There are things in life one must do, or having done them once, try again (yes, dear reader, there are also many things having done them once you wouldn't do them again...like climb Mt Fuji for example...but that is not what we are talking about here, though related...).*
*[Shocking use of parentheses...among other syntactical crimes.]
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| Ready to play... |
You will know, dear reader, of my interest in things Asian--my recent tai chi explorations, a long time personal and professional interest in Japan etc and so forth. Many years ago, during one of my early visits, I learnt about the wadaiko, the Japanese drum, more commonly rendered in English as 'taiko'; even had a brief public playing experience in Hokkaido once (and only once...). I've been wanting to get back to it ever since.
TaikOz, a marvellous Australian-Japanese group has been around for a while now. I've been a fan of their work for many years and have tried to justify all sorts of desperate reasons for going interstate to participate in their beginner workshops...
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| Magnificent sound |
But today, TaikOz came back to Brisbane for a one-day workshop. (They also have regular classes but they clash with my orchestra rehearsals...)
A wet wet day, best time to learn to beat the bachi (the sticks) on the taiko...
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| It all starts...here don-kon-don-kon-don-kon-kon-don! |
Perfect.
Ninety minutes, exactly what I had hoped for and the sound of the taiko is absolutely marvellous--even with a bunch of beginners like us there today. I'll be back.
It is a further step forward in running to the beat of my own drum taiko (one day).
[Camera : iPhone 4S, 4.40pm, 4.41pm]
