Obi Fight!

Went to Texuba today. Texuba is an annual travelling sale of obi and kimono. I think this may be the last year since the folks who run the show are retiring. Anyhow. I knew it would be popular, but I didn't know it would be quite the shove-and-grab fest that it was. We got there at 9:05, and the doors had opened at 9, but already it was packed and there was the general maniacal feeling of the day after Christmas in there. It was a medium sized room with racks of kimono and obi lining the walls and people were madly going through the racks. Everyone seemed to know what they were looking for, and none of them were going to get out of your way. A few were polite, but basically if you didn't jump in there and go through the racks, you'd just miss out. I told my friend who came along, I'm looking for red obi, and I swear this guy who was next to me picked a red obi off the rack right in front of me and he threw it violently in his laundry basket--as if to spite me, or to try to stave off the competition or maybe to intimidate me. All the super serious folks had laundry baskets and they were just pulling stuff off the racks and throwing them in there, barely looking at what they were getting. There was no browsing. No contemplation. No comparing one item with another. It was complete cutthroat madness, but I was game. I told my friend that we should split up and if she saw anything at all that looked like what I was looking for, that she should just grab it and we would meet up later.

Let me tell you, I hate shopping like that. It's ugly and greedy. But you don't just go to the department store and get obi. You can't make obi. And there not entirely easy or cheap to get on the internet. So if you want obi, you gotta just roll up your sleeves, jut your elbows out, and dive into the racks with the rest of them. I was looking for green obi, since green is my favorite color, but alas, I couldn't find any. As we were leaving, I saw a beautiful green obi in someone's basket, but I think that if I had even looked at it for any longer that the split second I already did, then I'm sure I'd get my right arm bitten off. But I didn't do so bad. Here's what I got:

There's seven there. I know I can't wear all of them with my costume, but I was thinking about future costumes, and also about the fact that the Texuba people are retiring. I found a green stripey one that's nice. And we need red for our costumes. Oh and Janet had given me the postcard that Texuba had sent her reminding her of the event, and apparantly she's a VIP member, so I handed the lady at the cash register the post card and I got a 50% discount! Woo hoo! I was scared she'd ask for ID like they said they would on their website, but there was too much madness in there and she just knocked off the 50% and I paid with cash just to be safe.

Sheesh. No wonder it's an annual event. Wouldn't want to do that again for at least a year.

Last night in my theater class we were cutting gels and playing with the light board. The class isn't quite turning out to be what I thought. All the emphasis is on lighting, and very little on the tech side of things that I wanted to learn. My other classmates are nice, but they're dancers, and while I don't have anything against dancers, I'm just not a part of that world. I have to light someone's Master's Dance thesis in a couple of weeks, and I have no idea what I'm doing. Hopefully the dancer won't freak out and discover that some uninitiated student is going to be lighting her big piece. Oh well. The frustrating thing about the class is that since I'm not in the dance program here, I'm not in the loop about when rehearsals are and whatnot. I wasn't even told that I'd have to come in next Saturday for a tech. I'm not going to make it because I already scheduled to do a sound check at RCW. If I'd known about it ahead of time, maybe I could have made it. But it's so unprofessional to ask your students to make commitments when you don't even know when the commitment is going to be until the last minute. ARgh!

In more exciting news, we have a show in less than a week--next Tuesday. I'm not stressing, but I'd like to be really solid, and I'd really like to use this as an opportunity to really project. Now that I'm more comfortable with my solos, I'd like to really work on getting the energy out. I know that I say this every time, but I'm feeling different. Not so hung up on remembering sequence or how my solo goes. I've got those under my belt. Now I need to work on being a performer.

This weekend I'm going Obi shopping in the City. There's this show that comes to town every once in a while called Texuba. It would be nice to have my own obi and not have to borrow. It should be an adventure!

New Opportunities

Thought we'd have last Sunday to work on miscelanity, but turns out I got accosted by our Asian/Pacific Islander group here on campus and offered an opportunity for Maze Daiko to perform here at Mills College. I was totally skeptical about the logistic possibility of us doing the show, since it is fast approaching on April 3rd, but lo and behold, the clouds part in strange ways, and turns out we can all make it to the show. The only catch is that we only have one full rehearsal, plus one rehearsal at Janet's where we have to be mindful of the neighbors, and then that's it. But you know what? We're getting good at this, and I think we'll be ok. Last Sunday we were one person short, but still we worked on the school show component and we were OK. A little wonky, a little rusty, but OK. I feel pretty confident, and that's a good thing, isn't it?

