I Got a New Hoodie!

I've been needing a new hoodie and I got a good one today! Check out the new RCW hoodies! You know you want one too! I'm not taking this baby off until it gets warm again--like maybe April or May! You'd have to peel this off my frigid dead body if you ever wanted to get your hands on it. Get your own--really!

We had a good rehearsal today. We worked on the new song I was helping Janet on. Makes me realize I need to get back into taiko shape. Slant stand stuff is hard--there's lots of movement and it's easy to wear yourself out. But it's oh so worth it. The song moves from being in 6 to being in 4. That's a workout for the brain right there. I'm glad we don't have to solo over a 6-groove. There's three of us on slants and two more on sets of small drums. It's sounding really good now even in its cocoon stages.

I also heard our recording of Kai to Ryu today. It's pretty awesome. They did some magic tricks to make it sound good, but you'd never know. They also added a touch of reverb at the end that gave it an extra sense of Oooh! When we recorded I insisted we redo a section that we messed up on. Not something that a regular person might hear, but it was something I'd hear and know and groan about for the rest of eternity. It sounds good, yo. Kai has always been such a struggle for me. Oh, all the blog entries I've written about that piece! Oh, the horror, Oh the struggle and defeat and triumph. That song has haunted all my days, but we've finally made something I'm proud of (although nothing could make me feel more triumphant than when we performed it last at Born to Drum)

Next Friday we have our Taiko Class recital. My students will be performing Mokuyobi to a live audience. We've been working really hard on this--the students have been working really hard. And it shows! At rehearsal last Tuesday they rocked. I had an anxiety dream about the recital last night. I dreamed that we had reworked the whole song and I just couldn't remember the new sequence. It was like those dreams where you show up to class and realize you forgot to study for an exam. I just couldn't get the sequence down no matter how many times I went over it. I was contemplating writing it down on my arm so I could play with them. I also got there late and had forgotten my black tabi. Oh it was horrible! I'm going to pack my costume right now!

But I know it will go great. If I actually showed up in that condition I know my students would just carry the performance on their own. Come check it out:

Rhythmix Student Showcase
Rhythmix Cultural Works
2513 Blanding Avenue
Alameda, CA 9401
510.865.5060
December 12, 2008
7:00 pm
FREE!

Come on by and see what the other classes are up to!