Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's lesson entitled "Taiko composition." My name is Mr. Norris.

Today we're gonna be getting creative, applying our knowledge of taiko drumming to do some composition with our own ouchi, jiuchi and putting them all together in some really exciting performance.

Our outcome is that I can compose a short composition using traditional taiko techniques and perform the ideas successfully within an ensemble.

Some keywords, kata, which is the correct body movement and posture used within a performance.

Kamae, which is the stance used during performance.

Rei, which is the correct attitude, respect, and professionalism, shown within a performance.

Waza, which is the correct technique, expression and synchronization used within a performance.

And finally, ki, which is the energy flow within the performance in the audience when all of the other elements work in harmony.

The first part of today's lesson is looking at creating honji.

We're gonna create our own taiko drumming composition.

There are two parts to this.

Firstly, there's the ouchi, which is the main rhythmic pattern consisting of different honji, and then there's the jiuchi, which is the repeated accompanying pattern that uses the same rhythm.

The jiuchi uses either the doko or the dongo strikes.

Let's have a look at both types.

Here's the jiuchi that uses doko.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) And here's a jiuchi that uses dongo.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) the ouchi is made up of a number of different honji.

Each honji has eight beats and it uses a variety of different strikes, kakegoe and kata, which are the movements.

We've already looked at doko and dongo, but the other main strikes include don, which is a single loud tap.

Let's remind ourselves of that.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) And kara, which is two quick taps on the fuchi, the edge of the drum, (instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) You could experiment as well using tsuku, which is the two quiet taps on the center of the head.

True or false? The ouchi is the accompanying rhythmic part in a taiko performance.

I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer is false, and that's because the ouchi is the main rhythmic part, whereas the jiuchi or the ji is the accompanying rhythm to the honji.

So remember, the ouchi is the main part, the jiuchi sits underneath as a separate layer.

I'd like to identify each of the following strikes.

Here's question A.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) So take a few seconds to identify that strike.

And well done if you identified that that one was kara played on the edge of the drum on the fuchi.

Let's have a look at question B.

What strike is this? (instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) And take a few seconds to finish that answer.

And well done if you identified that this one was don, a single right hand strike in the center of the hara, the head of the drum.

Finally, let's look at C.

What strike is this? (instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) Take a few seconds to name that strike.

And well done if you identified that that was dongo.

It's got that shuffle, sort of swing rhythm.

Dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo.

Well done if you identified all three of those.

That shows that you're really getting to know these strikes well.

True or false? This is the doko strike.

Let's have a look.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) Take a few seconds to choose your answer.

And well done then if you said true.

This is the doko strike because it's two quick right-left taps on the hara, which is the head of the drum.

It's different from kara because that's played on the fuchi, the edge of the drum.

And it's different from dongo because that's played with a shuffle, sort of swing rhythm.

Each honji can also include kakegoe, kata and rests.

Kakegoe and kata are integral to a complete performance.

Remember, taiko is not just about the drumming rhythms, it's about much more than that combination of the drumming with the movement, the shouts and the visuals as well.

Let's remind ourselves of some of these.

First, I've got sa, which is Y-shaped arms with the bachi held up.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) <v Instructor>Sa.

</v> <v ->Then we've got hup, which is a semicircle upward movement.

</v> (instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) Hup, hup, hup, hup.

<v ->Then we've got sore, which is a down,</v> then upward vertical arm movement.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) And then finally, we've got su, which is a rest with hands holding bachi vertically in front of yourself.

And we'll verbalize this as ma.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) Let's check your understanding.

What movement is sa? Is it a semicircle upward movement, a rest with the hands holding bachi vertically in front, or Y-shaped arms with the bachi? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer for this one is Y-shaped arms with the bachi.

Sa is when you hold those bachi up, creating a big Y shape.

What is the sound for su, which is the rest? Is it ki, mat or hup? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer here is ma.

That's how we verbalize the rest or su.

Well done if you said that one.

For task A, you're gonna create and perform a honji with jiuchi.

Here's some success criteria.

Firstly, the honji that you create lasts for eight beats.

Remember, a honji always lasts for eight beats.

It uses a variety of strikes, kakegoe and kata.

You practice it with the jiuchi, which uses either doko or dongo strikes.

