Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's lesson entitled Taiko performance.

My name is Mr. Norris.

Today, we're gonna be broadening our understanding of taiko, looking at some different aspects of taiko's structure and rhythm, and having a go at doing a more extended performance.

Our outcome is that I can perform a taiko ensemble performance with an ouchi using a variety of strikes, movements, and kakegoe with an accompanying jiuchi.

Some keywords.

Dongo, this is two quick taps on the drum head, right hand and then left, in an uneven, shuffle, rhythm.

Honji, this is an eight-beat pattern.

Ouchi is the main rhythmic part in a taiko performance.

Jiuchi is the accompanying rhythm in a taiko performance, also called ji.

And ma, which is a space in the rhythm, creating a rest.

And the first part of today's lesson is looking at strikes.

There are variety of different strikes in taiko.

Don is the main strike on the hara, which is the head of the drum.

Let's just remind ourselves what don looks like.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating) <v ->I'd like to compare these different strikes.

</v> How are they different to each other? Let's start with doko.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating rapidly) <v ->Now, let's have a look at kara.

</v> <v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (rims clanking) <v ->Here's tsuku.

</v> <v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating quietly) <v ->And here's dongo.

</v> <v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating rhythmically) So, let's pause my video and have a think about how they're different to each other.

So, all four of those strikes involve two quick taps, right and then the left hand.

Doko is two medium taps on the hara.

Tsuku is two quiet taps on the hara, so the big difference with that one is the dynamics, the volume.

Kara is two taps on the fuchi, which is the rim, so that creates a different tamra.

And then dongo has played on the hara, but is slightly different in terms of the rhythm.

Listen again.

How would you describe the rhythm of dongo? And imagine saying don-go with each tap.

Let's have a look.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating rhythmically) <v ->So, the key difference with dongo</v> is we might describe as a swung rhythm or a shuffle feel.

The two notes are uneven as the first is longer than the second.

This is different to doko, which has two even notes that are both the same length, and that's also the same for tsuku and for kara.

They both have two even notes that are the same length.

So, if we compare the two, we have have doko, doko, doko, doko, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo.

Doko, doko, doko, doko, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo.

So, it's a shuffle rhythm, and you might have come across it as a swing rhythm or shuffle feel if we're thinking in terms of Western music.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? This is the dongo strike.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating rhythmically) <v Mr. Norris>I'll give you a few seconds</v> to finish your answer.

And the correct answer is true, and that's because the notes are uneven and they're swung like a shuffle rhythm, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo.

Let's have a look at this one.

True or false? This is a don strike.

Here we go.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating slowly) <v Mr. Norris>We're choosing your answer.

</v> And the correct answer here is true because it's a single right-hand tap.

So, remember, don is a right hand tap on the hara, which is the head.

True or false? This is a kara strike.

Let's see it.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating rapidly) <v Mr. Norris>Few seconds to choose your answer.

</v> And the correct answer here is false.

This is instead a doko strike.

Whilst it is two quick right-left taps, it's on the hara, which is the head, instead of the fuchi, which is the edge.

For this to be a kara strike, it would have to be on the fuchi, on the edge of the drum.

Well done if you picked up that difference.

So, for Task A, I'd like to practice the don, doko, dongo, and kara strikes.

Here's some success criteria.

Make sure you start with a count in, ichi, ni, sore.

Make sure you include four honji, consisting of eight don, eight doko, eight dongo, and eight kara.

So, eight of each of those, one honji of each of those strikes.

Make sure you play each one at least twice through with consistent timing, and in sync with other performers.

So, making sure you're working as an ensemble, getting it together in time.

And you could consider adding an extra honji as well and performing eight tsuku.

Remember, tsuku is on the hara, that's the head, but it's quieter than doko.

Here's the structure that you're gonna follow.

So, one honji of don, that's eight dons, then eight doko, then eight don, and then eight kara.

And here are the different strikes, making sure that you're really making the difference between them.

Obvious, particularly when we're thinking about the rhythmic contrast between doko.

doko, doko, doko, doko, and dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo.

Make sure you make that difference really clear.

You can pause my video now and give this task a shot.

For the second part of this task, we're gonna watch this performance of the task we've just completed.

Are these honji played correctly? Let's have a look.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drums beating) (taiko drums beating rapidly) (taiko drums beating rhythmically) (rims clanking) <v ->And just pause my video</v> while you're finishing your answer.

