This week sure has been a hectic one. I'd been MIA from almost all of my classes for the entire week due to preparing for the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational that took place over Memorial Day Weekend. This post will focus on the prep that took place earlier throughout the week in its relation to research in the field.
I had previously mentioned in "Foray Into the Field" that I had attended a San Diego Taiko practice and reflected on what I had noticed there. Last Monday, I had attended a Naruwan Taiko practice, originally to give a brief talk for their "Culture Corner" - a short break during the 2-hour long practice about many things related to the art and history of taiko - about the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational. What I didn't expect though was to participate in the entire practice. I remembered from the San Diego Taiko practice that observers are usually asked to join in on the practice if they have had taiko experience before, but I was certainly not prepared to practice wearing a button down shirt, slacks, and oxfords. Their practice focused on the style known "Yodan" deriving from the song "Yodan-uchi" of Oedo Sukeroku Taiko.
Yodan-Uchi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkySDOwtWcw
Yodan is a style of playing where two drums are played on rather than just one, typically two naname/slant drums, or one naname drum with an Odaiko.
One interesting piece of information relating to Yodan-uchi, or rather many other songs within the repertoire of Kumidaiko is that it is not open-domain and therefore needs permission to teach and play it from a member of Oedo Sukeroku Taiko. I learned this piece however during the Naruwan practice; I am very interested in seeing if these sentiments of open/closed domain are still enforced. I found an interesting article titled Diasporas and Interculturalism in Asian Performing Arts: Translating Traditions. This is really interesting and may hopefully provide me with further research on this topic, especially for my own personal growth as a taiko historian as well as a player.
To get onto the focus of my research for this project, I want to look at how taiko especially in North American is not bound by race and ethnicity, nor age and gender, but is inclusive to all. Both Naruwan and San Diego Taiko have a very wide range of diversity amongst their members. Their songs have been influenced by both traditional forms from Japan (influences from Oedo Sukeroku, etc.) as well as influences from many other musical genres - in this time, Jazz and Hip-hop have cemented themselves within the art of Kumidaiko here in North America in terms of composition as well as playing styles. I love how this artform is not exclusive to only one race and ethnicity because it broadens the artform in so many different and unique ways. Perhaps the most notable example of a professional I can think of is Kris Bergstrom, an alumni from Stanford Taiko. His influence across the taiko community is very large and widespread and he has continued to inspire many young taiko players, including myself. He is also a great guy to work with.
Kris Bergstrom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSQViimLkYw
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Foray Into the Field
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*
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*
Friday, May 10, 2013
An Aside
I was on the bus tonight getting a ride back to my apartment, the music playing on the radio was the typical top 40s or top 20s or top whatever and I initially thought nothing of it. The bus was fairly crowded with people, some conversing amongst themselves and with friends while others kept to them selves, listening to music and texting on their phones. What was interesting though was when the song "Battle Scars" by Lupe Fiasco came on; the talking was still present but it was definitely softer than it was before. Some of the individuals listening to their own music took their headphones off to listen to and quietly sing along to the lyrics.
I found this incredibly interesting. Perhaps because I had never seen this before, but I saw this as a testament to the universality of music in the sense that a music genre and its popularity can seep into all cultures and tastes of music and fashion, etc. I think that is why Pop music is so unique, in that it is in fact not that unique in terms of its harmonies, or chord progressions, or rhythms, or anything that a typical ethnomusicologist might be searching for but it is popular music for a reason - it's because people like it and they want to listen to it. I find this song in particular quite addicting and I probably have sung this song in the shower before. This makes me want to explore how popular music has seeped its way into cultures and societies and if they are influenced in any way from it, and I would also like to explore the affects popular music has made in relation to my own project.
I actually have found a few examples of intermingling between "popular music" and taiko and I have to say it is quite amazing.
Battle Scars - Lupe Fiasco & Guy Sebastian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mPd_SDAryQ
Taiko (Masato Baba) and Alicia Keys: - skip to 0:45 for actual music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7klyuYj9e0I
I found this incredibly interesting. Perhaps because I had never seen this before, but I saw this as a testament to the universality of music in the sense that a music genre and its popularity can seep into all cultures and tastes of music and fashion, etc. I think that is why Pop music is so unique, in that it is in fact not that unique in terms of its harmonies, or chord progressions, or rhythms, or anything that a typical ethnomusicologist might be searching for but it is popular music for a reason - it's because people like it and they want to listen to it. I find this song in particular quite addicting and I probably have sung this song in the shower before. This makes me want to explore how popular music has seeped its way into cultures and societies and if they are influenced in any way from it, and I would also like to explore the affects popular music has made in relation to my own project.
