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KODO Entry
#1: February 27, 2003
The seats were actually in the front row and dead center at Carnegie Hall. When we were first seated I was somewhat disappointed as the stage is fairly high and it appeared the drums were at the very back of the stage. My selfish disappointment soon turned to elation as the road crew appeared to roll the drums out to the front of the stage. What followed was two hours of the most precise and powerful drumming I've ever seen. The show blew me away and I've continued to follow the band over the following years. It wasn't until this year - 2003 - that I had the opportunity to see them again. I am getting ahead of myself here as I've yet to actually see them. Today is February 27th and the show is March 5th. I bought my tickets online and look forward to the show. But... The reason I am starting this page now is because I've just received a mind-blowing piece of news. I've been accepted into a one day Taiko drumming workshop with Kodo. I sent an email to the Kodo business office asking if any workshops were taking place in NYC... I got a reply a few days
later. They gave me the phone number of the Carnegie Hall office and
told me who to ask for. I called, got a I was asked to submit an
email regarding my musical experiences.
Since my drumming experience is limited, my initial email was a little
light. Needless to say the coordinator at Carnegie Hall wasn't too
impressed and luckily for me, asked for more information. Dear
Keith, I was speechless. I literally closed all the applications on my computer and gave a loud "Yes!." A few of them, actually. Entry #2: March 4, 2003 I just returned from the workshop with Kodo. I'm going to try to put into words what happened, but that may be difficult. It's hard to be cerebral about such a visceral pursuit. The first
thing that struck me was the "heaviness" of the recital
spaces at Carnegie Hall. When I thought about all the great
names that have walked through these doors, it was hard not to be
humbled. After the applause subsided, we were beckoned to sit on the floor in front of the leader and his translator. The entire workshop was in Japanese! The translator was a man named Robert and he was quick and shared an obvious repport with Kodo. Turns out, he is the Director of Kodo's non-profit educational arm. www.kodoart.org. After we were seated we were given an in-depth lecture on the history of taiko. I'm happy to say that I knew 100% of what was spoken about due to my immersion in the subject prior to the workshop. I did the same thing back in 1995 prior to the concert as well, only now I have the luxury of the web and usenet to really dig in. See below for a list of good Taiko links. Ensemble taiko drumming (kumi daiko) is only thirty years old, so the history is accurate. When they start talking about Taiko from 600 plus years ago, the details get a bit shadier. We were given a demonstration of the differences between Shinto and Buddhist drumming in a ritual and celebratory context. The Buddhist style is slower. More ponderous. Where the Shinto style is upbeat and showy. The drums connected the people to each other and to the Gods. We were then treated to
a demo of a "demon drumming." One player Then the hands-on workshop started. First, stretching exercises. I noticed how different the two sides of my body really are. My right is more flexible than my left. I resolved to start stretching as much as I lift weights. Then, onto the drums! We were broken into two groups of six each, given two simple patterns to play and instructions on when and how to play them. While the patterns were simple, they were difficult to keep in time over the ten minutes we played them. I was given the largest drum in the room, being the largest person. As they told me to take that taiko I whispered, "I was hoping you'd say that." Wow. What a drum. Click the picture above for a good photo. The sticks (bachi) were about 1.5 inches thick and 12 inches long. He gave the count - SO, RA! - and we started. What a sound. And what a feeling to be hitting that drum. And 11 other people pounding out the same licks. The room filled with a primal sound and feeling. I was truly transported. Transported for 30 seconds maybe, because after 30 seconds I was losing my timing. The sticks got heavier and the drum started fighting back. I struggled through the rest of the exercise and was relieved when they call lunch. I found a small dinner and had egg whites, coffee and turkey sausages. I returned feeling strong and ready for the second half. What came next were lots
of non-drum exersizes to demonstrate how rigidity is not as desirable
as flexibility and relaxation. They spoke about using gravity and
a natural power to play the drum. We paired off in teams of
twos and three and ran through exercises that really Then, back to the drums with the admonishment to recall and use all we'd learned during all those demos and exercises. And damned if it didn't work. I played with relaxed power and precision even moving my body in time and shifting positions as the patterns changed. I felt natural whereas part one saw me feeling cramped and tired. When we were done, the audience of 20 or so people auditing the class burst into applause. Wow. We sat down for a final round of questions and I asked a few regarding Kodo's approach to improvisation and composition. It's the same in the East as it is in the West, apparently. Finally, the day over (10AM till 5PM), we were asked to sit in a large circle with other members of Kodo. Through the translator we were told we were about to participate in a ritual that had been passed to the workshop leader by a Navaho elder prior to a sweatlodge. A ball of purple yarn was produced. With the words "My name is _____. All my relations..." the leader held one end of the yarn and tossed the ball across the circle to another participant. That participant held a snip of the yarn and tossed the ball to someone else, repeating his words. And that participant did the same. I was last to receive the ball of yarn and did the same, "My name is Keith. All my relations..." and tossed the ball back to the leader. He asked us all to pull the piece we were holding and the entire web rose up from the ground. He then spoke to us about the connectedness of all things and of community. Touching words that rang true once again. I find that these words and the methods of practice span many of the arts that I've been attracted to. Iaido and Zen in particular share many of these tenets. I am home now. Relaxed, satisfied and deeply touched. The challenge is maintaining this feeling as I deal with the day-to-day frustrations of making a living and taking care of business. Days like this cause me to reassess what I am doing with my life. What I consider important. The Kodo concert at Carnegie Hall is tomorrow night. I'm taking my sister. The seats are good, I feel good and life is good. What a day.
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