Wow, the time sure is flying by! I can't believe it's been 11 weeks already. I spent some time today looking back at my previous drills and would like to move forward by refining the skills I've introduced already and combining a few of these to attempt more versatility.
Way back in TGIF Part 1, line 2 was:
R R L L R R L L
Jump back there for a second to review my instructions first. I'll be going more in depth with how you can use this drill today.
Focus: Speed, Balance, Strength
Watch for:
1. Each hit should have equal volume.
2. Even though all hits are small for this drill, make them intentional. Relaxing your wrist so your bachi falls on the drum is not the way to accomplish this. Review the video in TGIF Part 9 if you need to practice grip first.
Okay, the pattern is easy, you've done it before. The dynamics are easy to understand, but perhaps not so easy to be consistent with. Set your hands in ready position so your bachi are each 1/3 from the outside edge of the drum. This will be your base position for this drill. Choose a visible spot just underneath each one and do your best to hit the exact spot every time. This will help keep your arms from straying and will make your sound consistent.
Here's the pattern again:
R R L L R R L L
These hits should be small and intentional, as mentioned in point 2, and each equal in volume.
Typically I've been asking for about 15 minutes of your time per day. If you'd really like to get the muscle strengthening benefits of this drill, you should aim for close to 30 minutes without stopping.
Extension:
Take this extension slowly to make sure that you're doing it correctly before you increase speed on your metronome. All beats should be evenly spaced.
R R L L R R L L R R L L
Bold means emphasize the hits. However, let's take this a bit further. Ideally all of your non-emphasized hits are consistently making contact in the same place each time (remember your spots?). A drum will have a deeper sound in the center than the outer edge. So, really make those emphasized hits stand out by striking them in the middle of the drum!
Make sure that after you strike in the middle that your hand returns immediately back to it's "home" position, 1/3 from the edge, right over your "spot".
Just like the small hits, make sure that the emphasized hits are equal in volume as well.
---
Lots of technical stuff today that will be tough to get just right if you've not been practicing daily. But, no worries--these drills will always be here. If you're not getting it, back up and practice the others first, or leave a comment and I can give you some tips on how to make improvements.
Gambette yo!
A place for useful tips, drills, and information about taiko.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Joint Practice with Iki Daiko
I just returned from 2 days in the mountains outside the city of Kyoto. My teacher, Ryo Shimamoto, was invited to teach a class for a group there called Iki Daiko. So, the whole Shippu Uchi Daiko group went up and we had a joint practice. Iki Daiko is a newer group, started just a couple of years ago. It was fun to meet some other players in Japan, and I look forward to when they come down to Wakayama for another joint practice in the spring time.
I didn't have my camera during the practice, but here are a few from the party afterwards, including all of their family members. Enjoy the enkai photos!
Ryo Sensei hiding behind Itsuka.
Haruka, one of Shippu's main players.
Ishibashi-san and me.
Nana and Haruka--they're sisters.
Haruka and Tayeko-san.
Nabe--yummy!
Masako-san, Ishibashi-san, and Hayashi-san
We stayed at the YMCA in the cabin to the right.
Shippu is Happiness!
A quick view of Japanese hot pot.
The inevitable enkai singing... except my camera had no sound. Use your imagination!
Catch you Friday!
I didn't have my camera during the practice, but here are a few from the party afterwards, including all of their family members. Enjoy the enkai photos!
Ryo Sensei hiding behind Itsuka.
Haruka, one of Shippu's main players.
Ishibashi-san and me.
Nana and Haruka--they're sisters.
Haruka and Tayeko-san.
Nabe--yummy!
Masako-san, Ishibashi-san, and Hayashi-san
We stayed at the YMCA in the cabin to the right.
Shippu is Happiness!
A quick view of Japanese hot pot.
The inevitable enkai singing... except my camera had no sound. Use your imagination!
Catch you Friday!
Friday, November 21, 2008
TGIF, Part 10 (taiko drills)
Hello! I hope you found the paradiddle drill useful. It's a great way to challenge yourself with counting, if you have a partner. One person plays the pattern and the other improvises on top of it. It's tricky to keep track of beats because the emphasis is not always on the down beat.
So, recently I've been practicing dexterity with a simple pattern that can be done 3 ways. I'll introduce it first here and once you've got it, check out the Extension.
Focus: Dexterity, Speed
Watch for:
1. Pay attention to your wrists and don't let them break in a way that you lose the angle between the bachi and the drum.
2. Practice using the grip introduced last week, TGIF Part 9
This line should be played by one hand at a time.
DON tsu tsu DON tsu tsu DON tsu
If you find that one had is obviously weaker than the other, say the left, then play this once on the right hand for every 2 on the left. Relax your wrists--this drill is meant to practice speed, so you shouldn't have time to lift the whole arm up.