In other news, I finally decided to contact Toni about making a case for my Baby and looks like Baby is going to get her first real grown-up outfit, er, I mean, a case. I love that furoshiki that I've been wrapping her up in, but she's outgrowing that. Or rather, that furoshiki was one of the last things my mother gave me, and I'd like to treat it a little better. Everyone means well, but sometimes I see people carry the shime by the furoshiki, rather than just lifting the whole thing. It's kind of like if you saw someone carrying a baby by her bib, rather than holding the whole baby, butt and neck-supporting the whole time. I can't complain, because if someone is lugging your drum for you, you can't really complain. It's best that I get a case made up for it. Especially if little ruffians are going to be grabbing--and dropping it once they realize how heavy and unstealable-on-bicycle that bonger of a shime my baby is. Pics when I get it. I'm excited.

Need to work on taiko in the mean time. Bean made a really good point the other week when she said that she felt like on the one hand you can execute taiko and play a song in front of people, scared out of your mind, and on the other hand, actually perform taiko easily but with your heart and soul and as a performance, rather than a simple execution. I'd like to get there. We drilled a simple backbeat pattern last week, and me and Carolyn were sweating and concentrating away, but when I looked up at Janet who was leading the drill, she was just smiling at us and making it look fun and easy. I'd like to get to that point.

Ponderings

Next Sunday it's just me and Janet at rehearsal, and I'm supposed to come prepared with some ideas on what I want to work on. I've decided to use Sunday as a goal to work on things. No pressure or anything, but I'd like to have the curriculum for teaching the adult classes, and maybe a logo for Maze Daiko and maybe a couple pieces of a song that I've been kicking about in my head and which, at this point, are just a couple of patterns, but maybe by Sunday a couple more patterns.

We have a little bit of extra time, and it's a good opportunity to work on those things that you always mean to work on, if you had time. Last week she was encouraging me to work on my teaching skills, which I know I need to work on. Also I wanted to work on kata (form and posture and how to hold your drumsticks and how to project what you're playing). I don't regret asking to work on kata, since I need it so badly, but boy am I sore today. We worked on basic slant stand stuff and I realized how out-of-shape I am for a taiko player. But she gave us some good stuff to think about, and which I hope to incorporate into my overall playing style. She was like, Pretend like you're trying to show someone a hundred yards away the rhythms you're playing. It's kind of like trying to find the balance between totally exaggerating your movements and also playing well. It's something I need to work on still. Good things.

We had a little meeting and were talking about expectations and where we'd like to see the group go and stuff like that. When it was my turn to talk, I really didn't know what to say. Not that I didn't know what I want, but I just didn't know how to express the fact that what we're doing, or what I'm doing anyway, is exactly what I want to be doing. I mean I'm working with wonderful people on new and exciting and interesting material and I'm doing everything I've always wanted to do. True, having a clearer idea on what performances we want to do and what kind of audience we're looking for and what we envision ourselves as a group are important things, but how do you say: All the things I've ever aspired to do, I'm actually doing?

Foothill Show!

Made it through the Foothill show. Except for a couple hiccups here and there, I think we did a splendid job. And my Dad made it! He drove all the way up from LA and was there in time to watch the show! Here are some pics:

This is us at the beginning of Matsuri. I love this shot. Aren't we a sexy quartet?
And this is me, busting my gut during my Matsuri solo. In the future, I think busting a gut should look a little more genki, and a little less like I want to bust the drum.

