Taiko

For the last several months, I have been part of a taiko group-- traditional Japanese drumming. Taiko is one of the things I knew I wanted to do before coming to Japan. I'd seen it back in Minnesota, and I loved the rhythms and the little wooden flute and the way the drums are so loud you can feel them reverberating in your chest. Plus, since graduating college (and thus leaving behind the band in which I played flute) I've missed playing music with other people.

Taiko is like nothing I've ever done before. Even if I'd been a percussion player in band, which I wasn't, it would be totally different. It's a full-body activity. All of you moves with the rhythm-- it's part drumming and part dance. It's a good workout, too.

Taiko is also a challenge. I've always been better at reading music than memorizing it, so learning songs entirely by ear is hard for me. I actually wrote out the rhythm to one of the songs just so I could see it on paper, though it makes no sense without an explanation. I'm also not great at memorizing movements, as I don't have much experience with things like dance and martial arts.

I love my taiko group. Everyone teaches me, down to the youngest kid, who's in first grade. One of the main lessons I've gotten out of every children's book ever is that you shouldn't underestimate kids. They have just as much to teach as anyone else. Certainly, I've found that to be true in Japan. These children have been teaching me both Japanese and taiko, and I'm grateful for it.

Today I had my first taiko performance. I did make some mistakes, but I did it, and I'm proud of myself. I'm also proud of Jesse and the really talented kids we played with.

Thanks for reading!

Lian