TGIF, Part 16 (taiko drills)

So, the holidays are over, it's back to work, and it's cold (even in Japan--at least it feels that way without central heating). It's that time of year when it's tough to dig up the motivation to be creative, and also tough to do the same ole' same ole'. Well, glad you're here! I've got a new drill for you!

Focus: Balance, Timing
Watch for:
1. Really feel the waltz pulsing through this drill, but make sure that your beats are even.
2. Often, if there's time before an emphasized hit, we tend to move that arm up slowly just because there's time to do so. To use this drill as a strengthening exercise, and to work on speed, hold your stick in ready position until the last minute, bringing your bachi up and down quickly.

Okay, so you've never waltzed before? All you know about this dance step is 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3? Great! That's all we need to get started.

All of the drills we've done so far have been in lines that total 4 or 8. Today's drill works in beats of 3. We'll alternate RLR, LRL, RLR, LRL... Pay attention! The emphasis changes!

1 2 3 don tsu ku don tsu ku don tsu ku don tsu ku tsu don tsu tsu don tsu tsu don tsu tsu don tsu tsu ku don tsu ku don tsu ku don tsu ku don

Remember, Right is Red, Left is Black. "Don" means emphasized. Be sure to engage your 3 fingers on the under side of your sticks to keep control of your non-emphasized hits and be sure to relax your wrists as you lift your arm for those quick, emphasized hits.

15 minutes--loop it!

Extension

Try the same pattern, but have each hand play a full line. That means each hand will hit 3 times in a row before switching to the other hand. Pay attention to the volume of your non-emphasized hits. Are they the same? If not, slow down your metronome a bit until you've got it.

Enjoy--

Please rate this drill!