Laban, movement, and taiko drills

The next couple of posts will refer to the dancer, choreographer, and dance/movement theorist, Rudolf Laban and his book The Mastery of Movement (1971, originally published in 1950).

According to Laban, some dancers prefer highly rhythmic music with corresponding rhythmic movements, while others prefer “the free, irregular unfolding of time-rhythm” (135). He observes that legs and feet often respond best to regular rhythms, but he instructs the dancer to train his or her feet, arms, and hands, so that they are “equally able to express the qualities of a free time-rhythm.” Laban adds: “In fact, the whole body should be able to express the regular and irregular vibrations and waves of movement” (135).

In taiko, most of our pieces utilize a steady basebeat (ji), and the rhythms we play directly correspond to the underlying ji. Everything is, or should be, precise and in time, and we train our muscles to perform rhythmically. This training produces strong performers and tight ensembles, but at the same time, it could lead to stiff and jerky movements. We need to cultivate independence of arms and a sense of flow that is not necessarily dependent upon the ji. In many cases, particularly in Sukeroku or bon odori styles, one arm will sweep around the drum while the other strikes the drum head. While the striking arm needs to be in-time, the sweeping arm should free itself from any strict sense of rhythm. One arm needs to feel a steady pulse, and the other arm needs to acknowledge that pulse but move in a (mostly) non-rhythmic manner. Here are two drills that might help.

1. With the chu daiko on the floor or on a beta stand, play steady notes with the right arm (ideally with a metronome). The left arm should join the right in unison on every second note. Once you’re comfortable, the left arm should play every third note. Consciously increase the arc of extension and move the left arm at a slightly slower pace. Then play every fourth note, again increasing the arc and moving slower. Switch arms.

2. With the chu daiko in the same position, play steady notes with the right arm. Sweep the left arm in a large counter-clockwise circle, starting very slowly and gradually getting faster, then slower. etc. The whole time, the right arm should continue to play the steady notes without change. Switch arms.

Taiko in Maine

It’s strange. For the past two months, I’ve been spending all of my time playing, teaching, and talking about taiko, and at the same time I’ve completely neglected this blog. I hope to fix that.

In late January, I drove up to Waterville, Maine to start my artist residency at Colby College. I’m offering a seminar called Taiko: Music, Movement, and Meaning. It meets once a week, and we spend our time discussing issues from the assigned readings and learning at the drum. We’re planning a group performance at the end of the semester (5/6), and each student will also be responsible for a short research project. I thought it’d be useful to create an online resource for taiko drummers in Maine, so we’ll be conducting interviews and writing articles for our blog Taiko in Maine.

On Thursdays, I also work with the student-run Colby Taiko Group. This club was initiated by Dr. Tamae Prindle, a professor in the East Asian Studies department and a loyal supporter of the group. She acquired PVC taiko and bachi from Mr. Naoto Kobayashi, received a grant in order to purchase 3 chu daiko and a shime daiko, convinced her husband to build taiko stands, and she recently sewed bags for all the new chus!

In early March, KIOKU performed at MIT and Colby. It was really great to play with Chris and Ali again, and the music department chair Steven Nuss hosted a wonderful post-concert party. Through the performance, I was also able to meet and chat with Jesica Chang, who writes for the student newspaper. If you’re interested, you can quickly peek at some of their taiko-related articles: here, here, and here.

Meanwhile I’ve been meeting with the different taiko groups in Maine. I had lunch with Naoto Kobayashi, who leads the Hall-Dale High School Taiko Group and plays in the Maine Taiko Dojo. I’ll be lending a hand later in April as he builds his PVC taiko. This past Saturday (4/3), I gave a workshop to the dedicated and enthusiastic drummers of the Bowdoin Taiko Group. The weather was beautiful, so we played outside on the quad in our bare feet. It was pretty amazing. I visited with the Maine Taiko Dojo and had a wonderful meal afterwards at Shima, co-owned by one of the MTD drummers. Towards the end of the semester, I’ll be meeting with the Bates Taiko Group. I have a final performance for the Colby baccalaureate ceremony with Kaoru Watanabe and some of my students, and then it’s back to NYC.

It’s been an amazing experience thus far and I’ve learned a lot about taiko and teaching taiko. I hope to share some observations in the very near future. I promise.