The first time I saw a Japanese taiko group perform last year, I was impressed by their precision and the incredible amount of noise they made. I thought it looked like it would be fun to bang the shit out of those drums, but I never thought I'd get the chance.
Today I had my first performance with the taiko group I've been practicing with for the last six months at the Tanabata festival in Maebashi. I played three songs: Jyoshyu is a pumped-up anthem that would be right at home at a college football game. Karakaze is named after the notoriously powerful zephyr that blows through Gunma every winter. And Tsurunomai is supposed to look like a dancing crane (which is apparently what Gunma looks like on a map).
Today I had my first performance with the taiko group I've been practicing with for the last six months at the Tanabata festival in Maebashi. I played three songs: Jyoshyu is a pumped-up anthem that would be right at home at a college football game. Karakaze is named after the notoriously powerful zephyr that blows through Gunma every winter. And Tsurunomai is supposed to look like a dancing crane (which is apparently what Gunma looks like on a map).Taiko is a totally different musical experience than what I'm used to. It's very rigid and precise. There's no room for improvisation. And there's choreography to learn. This is all very counter-intuitive for me, but it's probably helping me grow as a musician so I'm gonna stick with it at least until we leave Japan.
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