About a three-minute walk from Collingwood station, you can hear that familiar sound coming from somewhere.
When you think of Taiko drums, what comes to mind?
Festivals, Summer, a strong beat, a towel twisted around your head as a headband and a Happi coat? I’m getting a little excited just thinking about it.
Recently even in Japan, Taiko drums have become not so well known. But the Taiko drum has spread throughout Australia more than you think. Almost to the extent where there’s a Taiko drum class in every part of Australia.
I recently payed a visit to Wadaiko Rindo, one of the many Taiko drum classes in Australia.
Practice is held in a room at a church. The lesson consisted of around 20 people, and had all sorts of age groups and nationalities. Including myself, there were about 3 -4 people there for the first time.
Once the class started, we sat down and began with simple one two rhythms.
When you hit the Taiko drum forcefully, the huge sound echoes right into your stomach. My chest was pounding a little. Even though it was just the beginner’s class, because everyone strikes the drum at the same time, the sound had a lot of power.
There was also the occasional shout of YA! It felt great to shout as hard as I could, and I found myself getting more and more into it.
As the class went on, the rhythms got harder and harder. The rhythm from the teacher continued, and we would beat the Taiko to the same rhythm. Remembering the rhythm and how many beats there are is tough, but even though I was a beginner I managed to keep up.
After 1 hour of practice I felt rather exhausted, but it was refreshing.
After the class, everyone stood around chatting for a while. There were all kinds of people. People with an interest in drums who had seen the home page on the Internet, people who had seen a performance and wanted to get involved, people who started to have in interest in Taiko drums because they like Japanese culture. Some of the people I met had even lived in Japan for as long as 15 years, and spoke to me in Japanese.
There are many people with an interest in Japan, all of them are very friendly and are keen to exchange a smile with you.
It’s easy to learn
Feeling the harmony of the beat
Being in sync with other people while making a beat
For Mr Sakamoto, the instructor at Rindo, the charm of Taiko drums is its history of over 20 years. Mr Sakamoto has a very soft demeanor, and is very easy to talk to.
Everyone comes together and drums out a beat. I think that many people have not taken part in these kinds of activities since high school music classes. Once a year Rindo holds a recital, which a good chance to demonstrate the results of practicing everyday.
For people who;
• want to start learning some kind of musical instrument – Taiko is easy to learn.
• want to find a new hobby – You can start easily
• want Japanese friends – there are many friendly people.
• want some exercise – Before in Japan, the Taiko Diet was very popular. It‘s especially good for the arms.
• have an interest in Japanese culture – Taiko drums are a part of Japanese culture.
• Parents who want their children to learn something about Japan – There is also a family class.
So why not start learning Japanese Taiko Drums in Melbourne.
Wadaiko Rindo Taiko Drums Class Details
Location： St Philips Anglican Church,144-148 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford VIC
Nearest station：Collingwood
Fees：$96 （1 term – 8 lessons) or $15 （1 lesson)
Family class $44 （1 term – 8 lessons） or $7 （１ lesson）
What to bring： a drink, comfortable clothes that are easy to move in
Schedule：
Basic class： Sat 9:00am-10:00am
Beginners： Mon/Tues 5:30pm-6:30pm, Sat 10:05am-11:05am
Intermediate： Mon/Tues/Thurs 6:35pm-7:35pm, Sat 11:10am-12:10am
Upper intermediate： Thurs 5:30pm-6:30pm, Sat 12:15am-1:15pm
Advanced： Mon/Tues/Thurs 7:40pm-8:40pm
Family class： Tues 4:30pm-4:55pm, 5：00pm-5：25pm
Contact：
Toshi Sakamoto（Because there are many participants, please contact the school before going）
Email: toshi@wadaikorindo.com
Wadaiko Rindou homepage http://www.wadaikorindo.com/