And then there was Kai to Ryu, the bane of my existence. It's a really complicated song that makes no sense musically. You can't practice it with a metronome because the song doesn't fall into the right places. I don't know how to describe it. It's really difficult. You have to just clear your mind and play the song and if someone messes up, you have to completely ignore them and hope that they can lock into you sometime later. I really blew it for the Aiko show with Emeryville. I phased a line that shouldn't have been phased, and that just threw everyone off into trainwreck. I will never live that down. But we've been practicing it since last summer, and we finally pulled it off, in performance. Maybe there is redemption. I developed an annoying trick of singing the crazy Kai to Ryu song out loud. At the last rehearsal (where we played on covered drums) Bean was like, Do you always say it aloud like that? Yes, why yes I do. I found that I can completely clear my mind of all the little things that can completely distract you if I just say it aloud (believe me, any little thought about anything can completely ruin the song). Anyhow. Here we are:And this is us performing Elegua, which is a Cuban song with singing, bell, chekere and taiko. The only time that I've ever said that I wouldn't do something for taiko is when Janet asked if I would sing Elegua. No freakin way! I come from a long line of really horrible singers and I just see no reason to flaunt this genetic flaw on stage. That's what that Idol show is for, and I'm pretty sure I'd make it on the best-of-the-worst show if I started singing. I know my limitations, yo. This song leads into Three Rivers--which was the triple percussion thing I was stressing about. It went fine. Me and Carolyn were groovin' on our percussion. And the best part of the whole performance--audience participation. I pointed out my Dad in the audience to Bean before the show and I was like: can you get that old guy with the beard to come up for the drum roll? He was a great sport. Check out his kata. We could make a great Odaiko player out of him.
I think we did a great job. It was really nice to get a repertoire together, work on it, and work towards a goal. Our next goals are some shows in June and July that will help celebrate the grand opening of the new space. Until then, I'd really like to work on kata and technique. Lots of work, always.

Not Nervous

I'm not nervous. I'mnotnervousI'm not nervous. I'm not. Really. Not right now. Maybe right before, maybe. But not right now.

Did a desk-taiko run through today and I did fine. I know my transitions. I've got all my solos down. Sequence is fine.

My Dad is coming up all the way from LA to watch me perform! I am so excited about that! He wasn't able to come up to see me last November, but he is now, and that's just as good, if not better. It means a lot to me. It really does.

My things are packed. Got my bag of bachi/costume/notes/lipstick (ack, still have to get used to wearing that stuff) all packed and huddled on the floor next to my pile of black underwear, black socks, black tank, black pants, black shoes. In the living room my super-tight shime is on it's newly painted black stand, next to the chekere. My always faithful sugar-high gatorade is chilling in the fridge next to my standard Odwalla Soy Chocolate Protein power shake. Made a pot of beans last weekend--that's just good old-time soul food to me. My Mexican side loves them, and I eat them every weekend before rehearsal and, I swear, I'm not hungry again till dinner. That'll be my breakfast. With a fried egg. And a fistfull of tortillas. And maybe some juice. Oh and coffee.

So there you have it: my pre-show routine. I'm good. I really am. Think good thoughts for me if you're in the good-thought thinking mood on Wednesday at noon. I should sleep now. If I can.

Shime Tightening

Last night we had one last rehearsal, but we kind of realized that we were pretty solid on everything, so it didn't take that long. So we tightened shime. I like tightening shime. We were using Kris' one-person method, although we cheated and actually two of us were doing it. One person to pull, the other holding on to the tension. Less bending over. We did both of Janet's shime, and then as a bonus, she offered to help me tighten mine. I was kind of excited because I've only ever tightened it on my own, and I know I can't get it as tight as two people could. She's got a technique of using two age-bachi at the beginning, which is impressive to see.

Boy did I do a lot of those standing pulls. If there's something like 20 pulls per drum, and we did 3 drums, then that's like 60 pulls! I was kind of zombie by the time I got home, but it was so worth it because those shime were chirping like little birds. Kanki is going to be awesome.

Phew!

Had a good taiko day today. I've been waking up early on Sundays and running through different songs. Then I go load up drums at Janet's and take them over to the rehearsal space. Today we ran through our 45 minute set twice, and also worked on particular songs, or parts of songs that give us trouble. It was a lot of work, physically. We were all sweaty, but I think we're pretty confident with our show. After class I'm usually really beat, and I had to take a nap. It's like as soon as I get in my car after unloading, my body says can I sleep now? and I get really tired. Too tired to even be hungry or thirsty. I just need to take a nap.

And if today's particularly demanding run-throughs weren't enough, I realized that I had to tighten my shime today, or I wouldn't have a chance before Wednesday's show. So I cranked the heck out of my baby till she was as tight as I could get her without killing myself. I'm sure the Kodo folks would laugh at the tension on my shime, but hey--I'm a wimp. Tomorrow night we're going to crank up Janet's shimes, so that should be interesting. She's going to show me the two-person method. That should be fun!

Must eat and rest now. Eyes are getting heavy. Very heavy . . .

Papa!

If the weather over the Grapevine and up Highway 5 isn't too bad, there's a chance my Dad is going to come up to watch us play taiko for the March 7th show! You don't know how excited this makes me. He's never seen me play taiko before! (well, maybe on video) And now I'm actually confident and proud of my taiko skills! Foothill College at noon, yo!

