This past Thursday, I ventured out to the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park and attended a practice by San Diego Taiko, the premier taiko group within the San Diego area. I had four primary reasons to go to their practice that night:
1. For the purposes of this class, to actually go into the field
2. Compare the differences of taiko (after college) to what I currently know of collegiate taiko.
3. Discuss equipment for the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational that's coming up next weekend.
4. Meet one of the founders of Asayake Taiko, Bobby Koga.
I had never attended another group's practice before, so I was feeling slightly nervous, especially because I knew that the environment would be different from that of the collegiate taiko scene. I had some security in knowing a member of San Diego Taiko beforehand, Chris Huynh - an alumni of Asayake Taiko, and someone who I can see becoming a close friend - or perhaps a very healthy relationship (Ethnomusicologist-Interlocuter relationship too). Outside of Chris, there probably wouldn't be anyone who would be near my age, and there might not be many with whom I could relate aside from the fact that we all play taiko. Upon my arrival, I met Bobby Koga and his wife Chelsey Koga, who I had both talked to over email. I was a bit nervous talking to them... I mean, how could I not be nervous to meet the creator of my group? This group was practically the whole reason of why I ever considered a music major and a reason to pursue ethnomusicology in the first place. Bobby and Chelsey were both very welcoming and quickly dispelled any nervous tensions I had. We talked about taiko, and the intercollegiate invitational, as we will be lending drums from San Diego Taiko in order to help plan the event. *I've reached out to the San Diego community and have met great response and aid from the community groups. It is truly a nice and reassuring feeling knowing how deep the roots can go that unite people together through the artform of Taiko.*
Practice began, and was divided into two different groups, one devoted to "gig practice" and the other devoted to song learning. I went back and forth between the two groups talking with Chris about many different things. It was like an informal interview combined with the concept of "deep hanging out" (Clifford Geertz). I was very interested in finding out how San Diego Taiko conducted their practices and their philosophies of Taiko, two very important things for me to know not only for my research for this class, but also things I would very much like to know for my future within taiko.
Some things I discussed with Chris were how San Diego Taiko leads their practice and how other community/professional groups lead their practices. I shall do my best to write down what he said to the capabilities of my memory:
-- In regards to San Diego Taiko practices, they are pretty free form and easy going. They really focus on playing songs with critiques as a whole, and they work on developing good group chemistry and overall charisma. They don't always work on drills, but will occasionally focus on areas that the group could improve upon.
-- Chris also mentioned the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble (from here on abbreviated as KETE), a group led by Kenny Endo, arguably one of the most well known taiko masters around the world, based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Their group, works very similar to some of the collegiate groups, in which they work very hard and diligently on form and on songs. They also make sure to have all their group up to par with the physical capabilities of their group. Because this group is one of the premier groups within Hawaii and has also toured the world, they need to focus on their aesthetics much more than a local community group would (under normal circumstances). A comment from one of the members within the KETE expressed wishes that there was more variety in their practices at times, a sentiment that I greatly share within my current group.
The last half hour of their practice consisted of running through two songs - I do not know they names of either song, but their first song of the night can be found here at 3:40 (watch the entire video though, it's great!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPrqne4NDPU
Though I don't know the name of the piece, I do know that this was originally composed by the group Soh Daiko from New York. One of the SD Taiko members was originally from Soh Daiko and was allowed to teach this piece to San Diego. According to Chris, this piece is no longer in Soh Daiko's repertoire.
Notes on the video: Just listen to the crowd and see the energy on the stage, the interactions with all the members of group, not just the ones playing on the drums, but also the ones playing the peripheral parts. The chemistry and charisma that they have is there all the time and exists every time they play songs, even during practice.
From my experience San Diego Taiko practices are very relaxed and "laid back" yet they still accomplish their goals for the day. They are not strict on form, but they have a chemistry within the group that gives them great stage presence and are full of energy. No one is compensating for a lack of energy within one member, but it really is a joy to watch. I haven't had this much fun at a taiko practice since the first year I joined Asayake.
They were all very welcome and invited me to play along with them, the standard taiko song that everyone learns as a beginner which was Matsuri, akin to someone learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on an instrument. There are many different versions of Matsuri that is a representation of the group itself and who they are. Perhaps one day I shall do an analysis of just the Matsuri's of all the groups...
They way the close practices are very different than how we end practice at Asayake. They gather in a circle and conduct their closing routine, consisting of clapping a rhythm, and ending with Thank you in Japanese. It is very light hearted and reflects the group's warm, charismatic nature. In comparison, Asayake ends by creating two lines in a kneeling position, the leader kiai's (yells) and we meditate. The leader kiai's again, and we bow and say thank you in japanese. It is slightly more formal and 'traditional' than San Diego's method.
This practice was really great, and I would certainly go back again not only for field work, but also to learn in many ways as well as have fun in participating in another extension of the taiko community.
*I will edit this post once I have analyzed some things and provide insight on what I have learned*
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