Adding the taiko mechanics in the initial stage, can help to power up the motive power to the highest and add the leverage function of the arm, producing the vibration “DON!!”
We are going to explain how to hit the DON this time.
Depending of the instructor, the way of thinking and policy may differ, so if you fell like the explanation in this article is different of your instructor, please follow him/her.
The “taiko uchi” is characterized by hitting it in the best way, with power, flexibility, posture, speed and techniques, after researches and more researches.
How can we produce the ideal DON sound?
When hitting by power only, even making a big sound, the taiko doesn’t vibrate properly.
In baseball, to make a home-run it’s necessary to get the picture to hit the ball just in the adequate time with the center of the bat.
It’s the same for the taiko.
In order to make a good vibration an important point is to get the picture to hit the taiko with the center of the bachi, in the accurate place, just in the adequate time.
Let’s make the bachi trajectory steady even when the whole body is moving.
For that, is important to understand the target ideal sound and the center.
Without the goal, it’s very difficult to achieve the destination.
The goal is the “DON!!”
At the beginning let’s try to hit the parts of the taiko and understand how differently their sounds are.
Even for the face (kawa), the sound varies depending of the location.
The picture is colored in the face (kawa). (As a reference only)
The dark red part
is the center of the face(kawa) of the taiko and also the core of it.
Hitting here can produce a big DON sound with no extra overtunes and contact sounds.
It’s good to hit the core for making untiringly sound of a small sequence
or also for making a big DON!! as an accent of a composed rhytm.
In its surrounding, there’s the red part
The sound produced here is the most similar to the DON sound and it’s made by the sound of the taiko’s face(kawa) oscillation when hitting.
When it comes to the orange part, the sound gets confined and it becomes more to BAN BAN than DON, having a bit of noise mixed.
Often when the sound doesn’t echo very well is because the movement is losing the focus in the bachi trajectory and it’s hitting that orange part of the taiko.
The white part is near the edge and the vibration is almost null, making the sound PEN PEN.
It’s used when making extremely small sounds.
White→Orange→Red→Deep red
That’s the crescent order from a small sound to the loudest one.
It’s also used as an expression or effect of something that is very far away is getting closer little by little.
It can be used as a special rendition like below
Hit while sticking the bachi to the taiko, making a sound like a bell.
Hit strongly with one bachi, while sticking the other one to the taiko, making a sound like SUBIBIBI. That’s used as a sound effect for lightning.
The trick for the DON is
avoid the orange and the white area
and put the red and deep red area in target.
The first goal is the 100% Home-run hit rate.
After being able to hit 10 times consecutively in the deep red area, it may be good to challenge to hit the other parts and expand the sound variety.
The center of the taiko Hit a specific area
After having your goal,
the next is the bachi trajectory.
例えばFor example,
going to Shinagawa Sta. in Tokyo
using the Yamanote Line
it doesn’t matter if you use the inner track or the outer track
It’ll arrive your destination.
That’s the same for arriving to the destination of the center of the taiko.
電車で品川駅（あなたの身近な駅に置き換えてください）
を目指すとして
山の手線外回りを使っても内回りを使っても目的地にはたどりつけます。
太鼓の皮の真ん中にアクセスするための
ルート、軌道も
Hassou(Inner track)
Gyaku Hassou (Outer track)
In order to get to the destination anytime you want,
it’s necessary that both bachi and arm are consistent
in the direction and the goal.
For example, for the goal to achieve a certain destination
there’s a driver, a conductor and a passenger
if all of them have a different goal, it’s very difficult to accomplish it.
The passenger wants to go to Shinagawa, but he ends up going to Tamachi, Tokyo, Shinjuku… or even far away like Tabata.
The role is like below.
The Japanese trains are very certain in the time
and they won’t delay unless there’s
a trouble caused by the passengers
and will arrive the destination with safety.
Here we are going to explain the positions of the elbow, arm and bachi, using the train as reference.
Arm: The driver
Speed and dynamic
Elbow: The conductor
Support for the driver
The arm gives the order for the dynamic, speed and momentum, which has a support from the elbow, deciding the direction.
The fist is going to carry the bachi, which are the passengers, to the destination, but in order to make them feel comfortable, it’s important not to give so much pressure by filling it in the congestion.
The point is not gripping it so strongly and maintain relax while gripping it.