Ok so now I really need to work on projection and solos and all that. And I have to smile! My Dad's gonna be in the audience! And we're going to have an audience participation section, and you know that I'm going to walk down with my bachi and grab him to do the obligatory drum roll.

Woo-hoo! My Dad!

Steppin' Up

Or out. Or is it--a step in time saves what was now? Anyway. This past week we were rehearsing for the March 7th show, and me and Carolyn are supposed to step on the downbeats for one of the songs. We're the percussion girls and they want us to look sharp and cool. Only problem is, is that as percussion girls we're supposed to be playing and looking sharp. I don't know about Carolyn, but my rhythms are hard to play even without the stepping. Plus I'm playing three different percussion instruments (at different times, thank goodness, but still). Also we're doing a different kind of stepping--more like dancing--Carolyn calls it the wedding step, since you go right foot right, left foot to right, then left foot left, right foot to left. This is different from my usual stomp stomp stomp that I have already spent so much time working on. So I was like, oh, I don't know if I can step like that, and not in time for the show next week, blah blah blah. But of course Janet wouln't let me get away with that and just blew all my excuses off, saying that I was coordinated enough and that she knew I could do it shut up. And you know what? I could, and it wasn't hard at all. I feel like I'm finally getting a base of skills under my belt, and that I can actually use one skill for one thing, and then apply it to another seemingly different thing. That's cool. Of course at first I have to resort to looking like an idiot, because I was saying out loud: step ah-ah, step ah-ah, step ah-ah-ah-ah! But oh well, I got it, real quick too. I guess I just need that inital shove.

Five days and counting. I'm not that stressed. This is a big deal. I've got my solos under my belt. Got the sequence down. Working on my gut-busting and on my projection. I recorded last week's run-through and took notes on all the things I wanted to work on, and have been reviewing them this week. I worked out a diagram of where my bachi are and when, and what drums I move and when, or with who. I'm actually kind of excited. A show! And the best part is that I'm taking a day off of work and boy do I need the vacation. This is gonna be fun!

Updates

Life is good. I have to remember that every day. And because I had my digi-cam out, and because I thought this blog was seriously lacking in images, here are a couple updates from my mundane, but good, life.

I got new shoes! Maze Daiko needed new shoes to help complete the outfit (more later, promise!!), and after listening to a co-worker rave about an online shoe-site, I went a-browsing, and came upon these accidentally. They had other styles, and we ended up buying them from a more local brick and mortar store--you know with real people who really care and have a stake in the shoe-selling industry. There were different styles, but I went with these because they 1) had them in my size, and 2) were big enough for my wide feet. I think they're called "jazz shoes." Jazzy, eh? I finally got around to finishing my shime stand. Built it myself a year and a half ago, and now I finally got around to painting it. I was considering staining and varnishing it, but that would have called attention to the stand, which, quite frankly, is not anything in comparison to the work of art my Asano shime is. So subdued semi-gloss black it is.
We've got our show on March 7th that we've been working real hard toward. Not a big deal in the taiko-world, but a great goal to set in order to work on repertoire and solos and all those good things. I busted my gut today on my Matsuri solo, and the only thing I really want to focus on is my Mokuyobi solo. You've heard it all before about that solo. Energy. Projection. Yeah.

Letting Go, Or, Letting It All Out

I was angry all week. Being angry sucks. It saps the energy out of you. It makes you spacy. Yes, there were things I could have done. But on the other hand, I think I did the right thing. On the one hand there is logic and clear thinking and reason. On the other, there is pure, unbridled, furious anger. Often times, the anger wins out, but then you regret it later. In listening to my anger, and in listening to my logic and reason, the only thing that I would have changed about last Sunday is in my ability to scream. Have you ever heard a woman on the street screaming? Did you turn around? Did it get your attention? Did you ever pop your head out the window when you heard a woman scream? I think the sound of a woman screaming is way more effective than the sound of your typical car alarm. I should have screamed my angry heart out. That's all. I kept us safe, but it would have been better if I kept us even safer if I let the whole neighborhood hear about it.

If the whole incident of the street urchins trying to steal the drums didn't happen, last Sunday's post would have been about what happened in class. We were working on solos, and Janet said, I can't hear you solo at all. Why don't you hit the drums harder? And then we tried it again, and I hit those drums harder and with more energy, and then the Carolyn was like, hey, that sounded good--you've been holding out on us! And that's what I think my whole life has been about. Maybe not holding out, but holding back. I'm so darn restrained. Always so quiet and not trying to make any ripples or fuss, or anything at all. I have been so shy and invisible that I don't even notice it. I just need to belt out and let everyone know that I am here, and I am here loud. Bring those ruffians on, but let them be warned that if they're going to f*&% with me, then everyone within earshot is going to hear about it.

