Japanese Taiko(Drum) Experience
In the city,5 minutes by car from the west gate of Kanazawa station, there is a place where you can experience traditional Japanese drumming.
It’s Nishi-Taiko-Hozonkai, West Drum Preservation Society at the West Community Center.
＊ West Drum Preservation Society.
It started in 2004 and has 12 adults and 8 children members. They are active in a wide range of age groups. They perform at big nation-wide events like the Million Rock, Summer and Autumn
Festivals.
＊Taiko drumming
1 We hold the drumsticks with both hands and let the snap of the wrists work.
2 Arms raise straight up and strike down alternately.
3 A good position is about 5cm from the center of the drum on either side.
＊Taiko experience
You will be able to drum a taiko to the accompaniment of a song called “ Mushi-okuri, Insect Send off”.
In antient times farmers drove out pests in puddy fields by swing torches and beating drums in summer
nights.
It is sweating but refreshing !
＊Taiko
They say that the skin of a young cow makes good sound.
The drumsticks are made from maple wood.They are light and won’t break. The body part of taiko is made from the Japanese cypress.
A big drum weighs about 30 kgs., the same weight as the half of a bale of rice.
