Last years performance at West Central has been so talked about among the drummers that everyone wants to perform this year.  The setting, the atmosphere of community and the audience joining in were incredibly fun and what keeps us coming back for more. We will be performing Sunday on Union St. between Wayne and Berry, right in the midst of the popular West Central Home Tour.  We will be performing at lunchtime from 12:00-12:30. Its the perfect time to sit under the many mature trees and relax and have lunch or just let the spirit of the Arts Fest inspire you to imagine the people and social gatherings that took place in this beautiful neighborhood through the years. 

Fort Wayne Taiko recently performed at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis and the Taste of the Arts in downtown Fort Wayne.  Our next performance is Saturday, September 12 at the West Central Neighborhood gathering at 12noon.

We performed Yamabiko using a lot more kiai and more drummer interaction.  The crowd loved it…and we had a great time playing it for them.  Both performances were full of energy from kiai that drew in the crowds as well as the drummers and made it alot of fun for everyone.

We look forward to Knock on Wood, November 20 at 7pm to continue finding our voices as Ft. Wayne Taiko drummers.

Our summer wouldn’t be complete without a performance at A Taste of the Arts!  This unique event is a great way to spend the day so block off the day to treat yourself.  Fort Wayne Taiko will be performing  from 1:00-1:30 PM at the plaza and always look forward to seeing and talking to our audience. 

 http://www.tasteoftheartsfortwayne.org/

Fort Wayne Taiko is excited to be making their first appearance at the Indiana State Fair.  If its been a while since you’ve been there or you’re a regular state fair attendee, join us on Saturday August 21st at 11:00AM and 1:00PMto experience taiko Fort Wayne style.  Be sure to visit with us after the shows. 

Here’s a short, choppy video I took. Pardon the quality, it was on my phone.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I also took a series of pictures that look great. Some highlights from that:

We even get into habits about where we stand, who we are next to and how the song is arranged.  So much so, that sometimes we have a hard time remembering the song if the anchor we look to for that song is different, be it placement, where the audience is and even who is playing the song.  Flexibility is very key in taiko.  What habits do you get into??

1) Practice SLOWLY.  You can really listen and work to match the sound between both hands when you go slowly.  Then gradually speed up. Stop again when you hear a gallop instead of an even rhythm. This can be painful but so effective.

2) Do more tasks with your non-dominant hand.  Try buttoning your buttons, opening doors, zipping zippers, brushing your hair or teeth, or retrieving objects from your taiko bag with your non-dominant hand.  Stick with it even though it feels foreign and you will hear the results.

I was reading an exerpt to my family from the book Children of the Drum, the Life of Japan’s Kodo Drummers by Mark Coutts-Smith.  Training with Kodo involved eating with chopsticks with the non-dominant hand.  My 10 y/o son remembered that and asked me at dinner last night if I was going to eat with my left hand.  Share with people what you are doing and they are great at keeping the intention alive.

3-Rivers Festival is always a fun time to perform up close and personal with our audience.  We usually save a little time for spectators to join us in making music so check us out at 1PM in Freimann Square.