And the anger. That's the part that sucks the most. I didn't get much practice in. I was working on my counting drill but had to stop because I found I wasn't concentrating on counting, but on how I would pummel little Mofo if I could have my way with him. And then at work, I was completely loopy--not a good thing if your acceptance or denial into college depends on someone who is thinking about last weekend rather than at your life's academic record. My stomach was in knots all week and by the time I got home from work every day, I had a headache. But why let those little sacks of manure have such control over my life? My brother said, They're not worth it, and I really wanted to let it go then, but I just couldn't. But I'm realizing that the anger is so futile, so not what I want to focus the precious little energy I have on. Life is short. You gotta let go of the things that really don't contribute to what your cause is. Listen, people. I love to play taiko. You can throw rocks at us and call us weirdos. You can make us play for a whole year on rubber and carpet-padded drums. You can call the police on us. You can sit there and ignore us as you eat dinner and pretend that there isn't a bunch of overly-genki weirdos 3 feet away from you pounding away for a show that you probably paid for. You can try to steal the drums from right under us, for godsakes. But I'm gonna keep pursuing this. Really. I am.

Bring it on.

Ruffians

Miscreants. Hoodlums. Ne'er-do-wells. I don't like to curse on this blog, but it'll make me feel better--motherfuckers! (or as they say in Alameda--weirdos!) I'm so angry right now. If you could see me, I'd have steam coming out of my ears. No, actually, you'd see me look absolutely calm and quiet, which is a really, really bad sign if you know me and know that I'm angry. We've been having taiko class at a place in West Oakland, which quite frankly, is ghetto. Literally. Not the best neighborhood. Not the kind of neighborhood my Dad would ever let me venture into. Before I could unload my jeep I had to move it away from a pile of vomit. That kind of neighborhood.

Anyhow, we had taiko class as usual, and afterward we were loading up the cars to go home. I was standing outside Janet's car when I see this group of adolescent guys come up on bicycles, and one of them--the MoFo runt--starts huffing like a gorilla and I know he's up to no good, and he swoops by on his bike and he reaches out to grab a shime. But he misses, and I'm in such shock--like what the f*&% do you think you're doing? And I'm also thinking, ok, we're totally outnumbered. There's just me and Janet outside here and a bunch of guys. If you're a woman, then you know that this is not good. Then Mofo comes back and tries it again, but I find a way to keep him away from the drums. And I'm thinking, ok what do I do? I could go after him, but I'm a little scared of him and I'm even more scared of his friends, and if I step away from this pile of shime/okedos we'll lose them. Then he jumps off his bike and jumps into Janet's car (like a gorilla--really, an animal), going after a josuke. I know that no one just rides off with a josuke on a bicycle, so I'm not worried that he'll take that drum, but I'm worried about Janet. I don't think she saw what was going on with me and she turns around when Mofo runt is jumping in the back of her car and she's really annoyed. She was like, Oh go away! Leave us alone! and she finds a way to scare him off. It was kind of funny because I was scared but she was really totally annoyed. Mofo wasn't able to get away with the josuke of course, but he pulled it out of the car and dropped it on the ground. Ouch. At this point he gets back on his bike, and I'm thinking oh damn, I should have taken his bike when he was in the car, but anyway. I chase him a little bit, because you know, I'm so big and scary, and he and his friends go away. Thank god.

And I'm so angry. I don't even want to think of all the things I could have done. All those wonderful brave things you could have done in retrospect. Yes, I could have knocked him off his bike or thrown a shime at him. But I can't think like that. I protected the drums. I didn't pick a fight with a bunch of Mofos in the ghetto. We're all safe. The drums are safe. I'm just one pissed off taiko player.

I kept my composure as we finished loading up the drums, and also when we unloaded drums at Janet's, but as soon as I was back in my car I cried. And I cried all the way home and cried big in my bed. Scared. Angry. Furious. I just wanted to go back there with a baseball bat and my big brother, but of course, no one can fight my battles for me, and it wouldn't solve anything. I just worry that Mofo will come back. And I worry not for myself or the drums or my fellow taiko-players, but for him. I am just so angry. I'm scared that I have this feeling of really wanting to hurt him. If he comes back again, I wouldn't hesitate. He's a kid, a coward. But I'm so angry that I could hurt him and not feel bad about it. That's not good, is it?