You play the honji twice.

Practice slowly at first and make sure that every strike, kata or kakegoe is in time.

Finally, make sure you use the ichi ni sore count-in to start together.

That will help ensure you're synchronized at the start and it all fits rhythmically well.

Here are the different strikes, kakegoe and kata, that you can use in your honji.

And now you can pause my video, give this task your best shot.

Now I'd like you to have a look at this honji played with a jiuchi.

We've got the eight beat honji written there, don, don, doko, sa, doko, doko, don, sa.

And in this video, it's played with the jiuchi.

Is this successful? And I'd like you to explain your answer.

Looking in particular at the different strikes, kakegoe and kata, that's the movements that have been used and checking if the performance matches that honji closely.

Let's have a look.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) Now pause my video while you finish your answer.

So there are a few things you could have picked up on here.

There are eight beats in the Jh and the jiuchi plays the dongo strike consistently.

So that's de successful.

There's a variety of different strikes and kakegoe, including the opening count-in.

So there's a nice mix of different things in that honji.

Well done though if you picked up that the kakegoe, so sa, is not complemented by the correct kata.

We hear the sa shout, but we don't see the movement, which should be the Y-shaped arms. So that means that they're not quite matching up the two.

Well done if you spotted that.

Now we're gonna move on to look at considering the key principles of taiko.

To create a complete composition, we need to consider these key principles.

First, we've got kata, which is the body movements and the posture within a performance.

Then we've got waza, the technique, the expression, and the synchronization used within a performance.

We've got rei, which is the correct attitude, respect and professionalism shown within a performance.

And then we've got ki, which is the energy flow within the performance and audience when all of the other elements work in harmony.

So remember, we've come back to this a few times, that taiko is not just drumming and the rhythms, it's this much broader discipline and spiritual experience, combining all these different aspects.

And for a taiko performer, these aspects are central to their craft.

It is not just playing rhythms, it's the movement, it's the technique, it's the attitude, the teamwork, the unity.

And then what comes out of that is the correct ki, the correct energy that flows between the performers and the audience.

Kata, that's the movement, and specifically kamae, which is the posture, is very important.

The left leg should be forward with the knee bent and the right leg is straight behind.

The bachi should be in the triangle shape, achieving the correct waza.

Let's just remind ourselves of the correct kamae and waza.

(instructor speaking in foreign language) (instructor speaking in foreign language) Another thing to consider is that the kata need to move together and be achievable.

Don't include too many movements immediately after each other.

So when you're planning the movements, you need to do something that everyone will be able to do.

And you also need to make sure when you're performing them that they are together and synchronized.

If you're doing these movements and they all look different from each other or not quite in time with each other, it will look a bit messy.

Whereas remember, what's absolutely central to taiko performance is the togetherness, the uniformity, and the unity.

In this example here, there are too many hand movements towards the end.

If we have a look in that last section, we've got so, re, sa and then hup.

So we've got four beats there of hand movements, which is a bit too many and doesn't balance the drumming sounds with the shouts and the movements.

So make sure you're balancing the two and choosing combinations that are achievable.

When you're composing, you can practice different combinations to see what feels natural and achievable and what doesn't.

Rei is all having the right attitude and showing respect to others before, during, and after a performance.

And this is taken really seriously in taiko.

Everyone should be stood upright with their arms by their sides, and the sticks pointing down.

That creates the right professional serious attitude taken towards the performance.

When all participants are performing, the kakegoe and the arm movements need to be the same standard as others.

And that's part of rei.

It's about working as part of a team, making sure that everyone is matching each other.

And by doing this, we create the right energy and this helps to achieve ki, which is that energy flow within the performers in the audience.

So soon we're gonna be creating an ouchi with a 64 beat structure, each row of eight being an individual honji.

So if you look at that example there, we've got our first honji written in there and we're gonna use eight different honji, which adds up to a 64 beat structure.

When you're planning this, you want to use kuchi shoga, which is our verbal sounds to sound out the rhythms. This allows you to check for effective use of kata to make sure that the movements are gonna be possible and achievable.

Let's have a look at this example of a performance.

Why is it successful? I'd like you to think about the pulse, the stance, the rhythms and how they start together.

Let's have a look.

(drum sticks beating) (musicians speaking in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music) <v Musician>Sa.

