoughtful. Having JUST launched a Taiko group in a tiny Appalachian Mountain town in West Virginia, all of this stuff is kind of front of mind. We have no Zen Temple, no Buddhist Church, no college or university, no Asian-American community of any notice, no significant institutional sponsors, and the schools are chronically cash strapped. So a bunch of enthusiastic hippies with big sticks - on own own, two and a half hours from the nearest Taiko Dojo. So some useful yardsticks to consider who and where we are!

Great video. I think that it's important to note that Taiko isn't like bluegrass: there isn't a set of common songs to learn. Playing the song(s) of another group, especially those of the grand masters, in public without permission is not accepted.

Also, one aspect of Taiko that I feel is massively contrasted between the U.S and Japanese Taiko groups is who controls the means of Dokodon - either the Drums are personally owned by certain members of the group, vs. Drums that are owned by the Municipal town office, and the Taiko team forms a subset of their cultural properties. I feel like this highly influences who calls the shots in the group irrespective of experience or skill.

I really do like this breakdown. Very detailed. It would be interesting if you can provide some contrasting examples of certain groups (without burning any bridges of course.) I feel like it would be a fun exercise to make a spreadsheet of the different groups I've been a part of and how they fit on this chart, perhaps even a Google poll/questionnaire. I'd be especially interested in how people within the same group at different places in the hierarchy responded to the same questions.

I'm glad this one showed up on my feed. I'm also 6' 3" and don't exactly come from a tradition of gymnastics, dance, or anything that involves graceful or coordinated movement. After watching this, I have to give credit to my dojo. The bachi that they issued/sold me are 18" long, so they're at least considering the difference. It's a thing at home too. I got my Western practice pad and drum sticks. One of the first things I did was jab the ceiling drywall. I like what you have to say about exercise too as I don't feel alone. Breathing is the bigger thing I need to worry about (as evidenced by struggling with that during drills in class), but being able to hold stances and keep range of motion is huge too. I've only really been "active" regularly since January this year. My job is sedentary and I sit a lot, so I've developed imbalances over time. I have a tight shoulder and hip and I have to max out one shoulder for the bigger strokes. I started physiotherapy in December, yoga in January, and pilates in February or March. I've taken to biking about once per week and and also lost about 30 pounds. Without having at least the yoga and pilates, I'd have been much further behind on just being able to endure a Taiko class without hip and back pain. The pilates classes already hit the core and hips pretty hard, which is exactly what I needed. At this point, Taiko is another level added to those classes in terms of movement. It's a more difficult thing I can now do and it will become easier. Last year, walking a mile would have caused pain. I know anybody can just whack a drum with some simple rhythms, but I think it's important to do it as correctly as possible rather than looking like a giant ogre swinging clubs at frightened villagers. It's giving my shoulders and upper back hell (at least at first) and giving me a realistic assessment of where I am with cardio. I did get coached last week on one of the things you were talking about (back not straight). I like just hearing that a taller person may have to do more outside of class to stay in shape for it because it makes me feel like I'm not crazy or grossly incompetent. I'm probably going to do a few things outside of class to support the cardio side of it too. Hiking, at least. Being over 40 is also a reality.

Initial experience: I can do it with bachi, more easily on the right than left. Can't do it with Western drum sticks. I don't think I have it figured out yet and I'm pretty sure this could turn into blisters/calluses along the base of my index fingers. Looks like a pretty cool thing to learn, though!

Sure, I'll comment on an old video. Why not? Impressions help and I will probably consume a lot of the information, so I'll hit like or comment once in awhile. As someone who's signed up but has had all of three classes, it's easy to look at this without too much bias. I'd consider Kuchishoga-only to be Taiko because that's a big part of the learning and it's also a giant road block for me. I can play it and I can say the syllables in time, but I haven't learned breath support or doing it loudly while playing. don doko don doko whatever...*gasp - "Louder! Keep saying it!" Needless to say, that element has my respect. Without knowing much, I'd call it Taiko based on the compositions and techniques. I think musicians from other disciplines can learn Taiko compositions and play similar patterns and call it Taiko. I think any musicians can play those compositions and techniques on different instruments and call it Taiko or at least call it out as an influence or type of fusion. A few Taiko drum hits in a cinematic score or on a pop song, I wouldn't call that Taiko. I'd just say it features those drums or players. I'd use that logic for any genre, though and not worry too much about whether people have different views of it. It's not what's important. When it comes to history and culture, I'd definitely leave it to the experts and the people who are inviting people like me to learn and participate in their culture.

Would be nice see a daily routine while casted, perhaps a tour of the cast toes and sole, or some crutching. Get well thanks