Afterwards Janet called me to check in on me, and she told me that she thought it was just really sad that all those boys had to do on a Sunday morning was cause that kind of trouble. That's one of the reasons why I like Janet. She's got perspective and wisdom that makes me want to be a better person. I have to let this go. I did the right thing.

Right? Oh give me the strength not to buy an aluminum baseball bat and keep it in my car.

Bust a Gut

So today we were working on Matsuri solos. I don't know why I stress out so much about this. I think I'm the only one with a solid set solo. I was listening and watching the other solos, and they are wonderful and genki and energetic. Mine is not so much so. Set, yes. But today Janet said that since I'm last solo, that I really need to work on projecting the energy of it. That I need to "bust a gut" and just belt it out. This is something she's been telling me for years. But since I'm last solo, I feel the need to work on this more. The other players have longer solos than me. Listening to people play longer solos than me has always made me feel a little inadequate. Why don't other people struggle as much as I do? How can they just stand up there and solo and solo and solo? I spend so much time composing and setting solos that when it comes time for show and tell, I feel like maybe I should have added more content. But I've been really thinking about solos lately, and while longer solos are impressive and there is nothing bad about them, I think that really projecting the energy of whatever you've got is important too. It's not about length, but quality. Watching Kodo has got my mind thinking. So today when I was listening to the longer solos, I still felt that my solo was too short, and in between takes I asked Janet, woefully, Should my solo be longer? she said that no, it wasn't about length. My solo wasn't too short. Just that I needed to project. Which is what I've been thinking all along! So that is something I continue to work on. Project! Project! Bust a gut!

Greatness Through Osmosis

Tonight I attended a Kodo concert, thanks to the wonderful generosity of Janet who let me tag along, and someone named Yumi, who provided the comps. When I was first starting to get to know this concept of "taiko," there was Kodo. I used to listen to my Best Of CD all the time. Tonight they performed all the classics like Yatai and Miyake, and of course, the always awe-inspiring O-Daiko. They also performed Monochrome, and though that was always the song I skipped through when I was listening to the CD, tonight I think I discovered a new-found appreciation for the song. The technical prowess it takes to perform the song--the concentration, the ability to sinc in with the group, to know where you are in the piece of music, and of course, the sheer ability to play a shime that fast, and that accurately, well I was really impressed.

After the concert Janet asked me what I thought, and this time, I had a million questions, only a couple of which I was able to even ask. My first being, How did they get that drum over here? And, Do the women get to play in the big pieces? And What kind of bachi are they using in Monochrome? And, Did you see how tight those shime were? I know I was being a complete naivete, or whatever that French word is, but hot-damn, people, KODO!! You may have heard it all, you may seen it all, but when faced with just how good Kodo are when they play, well, it can almost be a little disenheartening. I was kind of thinking to myself, What the heck am I doing trying to play these taiko drums when there are people out there playing them so well, so perfectly, with such heart and stamina and passion? What am I doing pounding those things with what I think is all-my-heart when there are people out there doing it so much better? But I can't let that get me down. Yes, of course, they are some of the best out there. And no, I will never even have as much talent as they have in the little finger of their left (or right) hands, or even in the hairs of their big toes, but it inspires me. I mean I was listening to their solos, and they were big and impressive, but not quite as complicated as I think a solo should be when I'm struggling to compose solos. Something to think about. Janet likes groovy (which I am only beginning to understand--what is that--groovy?) but I can see that there are different ways to play. Different styles. Different influences. I think that as American taiko players we are so at ease with incorporating different rhythms and sounds and influences from around the world--because, as much as I hate sounding patriotic or whatever, that's what American music is--a meld of everything around us. I always hold back on my solos because I think they're so plain and been-there-done-that, yet I was impressed tonight because I realized that a large part of performing a solo is not in the content, but in the delivery.