</v> <v ->So you might have picked up</v> on some of the following things.

This includes an ouchi and a jiuchi.

So it's got the main rhythmic part and the accompanying part.

The jiuchi is playing the dongo strike, and that ouchi uses a variety of strikes, kata, that's the movements, and kakegoe, which is the shout.

The pulse is very consistent and the performers play together and start together with the ichi ni sore count-in.

And the kamae, that's the stance, is correct.

So there's lots of great features in that performance there, and a lot of those you will be wanting to recreate when you're doing this yourself.

If you achieve all of these different features together, that's what creates the right energy, the right ki for a taiko performance.

It's important to start with the correct kamae and use the ichi ni sore count-in because these underpin the rest of the performance as well.

So if you start with the right attitude, everyone focused, everyone's serious, showing professionalism and use the counting to make sure everybody starts together, that sets the performance off on the right track.

If the start's a bit messy, the kamae, the stance, isn't there and the timing's not quite perfect, that will then make it more difficult to create an effective performance going on.

It's also important to work as a team to make sure that you move together, strike the drums together, agree a tempo that suits the whole ensemble upon, and plan honji that are achievable and not too complicated.

Remember, taiko is about teamwork, about working together, uniformity and unity.

And by doing these, we achieve ki.

We achieve that correct energy for taiko performance.

Let's check your understanding.

What are the four principles of taiko? Pause my video, see if you can remember them.

And well done if you got any of these four principles then.

We've got kata, which is the movement, including the kamae.

We've got waza, which is the correct technique, including holding the bachi correctly.

We've got rei, which is the attitude, and we've got ki, which is the energy created through the effective performance that comes from all those other aspects.

Well done if you remembered those.

Why are the kamae and the count-in so important? Pause my video while you come up with an answer.

And the correct answer here is that they underpin the rest of the performance.

They'll allow everyone to start and move together from the beginning.

So it sets off the start of the performance effectively, and it helps everyone feel the pulse move together in time and play their rhythms together in time.

So for task B, you're gonna create and perform a complete taiko performance.

Here's your success criteria.

Make sure you include an ouchi with a 64-beat structure.

So that's eight different honji with each honji having eight beats.

Make sure you practice it with the jiuchi using either doko or dongo strikes.

Remember, the jiuchi is the accompanying part that repeats that same rhythm throughout.

Practice slowly at first, making sure that every strike, kata or kakegoe is in time.

Make sure the kata are achievable.

So when you're planning them out, test that those movements are gonna be possible.

Make sure all performers use correct kamae.

That's the stance.

And make sure you consider all the principles of taiko to ensure successful performance that creates ki, that correct energy.

Here's a grid that you can use to plan your ouchi.

You've got eight different rows there for eight different honji and eight beats in each one.

So you can pause my video now, giving this task your best shot and having a go at creating a brilliant performance.

For the final part of this task, I'd like to reflect on your composition and your performance.

Here are a few questions that can guide your reflection.

How was it successful? What could you improve? Did you use the correct kamae and the correct waza? Did you include eight honji? Did the jiuchi use an appropriate strike, either doko or dongo? Did the honji include a variety of strikes, kata and kakegoe? Were the kata achievable, the movements? How did you start, finish and move together? And how did all members of the ensemble contribute to the overall performance? Did you manage to create that correct, exciting, disciplined energy of ki? So you can pause my video now and reflect on your composition and your performance.

It's time to review today's lesson.

We've composed an ouchi and performed this in an ensemble with a jiuchi.

This included a variety of different strikes, kata, including the kamae, the stance, and kakegoe.

A successful type of performance considers the key principles of kata, rei, waza and ki.

And finally, we have performed a complete taiko performance, demonstrating these four key principles.

So that brings us to the end of our lesson, and hopefully you feel like you've got a good understanding now of what taiko is all about, some of the rhythms, some of the musical features, but also the broader experience of taiko performance with its key principles, with its discipline, its movement and its energy.

I hope you're also now feeling a bit inspired as well to see a bit of taiko.

If you get the opportunity to go and see some, I'd definitely take it as a really exciting, vibrant performance to watch.

Maybe you even get a chance to do some more performing yourself.

Thanks for taking part in this lesson.

I'll see you in another one.