Pay attention to where your stick hits the drum. The DON and the tsu should be played at the exact same point on the head of the drum. If you're having trouble with this, check first to see if your arm demonstrates a rocking motion, coming closer to you for the tsu. Eliminating this, and paying attention to the wrist should help.
15-20 minutes a day for this one. Challenge yourself to increase metronome tempo daily. Have fun!
Extension:
Take the same pattern and apply try this twist:
Play 2 times on the right hand.
Play 2 times on the left hand.
Play 2 times with both hands.
When you hit with both hands together, notice whether there is one, clean sound. Is the sound clean for the emphasized hits and the non-emphasized hits? Slow your metronome down significantly until you accomplish this consistently.
Gambatte yo!
So, recently I've been practicing dexterity with a simple pattern that can be done 3 ways. I'll introduce it first here and once you've got it, check out the Extension.
Focus: Dexterity, Speed
Watch for:
1. Pay attention to your wrists and don't let them break in a way that you lose the angle between the bachi and the drum.
2. Practice using the grip introduced last week, TGIF Part 9
This line should be played by one hand at a time.
DON tsu tsu DON tsu tsu DON tsu
If you find that one had is obviously weaker than the other, say the left, then play this once on the right hand for every 2 on the left. Relax your wrists--this drill is meant to practice speed, so you shouldn't have time to lift the whole arm up.
Pay attention to where your stick hits the drum. The DON and the tsu should be played at the exact same point on the head of the drum. If you're having trouble with this, check first to see if your arm demonstrates a rocking motion, coming closer to you for the tsu. Eliminating this, and paying attention to the wrist should help.
15-20 minutes a day for this one. Challenge yourself to increase metronome tempo daily. Have fun!
Extension:
Take the same pattern and apply try this twist:
Play 2 times on the right hand.
Play 2 times on the left hand.
Play 2 times with both hands.
When you hit with both hands together, notice whether there is one, clean sound. Is the sound clean for the emphasized hits and the non-emphasized hits? Slow your metronome down significantly until you accomplish this consistently.
Gambatte yo!
Friday, November 14, 2008
TGIF, Part 9 (taiko drills)
Hi and welcome back!
A couple of quick notes before we get started.
I have been hoping to get more feedback from viewers on my posts and have just found an easy, quick way to do so. I certainly enjoy the time I spend creating these tips and drills, but it would be great to know if they're actually useful to someone out there! Please take a second at the bottom of each drill to check whether or not you found it helpful. And, if you didn't, please let me know what would make this a more useful place for you. Feel free to go back and rate older drills, too.
And--let's get connected. Check out the top right column to become a follower of my blog. Thanks!
Alright, here we go!
Focus: Dexterity, Counting
Watch for:
1. Make sure that the timing between each hit is even. You can check this by putting your metronome on double-time.
2. Relax your wrists! You won't accomplish speed without this.
Okay, it's the last week for the paradiddles (though I can't promise they won't pop up again in varying forms:). If you tried the extension last week, then you are familiar with the pattern we'll start with this week. Try counting the beats as you play. You should have 8 counts of 8:
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
x2
R L R R L R L L
x4
Concentrate on making non-emphasized hits come from the wrist and NOT the whole arm or forearm. You can most easily accomplish this by providing leverage with your fingers on the underside of the bachi. Note that this grip is only for small, speedy hits:
1. Pinch your thumb and index finger together. Make another set with the remaining 3 fingers.
2. Place the thumb and index finger so their center is lined up with the center of the bachi.
3. Use the index finger and thumb to pick up the bachi. This is what holds your stick in place.
4. Wrap the remaining fingers around the bachi.
5. The 3 fingers at the back stay together as one unit and are flat against the bachi.
Here's a video that demonstrates how to use this grip. First you'll see the grip from different angles, then don don don don... I finish by playing don tsu tsu don tsu tsu don tsu. The end pattern demonstrates what it should look like for big vs. small hits in the paradiddle pattern.
Extension:
The entire paradiddle drill takes up 8 counts of 8. We practiced this above. Got it? Okay, so here's the challenge: Play the entire paradiddle drill one time through, then immediately start improvisation. Continue improvisation for exactly 8 counts of 8 (yes, you have to count!). Then repeat the paradiddle drill. Keep looping!
Catch you next week--Please rate this post!
Gambatte!
A couple of quick notes before we get started.
I have been hoping to get more feedback from viewers on my posts and have just found an easy, quick way to do so. I certainly enjoy the time I spend creating these tips and drills, but it would be great to know if they're actually useful to someone out there! Please take a second at the bottom of each drill to check whether or not you found it helpful. And, if you didn't, please let me know what would make this a more useful place for you. Feel free to go back and rate older drills, too.