Picture Day

Remember when you had picture day at school? My mom used to make me wear "cute" shirts and I had that god-awful "pixie" hair cut and teeth that were too big for my face. Today we had to take some publicity pics for taiko, and I was kinda having flashbacks to those picture days. I've never taken pictures for taiko before. I mean, I've had my picture taken while I was playing taiko, but I've never had to stand there with my arm up in the air (with Janet whispering over her shoulder, put some tension in that arm!!) and putting on a smile while I was only pretending to play. Anyhow, I grew into my teeth, my hair is short again, but less pixie, I put on lipstick (a rare event, indeed) and today the outfit was super cool, though a little motley since we all were wearing different costumes since our regular costumes aren't ready yet. We arranged a bunch of pretty drums around us (my Baby shime included--cause she's so pretty) and stood there while groupie Ed stood on a ladder with a high-res digi-cam. Actually, it was pretty cool to be standing there with our plastic smiles on taking publicity pics. That's not something you do every day, is it? Or in my case, ever.

Anyhow, after pics, it was back to work. We worked on Matsuri, and I have a solo, though now it seems a bit short, but long enough for the moment, and I think I played it ok, though it got stepped on before I finished, but eh, there will be other opportunities. And we worked on a new version of an old song. Janet and I worked it out on Wednesday, and we got through it today. Then we put the finishing touches on yet another song, and then we were done working out all our songs. Seven songs in our bag of tricks. Not bad, eh? Not bad considering we decided in December that we were going to do this show in March, and now it's only the end of January and we have all the songs worked out, and now all we need to do is work on projecting the energy of them and memorization and all that. When we were working on that big show for Emeryville Taiko it took from February to November, two or three times a week to get through about 6 or 7 songs. True, there is some overlap with the songs, but the arrangements are completely new, there is completely new material, and new solos. But I think that it's a sign of my progress and ability to handle new stuff, or at least completely new arrangements of familar stuff, or at the very least, to not totally freak out. I don't have the same kind of worry as I did before. It'll be ok. All I need to do is smile.

Solo #1, Part 2

So, I've been working on my solo for Matsuri. I know I'm going to look back on this someday and wonder why I was so stressed, or laugh at why I was so stressed. But note to self: the things that we think are so easy now, were actually really hard then. It's the struggle that makes us so snug later.

Anyhow. I've been working on my solo, and I realized today that in composing solos that I'm not struggling as hard now as I used to. I mean, yes, this is really hard for me. I've been thinking about the same 8 bars of music all day long, but it's a different kind of struggle than I've had, say, 2 or 3 years ago. I remember I had to compose a short solo for one of the first versions of Heiya and it took me a really, really long time. I wound up stealing like crazy and actually performed it, and while I think I would cringe to listen to it today, it was nice to undergo that struggle and come out on the other side with something that I created. Tonight I was happy with myself because I was incorporating, quite easily, all sorts of movement into my solo, while just 6 months ago, incorporating any kind of movement at all would have been just excruciating.

I'm learning a lot. It is wonderful to have a really good teacher. I am growing by leaps and bounds and taking direction by someone I totally trust and respect. That is so important. I wouldn't be where I am, wouldn't even aspire or dream of this whole taiko thing if it weren't for someone who pushes me, challenges me, and in turn, shows me the same kind of respect. I know that taiko can have its hierarchies--the senpais, the kohais, the senseis. I don't think for a minute that I am anything but a total newbie, but to be treated as an equal by someone who could so easily be put on her own pedastal and feared/revered (but who gives no cause for that, at all) is something that I am always thankful for. It is equally wonderful to be able to play with really talented people, and to be able to feel free to explore and put yourself out there.

Solo #1, check.

Fear of Heights?

So tonight I went to my first "Technical Theater" class. It seems fun. Basically we're going to learn about all that vital backstage stuff that goes on while you're performing your wonderful solos and not thinking a bit about how you're lit up and looking as fabulous as can be when you're really thinking eh, what comes next? The teacher is really into lighting, and I think that will be a major component of the course. He is a dancer, but also fell into stage managing and lighting design. There is a theater on campus that rarely sees much theater because we cut the theater program five years ago. People still put on the occasional show there, but it seems like we'll have full reign of the place and all its goodies. Our main task of the semester will be to help put on the senior dance thesis concerts in April.

Anyway, tonight we were going over some basic concepts like what a stage manager and producer and blah blah blah is. Basic basic. Stuff I need to know. We even briefly covered the topic of what downstage and upstage are. Remember back in October when the guy was like, Can you move your drum downstage a bit, and I was like, huh? Well for you folks who don't know, back in the old days, the stage was built at an angle so that the people upstage (ie, at the back of the stage) were actually higher than the people downstage (ie, at the front of the stage, closer to the audience) so that the audience could see the performers better. If you learn nothing else from this blog, learn that--upstage and downstage. Boy did I feel dumb. Hopefully this course will teach me the basic-basic things that will prevent feeling of dumbidity.