And we could have said then that the honji are all played accurately with a consistent pulse.

The spacing of the beats are clear and the dongo rhythm them has a shuffle feel, which is the key defining difference between dongo and doko.

Each one is only repeated once, and they could have also included the tsuku strike, which is that slightly quieter one.

So, well done if you picked up on some of those points.

The second part of today's lesson is looking at ouchi.

We can also add kakegoe and rest to the honji.

Let's remind ourselves of the different kakegoe.

The first is sa, where we hold the bachi in Y-shaped arms. Let's have a look at that.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> Sa.

<v ->Then we've got sore,</v> which is the upward vertical movement.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> Ichi, ni, sore.

<v ->Then we've got hup,</v> which is the semicircle upward movements often arriving between strikes.

So, you often get don, hup, don, hup.

Let's have a look.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> Hup, hup, hup, hup.

(taiko drum beating slowly) And then we've got su, which is a rest with the hands holding the bachi vertically in front.

This can be verbalized as ma if we're verbalizing.

Let's have a look.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> Ichi, ni, sore.

<v ->Let's check your understanding.

</v> Which of the following is not a strike or a kakegoe? Is it sa, ma, sore, or don? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer here is ma because it's the space in the rhythm, like a rest, and it's the verbalization of su.

Now, the main rhythmic part of a taiko performance is called the ouchi, and we group honji together to create this.

So, this ouchi has four honji.

We can see there are four different honji there.

The first full of don, second using doko, the third using dongo, and the fourth using kara.

And together, these create one ouchi.

And while this example has four honji in the ouchi, it could be more than four, it could be less than four.

There's no strict rule about how many honji have to create an ouchi.

To create interesting rhythmic patterns, we can use a variety of different strikes, kakegoe, and movements in each honji, rather than just using one honji full of don, one honji fill of doko, et cetera.

We can add a bit of variety within each honji.

Remember to start with the count-in, ichi, ni, sore, to use the correct kamae, which is the stance, and the waza, which is the technique.

These are important for ensuring ensemble starts together, so there's a musical value to it, and also to make sure that the ensemble looks uniform.

Remember that uniformity and teamwork is a key part of taiko.

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

<v Drummer>Sore.

</v> Ichi, ni, sore.

(taiko drum beating slowly) (taiko drum beating rapidly) <v ->So, this is the ouchi that we're gonna be playing.

</v> It consists of eight different honji, as we can see there.

There are eight different rows, each one of those lasts for eight beats.

And each honji can be performed twice, so we could do each one twice when we're playing it.

We can see if we have a look through, there's a wide variety of different strikes, kakegoe, and movements as well.

So, it's quite varied, this, and this is more typical of the kind of honji you might get within an ouchi in a taiko drum.

Remember that we've got a ma, which is the su movement, which is the rest, so both sticks held in front, creating a space in the rhythm.

Sore, sa, and hup are a kakegoe, so these are shouts.

These are verbalizations with movements with them.

And kara is played on the fuchi.

That's the edge of the drum.

So, remembering that's the difference there.

It's got a different tamra with those two right-left notes.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? Each honji contains a strike, kakegoe, and ma.

I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer is false.

And that's because not every technique is used in every honji.

It's important to read, understand, and practice each line one at a time until you're confident, and that includes any kara, that's the movements as well.

So, it's not necessarily the case that each honji will include all of those.

For Task B, you're gonna practice the ouchi.

Here's some success criteria.

You play each honji twice before moving onto the next.

You practice slowly at first.

Every strike, movement, or kakegoe is in time.

You play in a group, moving together and striking the drums together.

That togetherness is very central to taiko, remember.

Use the count-in to set the tempo, ichi, ni, sore.

You use the correct kamae, that's the stance.

And the performance has energy.

That's what we call ki.

Here is the ouchi you gotta play.

We've got those eight different honji.

Remember to play each one twice.

And we've also got highlighted there the different kakegoe, kara, which is played on the fuchi, the edge of the drum, and then also ma, which is that verbalization of the rest, remember.

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

Now, I'd like to reflect on your performance of the ouchi.

Did you have the correct kamae, that's the stance? Did you play the honji correctly? Did you work as a team with everyone moving and playing in time? And did it create the correct energy? Did it create really energetic, vibrant, exciting mood? And how did you achieve that? Were there any movement, strikes, or kakegoe that were more difficult than others? I'd like to reflect on that as well.

