What is Taiko?
Taiko Taiko (which simply means “drumming” or “a drum” in Japanese) is a performance art that involves beating drums (taiko) with large, cylindrical drumsticks (bachi). The type of taiko played at Bowdoin, as well as most other groups around the world, is Kumi Daiko, or ‘ensemble drumming’, which involves beating drums (taiko) with cylindrical drumsticks (bachi) in the company of other performers doing the same thing (taikobaka). Taiko involves a great deal of movement, of both the arms and the entire body, and the visual impact of the performance is fully as important as the sounds made by the drums. The end result is somewhere between dance and drum solo and is extremely awesome. Most of Bowdoin Taiko club circa fall 2003 playing Matsuri. Note the beautiful gomi-daiko and the stylish hachi-maki. Gomi-daiko aren’t as nice as real drums, but they beat tires and the backs of chairs.