I actually have found a few examples of intermingling between "popular music" and taiko and I have to say it is quite amazing.
Battle Scars - Lupe Fiasco & Guy Sebastian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mPd_SDAryQ
Taiko (Masato Baba) and Alicia Keys: - skip to 0:45 for actual music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7klyuYj9e0I
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Progress
Today marks the end of a very busy week. Today was our spring concert, the culmination of a quarter's worth of work and was overall a very rewarding experience. Perhaps to make.this more relevant to the project, what was significant about this concert was that there were 3 other collegiate taiko groups that attended from UC Riverside, UCLA, and UCI showing the pervasiveness of the collegiate Taiko community extending into the Japanese American community and the support that each other has over a shared commonality of Taiko.
In terms of updates as for the project, I am getting closer to acquiring interviews but.I have been invited to attend the practices of San Diego Taiko and Naruwan Taiko this week so I can engage in deep hanging out with the groups and learn more about the Japanese American community and their views towards Taiko especially in the fact that they are community groups extending outside the collegiate scene. The practices are scheduled for this Thursday so I'm really excited and I will provide updates along the way.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Deep Hanging Out
Over the course of this quarter, we've been preparing for our spring concert in Taiko. it is essentially "tech week" the entire time for us having rehearsals on individual songs every night, trying to perfect them for this performance. These song practices have provided great opportunities for 'deep hanging out,' a term coined by anthropologist Clifford Geertz in 1998. Geertz describes deep hanging out as an anthropological study that entails "immersing oneself in a cultural, group or social experience on an informal level."
Our run-throughs consist of running the entire production whilst in full costume. These costumes, or Happi coats as they are commonly called, are synonymous with Japanese and Japanese-American culture and have a very distinct appearance to them. They are also often seen in Japanese restaurants, being worn by sushi chefs. These uniforms were originally worn in festivals and were later adopted by merchants and in other public domains, often with crests on the back of the coats to display their business or organizations.
These images are two example of happi coats. The first image (left) is of the professional taiko group KODO. The second image (above) is an example of happi coats typically worn during festivals known as Matsuri and also Obon.
The way my group treats and handles these costumes in relation to performance is very interesting. Because taiko is a performance art, the costumes often contribute greatly to the visual aspects of the performance - coordinated colors and designs can add flare to a particular song, especially if the colors and design reflect the mood of the piece.
Our group's view that the audience we play for desires to see us perform in these 'authentic and traditional' costumes contributes to the exoticism of the art and the performance because we are a Japanese group. Now, what I find more interesting is that there are members within the group who are very surprised or shocked upon learning that there are other groups who perform without happi, either because they choose not to, or simply do not own them and they view this as wrong or unusual; however, I find this is somewhat contradictory when we ignore a part of the uniform because people don't like it. This is because the origins, history, and cultural uses for the uniform itself are not taught within our group, and members therefore do not understand why we wear them. My fear is this lack of knowledge and understanding will lead to parts of the tradition dying out, not because I think we are becoming 'less Japanese,' but because people are taking for granted what equipment and luxuries the group has while forgetting that the older generations worked so hard to give us these things. It is really frustrating, and I find it very disrespectful.
These are a few of the things I have noticed and learned from these 'deep hanging out' sessions.
Deep Hanging Out can be found here:
Clifford Geertz. Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics. "Deep Hanging Out" p.107-117. Princeton University Press, 2012.
http://books.google.com/books?id= ZEXrndTWc4C&lpg=PA107&pg=PA107#v=onepage&q&f=false
Unfortunately, not all of the pages are accessible, so you might have to find alternatives or buy the book if you would like to read further.
Our run-throughs consist of running the entire production whilst in full costume. These costumes, or Happi coats as they are commonly called, are synonymous with Japanese and Japanese-American culture and have a very distinct appearance to them. They are also often seen in Japanese restaurants, being worn by sushi chefs. These uniforms were originally worn in festivals and were later adopted by merchants and in other public domains, often with crests on the back of the coats to display their business or organizations.
These images are two example of happi coats. The first image (left) is of the professional taiko group KODO. The second image (above) is an example of happi coats typically worn during festivals known as Matsuri and also Obon.The way my group treats and handles these costumes in relation to performance is very interesting. Because taiko is a performance art, the costumes often contribute greatly to the visual aspects of the performance - coordinated colors and designs can add flare to a particular song, especially if the colors and design reflect the mood of the piece.
