Taiko

So this past friday evening a few of us JCMU students decided we wanted to try and see if we could join the local Taiko (Japanese traditional drumming) group. Only one of us had any previous experience at taiko so we were a bit anxious in going. This was an actual rehearsal  for them, so we didn't want to intrude and make them teach us the basics, so we just watched while they (and Kouri, the student with experience) practiced one of their peieces.

It was sweet even to see them just practice. We were the only audience there, besides themselves, and it was interesting to see them acctually in a rehearsal setting. Often members of the group would make mistakes, and it was humorous to watch the other members joke at them about it.

At the end of the rehearsal they let us join in  for a quick exercise. They set the drums in a circle and taught us students a simple rhythm. Then, after 3 times everyone would move one drum to the right, so now you were playing on your neighbor's drum. It added some challenge to the whole routine, but it kept it interesting. Anyway, it was tons of fun and I was able to grab a video of the first part of  the reahersal... Enjoy:

Hikone Taiko