So, one of the introductory things we learned was how to focus a light. We weren't in the actual theater tonight--it was more of a rehearsal space--with lights. I did OK, but I did have to climb up a rather rickety wooden ladder. And while I'm not particularly scared of heights, I am scared of uncertainty, and a ladder that rocks back and forth is a little uncertain. I was a little nervous(even though the ceiling was probably not even 10 feet high) and am a little scared of what the actual theater will be like. But hey--I can get over my fear of heights, right? I'm almost over stage fright. Almost. I'll have to work on that. Just more hurdles coming my way.

Oh, but did I mention there were only 2 other people in the class? I don't know how many people it will take to fill a class, but I'm not so sure about a college allowing a class of 3 to continue. I mean, we are a small liberal arts college for women, but 3 people?? We'll have to see. And I can't be sure if the other 2 will actually continue with the class. I can just imagine that one or maybe even two of them will drop out and it will be just me and teacher guy lighting up all the senior thesis shows. Sounds familiar though, right, taiko people? One person taking over and doing monumental things to get a show off the ground? I had hoped for 10 people. But hey, we'll just have to see. Another scary thing to overcome. And those ladders. Scary. We'll see.

Solo Spot #1

So last Sunday I was designated as the last solo in a simple Matsuri song we're going to perform in March. The show is moderately a big deal--if you're a taiko player, then you know that playing a gig at some community college is nothing new, but we decided to make it a big deal for us, since we need to work on getting a repertoire together and having a solid set of songs, and since March is a good goal to try to get our act together, we think it's a big deal. So anyway, I get the last solo, which is kind of a big deal (for me, anyways), since the last solo kind of seals things and is the finale solo. It's actually kind of an honor. Janet usually gets last solo, and for her to give it up to me--that's gotta mean something. I mean, yes, giving up the last solo to a newbie at a community college event is not so big, but to me--well it's something new to work toward. I mean, at the last place I played taiko at, only one person had last solo, and it was always that last person, and to even dream of having that position was a wild fantasy. But here I am, in that spot, and now I feel like I've got this new responsibility--this new honor and it's wonderful and a bit stressful too. I mean, I had a set solo for Matsuri for that school show last September, but this--this is something new. I need something spectacular. I need movement. I need cool riffs. I'll be working on this. I will. Wow.

Also, we've got a lot to work on in the next--what--6 weeks. And oh god, solos. Lots of them. And take a look at the notes for a new version of a song:

And then the really hard song that we have yet to get through flawlessly. And a solo for that song that I really never truly love my solo for. And then percussion (chekere, people--and guess what--bell and clave!). And also we're composing a song (as we speak!) that we need to get everyone up to speed on.

But am I complaining? No way.

And guess what? I've been toying with the idea of enrolling (for free--what wonderful perks) in a "Dance Production and Lighting Design" class at work. Stage managing, sound boards, lighting design, equipment usage--all this I will learn, if I can figure out the paperwork and can commit to it once a week for a semester. Semester ends in May. It's already almost February. The only catch is that we've probably got to put on the Dance-Major Thesis shows in April. No biggie, right? That's what I'm telling myself. I've already got a notebook picked out. I realized last weekend that I needed to remember how to be a student, since I threw out all my student-skills when I gleefully graduated from the MFA program. No more underlining. No more notebooks. But eh, it all comes back to you. The only difference is that I'm so enthusiastic about the course. I just hope that I won't be one of those annoying students who ask all kinds of questions. But hey--that's what education is all about, right? You don't realize all that till you're graduated I guess. We'll see though. The paperwork has to go through and I just hope the class doesn't fill up. Might be nice to be surrounded by geeky types like myself for a change.

Until then, it's solos, people. Great, wonderful, song-closing solos. And stuff.

It's Fuh-fuh-fuh-reezing!

My daily email weather report said that it was going to be something like 31 degrees tonight. Farenheit! And it's been like this for well over a week. I haven't experienced this much consecutive cold weather since, well, ever. It's obvious I would not survive an east coast winter. I'm not sure how I am surviving now. I've got the heater on a lot, but since the first bill was 80-something dollars, we've been trying not to use it too much. Right now I'm wearing--wait, let me count--a tank top, a long sleeved shirt, a fleece vest, a sweatshirt and a scarf, and I'm still cold! I hate the cold. I hate the rain more, and even though I'm miserable now, I'll take sunny cold days over dreary wet days any time.