Our group's view that the audience we play for desires to see us perform in these 'authentic and traditional' costumes contributes to the exoticism of the art and the performance because we are a Japanese group. Now, what I find more interesting is that there are members within the group who are very surprised or shocked upon learning that there are other groups who perform without happi, either because they choose not to, or simply do not own them and they view this as wrong or unusual; however, I find this is somewhat contradictory when we ignore a part of the uniform because people don't like it. This is because the origins, history, and cultural uses for the uniform itself are not taught within our group, and members therefore do not understand why we wear them. My fear is this lack of knowledge and understanding will lead to parts of the tradition dying out, not because I think we are becoming 'less Japanese,' but because people are taking for granted what equipment and luxuries the group has while forgetting that the older generations worked so hard to give us these things. It is really frustrating, and I find it very disrespectful.
These are a few of the things I have noticed and learned from these 'deep hanging out' sessions.
Deep Hanging Out can be found here:
Clifford Geertz. Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics. "Deep Hanging Out" p.107-117. Princeton University Press, 2012.
http://books.google.com/books?id= ZEXrndTWc4C&lpg=PA107&pg=PA107#v=onepage&q&f=false
Unfortunately, not all of the pages are accessible, so you might have to find alternatives or buy the book if you would like to read further.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Moving Forward
I've set up some appointments for interviews and performances with groups in the local San Diego area, those being both Naruwan Taiko and San Diego Taiko as I had previously mentioned in a post. I have been to their practices before in the past and I have had a blast, but I am looking forward to be able to look at practices from a different perspective - looking at the dynamics between the members and their interactions with the drums, their colleagues, their repertoire and so on and so forth.
I'm also in the process of setting up interviews (formal or informal) with some very distinguished taiko masters who have had very long professional careers. That won't happen until Memorial Day Weekend, which is the date of the 19th Annual Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational which we are hosting for the very first time. There's a lot of stress going into an event that costs $40K to run - especially since it's our first time. You all should check it out, there are free concerts on Saturday and Sunday featuring collegiate groups from around the country.
Enough of my personal shenanigans though. I'm very excited for this event because I can get a chance to talk to a lot of people who share similar interests and I can get a lot of perspective on aspects like authenticity and the concept of traditional in repertoire as well as the connection to Japanese culture that the group and individual may have. Also, if there's a difference for those who are of Japanese American heritage and those who are not. There are many things that I can talk about with everyone. Also, I have found out that one of the Taiko masters has a degree in ethnomusicology, which I find particularly awesome!
I'm also in the process of setting up interviews (formal or informal) with some very distinguished taiko masters who have had very long professional careers. That won't happen until Memorial Day Weekend, which is the date of the 19th Annual Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational which we are hosting for the very first time. There's a lot of stress going into an event that costs $40K to run - especially since it's our first time. You all should check it out, there are free concerts on Saturday and Sunday featuring collegiate groups from around the country.
Enough of my personal shenanigans though. I'm very excited for this event because I can get a chance to talk to a lot of people who share similar interests and I can get a lot of perspective on aspects like authenticity and the concept of traditional in repertoire as well as the connection to Japanese culture that the group and individual may have. Also, if there's a difference for those who are of Japanese American heritage and those who are not. There are many things that I can talk about with everyone. Also, I have found out that one of the Taiko masters has a degree in ethnomusicology, which I find particularly awesome!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Things I've noticed
Today we performed for the Collegiate Wushu Tournament hosted by UCSD's Wushu club. It was a very good performance that took place at the main gym on campus - we received the most applause and cheers that I have ever experienced as my time as a performer. I took note of a few things: we were performing for a half time show for a Chinese martial arts tournament, we are a Japanese music group but not all of us are Japanese - however, not every competitor was Chinese either.
I think what was the most interesting thing was the reception of audience, especially from the fact that there were schools from the entire country there who are all ethnicities, coming from all walks of life. Wushu is a performance martial art, more flashy moves and choreography (in my opinion), but that doesnt Deep down, it doesn't change the fact that they all work very hard at what they do and that they are all performers at heart. In the end, it doesn't matter that we're two different groups of two different ethnicities, or anything like that. We are all performers at heart, and being able to share this through music and martial arts-like movements (taiko is like elements of martial arts set to music in my opinion)transcends the barriers of race and ethnicity.
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