And--let's get connected. Check out the top right column to become a follower of my blog. Thanks!
Alright, here we go!
Focus: Dexterity, Counting
Watch for:
1. Make sure that the timing between each hit is even. You can check this by putting your metronome on double-time.
2. Relax your wrists! You won't accomplish speed without this.
Okay, it's the last week for the paradiddles (though I can't promise they won't pop up again in varying forms:). If you tried the extension last week, then you are familiar with the pattern we'll start with this week. Try counting the beats as you play. You should have 8 counts of 8:
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
x2
R L R R L R L L
x4
Concentrate on making non-emphasized hits come from the wrist and NOT the whole arm or forearm. You can most easily accomplish this by providing leverage with your fingers on the underside of the bachi. Note that this grip is only for small, speedy hits:
1. Pinch your thumb and index finger together. Make another set with the remaining 3 fingers.
2. Place the thumb and index finger so their center is lined up with the center of the bachi.
3. Use the index finger and thumb to pick up the bachi. This is what holds your stick in place.
4. Wrap the remaining fingers around the bachi.
5. The 3 fingers at the back stay together as one unit and are flat against the bachi.
Here's a video that demonstrates how to use this grip. First you'll see the grip from different angles, then don don don don... I finish by playing don tsu tsu don tsu tsu don tsu. The end pattern demonstrates what it should look like for big vs. small hits in the paradiddle pattern.
Extension:
The entire paradiddle drill takes up 8 counts of 8. We practiced this above. Got it? Okay, so here's the challenge: Play the entire paradiddle drill one time through, then immediately start improvisation. Continue improvisation for exactly 8 counts of 8 (yes, you have to count!). Then repeat the paradiddle drill. Keep looping!
Catch you next week--Please rate this post!
Gambatte!
Friday, November 7, 2008
TGIF, Part 8 (taiko drills)
Lots of historical changes in the US these days. Here's something else worth noting: San Francisco Taiko Dojo is celebrating their 40th Anniversary! Check out ticket information here . If you go, let us know how the show was!
Okay, back to work.
Focus: Dexterity, Timing
Watch for:
1. Make sure that the timing between each hit is even. It's like a math problem--divide the time (each beat) by four and hit once each time.
2. Speed is important for the emphasized hits here. Anchor your pinkie, ring, and middle fingers on the underside of your stick for leverage to accomplish this. (Photos coming soon!)
Okay! We are so close to completing the paradiddle drill! Check out the final line below. For me, this is the most difficult of all of the lines to play at high speed. So, take your time at first to get the timing and feel for it. Then, gradually increase your speed!
R L R R L R L L
I don't even really need to say it--15 minutes a day, again and again. Enjoy!
That's it--simple as pie. I almost hesitate to put an extension to this line because it deserves a lot of attention to get it just right. But, everyone works at their own pace... so, if you feel comfortable with the line above, let's say at least 120 bmp (4 beats for 1 line), then check it out:
Extension:
Let's put it all together. Before you try this extension, make sure you have memorized all 5 lines from the paradiddle section. Start at a speed that's slower than your ability at first until you feel like you can play the pattern below without thinking about it. Then, pick up the speed at bit!
Leave me a comment if this is unclear and I'll try again:
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
x2
R L R R L R L L
x4
Okay, back to work.
Focus: Dexterity, Timing
Watch for:
1. Make sure that the timing between each hit is even. It's like a math problem--divide the time (each beat) by four and hit once each time.
2. Speed is important for the emphasized hits here. Anchor your pinkie, ring, and middle fingers on the underside of your stick for leverage to accomplish this. (Photos coming soon!)
Okay! We are so close to completing the paradiddle drill! Check out the final line below. For me, this is the most difficult of all of the lines to play at high speed. So, take your time at first to get the timing and feel for it. Then, gradually increase your speed!
R L R R L R L L
I don't even really need to say it--15 minutes a day, again and again. Enjoy!
That's it--simple as pie. I almost hesitate to put an extension to this line because it deserves a lot of attention to get it just right. But, everyone works at their own pace... so, if you feel comfortable with the line above, let's say at least 120 bmp (4 beats for 1 line), then check it out:
Extension:
Let's put it all together. Before you try this extension, make sure you have memorized all 5 lines from the paradiddle section. Start at a speed that's slower than your ability at first until you feel like you can play the pattern below without thinking about it. Then, pick up the speed at bit!
Leave me a comment if this is unclear and I'll try again:
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L
x4
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L
x2
R L R R L R L L
x4
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