And there will be some parts that you probably find harder to incorporate than others.

So, you can pause my video and reflect on your performance.

The third part of today's lesson is looking at creating texture, ouchi and jiuchi.

The jiuchi or the ji is the part that accompanies the ouchi.

This repeating pattern is played by a second group and it keeps a steady pulse throughout, so it's a sort of second layer of rhythms. The jiuchi uses the same pattern all the way through, and this is usually the doko or the dongo strikes.

Listen to this jiuchi, which uses just dongo.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating rhythmically) <v ->If that was played with a honji</v> from the ouchi that we played earlier, it would look like this.

So, I've got the from the ouchi which which plays dongo, don, sore, dongo, don, sa, sa, but then the jiuchi is playing throughout, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo, dongo.

So, we've got these two different layers of rhythms now playing at the same time.

Here's an example of that jiuchi being played with the honji playing next to it.

Try and listen out for the honji in the background at the same time as the dongo in jiuchi.

<v Drummer>Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> (taiko drum beating) <v Drummer>Sore.

</v> (taiko drum continues beating) So, so.

(taiko drum continues beating) <v Mr. Norris>Let's check your understanding.

</v> True or false? The jiuchi is the main rhythmic part in a taiko performance.

I'll give you a few seconds.

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

Well done if you've got that idea of the ouchi being the main part and the jiuchi being the accompanying rhythms. Which two strikes usually make up the jiuchi? Is it don, doko, dongo, or kara? I'll give you a few seconds to choose two.

And the correct answer here is doko or dongo.

Those are the two that typically are used in the jiuchi.

So, for Task C, you're gonna practice the ouchi with the jiuchi.

Here's some success criteria.

The jiuchi is a consistent dongo or doko pattern played softly.

One group, or a player, plays the jiuchi, which is that repeated dongo or doko.

And one group, or player, plays the ouchi, which is the more varied part with the different kakegoe and different strikes.

Make sure you practice slowly at first.

Make sure every strike, movement, or kakegoe is in time.

And make sure you use the count-in to set the tempo, ichi, ni, sore.

Here is the ouchi with those eight different honji.

Remember, play each one twice.

And then the jiuchi is gonna be either repeated doko or repeated dongo along with this.

You can pause my video now and give this performance task you best shot.

Okay, so for the last part of this lesson, we're gonna watch the following performance.

Do the ouchi sheet and the jiuchi work well together? And what strike is the jiuchi using throughout? How could this performance be improved? So, a few questions to get you thinking while you're watching this one.

Let's have a look.

(bachis clacking) <v ->Ichi, ni, sore.

</v> <v ->Sore.

</v> (taiko drums beating) <v Drummer>Sore.

</v> (taiko drums beating) Sa, sa.

(taiko drums beating) (taiko drum beating) (rims clanking) Hup, hup, hup, hup.

(taiko drums beating) Sa.

(taiko drums beating) Sa.

(taiko drums continue beating) Sa.

<v ->And I'll pause my video while you answer these questions.

</v> Okay, let's go through this.

So, the performance is generally well played with a consistent pulse.

The jiuchi plays the dongo rhythm, dongo, dongo, dongo dongo.

Occasionally when the two parts played the same strikes, they were slightly out of time with each other, but this did not detract from the overall quality of the performance.

So, to improve it, they focus on just making sure that when they do use the same strikes, that dongo strike, in both the jiuchi and the ouchi, that they're perfectly together.

Let's review today's lesson.

The main rhythmic part in a taiko performance is that ouchi.

This is made up of a variety of honji.

Each honji can include a variety of different strikes, movements, and kakegoe, which are the shouts, and it lasts for eight beats.

It can also include ma, which is a rest.

The ouchi is accompanied by the jiuchi or ji, which plays consistent doko or dongo strikes softly.

We've performed an eight-honji ouchi, so an ouchi consisting of eight honji, with an accompanying jiuchi, in time as an ensemble.

So, that brings us to the end of today's lesson, and I hope you've managed to get some great performance out the end of that there, got some exciting rhythms and some exciting performance, and hopefully you start to get a feel for what taiko performance is all about, which is energy, discipline, excitement, and intense, rhythmic patterns.

Thanks for taking part in today's lesson, and I'll see you in another one.