By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Whether it comes in the form of a marching band’s snares
or a pounding disco beat, the drum has always been a universal
instrument.
Here at UCLA, it’s no different. For a group of 20
students, all possessing diverse backgrounds and experiences, drums
serve not just as a musical instrument, but as a cultural unifier.
Together, they make up Kyodo Taiko, a completely drum-based
performance ensemble that borrows elements of vastly diverse
origins. Though its roots are firmly located in the Japanese
American community, taiko music represents a blend of many
influences.
“It incorporates a lot of different cultures,” said
Cristine Sato, a third-year Japanese student who serves as one of
Kyodo Taiko’s directors. “A lot of influences come into
play when songs are composed ““ rumba, Cuban, jazz and a lot
of modern music, as well.”
The versatility and cross-cultural appeal of the instruments are
a crucial part taiko’s success in appealing to a wide range
of people.
“It’s the power of the drum,” Sato said.
“It really speaks to everybody, and there are drums in all
cultures. It’s a bonding instrument between people that
really has no barrier. There are groups in Vermont that are all
Caucasian and there’s a group in England. It really speaks to
everybody.”
While the original art form dates back centuries to ancient
Japan, the North American brand is a relatively recent development.
The first American ensemble was formed in 1968 in San Francisco,
and its popularity quickly spread, with an estimated 500 groups
currently performing throughout the country.
“It’s something that the Japanese-American community
feels very proud of. It’s not an esoteric artform, it’s
something that’s new and is constantly evolving,” said
Brian Yamami, grants and programs administrator at the Japanese
American Cultural and Community Center and member of Kinnara Taiko,
Southern California’s original group.
Number of musicians and composition styles differ from group to
group, but all employ the same group of instruments: the giant
o-daiko, roughly equivalent to a massive bass drum, the
medium-sized chu-daiko and the small, snare-like, shime-daiko.
“It’s kind of a family of drums,” said Eric
Chang, a fifth-year electrical engineering student and past
director of Kyodo Taiko. “They’re made out of the same
type of wood. In Japan, you take a tree trunk and hollow it out
““ that gives you the biggest drum you can make. From what you
hollowed out, you can make more and more drums.”
Using the traditional methods of construction results in drums
of the highest quality. Unfortunately, it also results in drums of
the highest price, with even the small shime-daiko drums costing
upwards of $10,000.
“One of the unique things about taiko in the U.S.,
especially with community and collegiate groups, is that there are
very few places where you can buy these instruments,” Chang
said. “The materials might be inexpensive, but the work that
goes into them makes the cost prohibitive. Because of that, many
groups make their own instruments. That way, you develop a greater
respect and understanding for what you’re doing.”
Such is the case with Kyodo Taiko, whose founding members
constructed their own drums, employing new methods of construction
to fabricate them. Instead of using a single tree trunk, they
crafted wine barrels into the chu-daiko. To better facilitate the
tuning of the shime-daiko, traditionally tuned by tightening the
skins with rope, craftsmen instead worked out a series of bolts
that can be turned to increase tension. While these new innovations
depart from the original methods, the product is essentially the
same.
“I think that they share enough in look, feeling, sound
and definitely spirit that you can call them taiko drums,”
Chang said.
Since the first drums were constructed a decade ago, they have
been passed down from member to member, with only minor repairs
along the way. Though Kyodo Taiko re-skins and maintains its
instruments with care, little maintenance is required in the upkeep
of the drums.
“They’ve lasted 10 years with no real problems, so
it’s a testament to the quality and the spirit that went into
making them,” Chang said.
The instruments are not the only thing that are handed down from
one member to the next. The same goes for the composition and
performance techniques of all the songs. Rather than relying on
printed scores, Kyodo Taiko instead relies heavily upon the spoken
word to capture the essence of the songs. When new members join the
group, they don’t need formal musical training, since the
music is not transcribed.
“We don’t read music like they do in the Western
tradition,” Sato said. “We have to teach them a whole
new way to learn music: verbally. Basically, if you can say it, you
can play it. All songs are passed down through oral
tradition.”
In doing so, members must quickly pick up on what their
forebears have put into the music. By studying what has been done
before, they are able to contribute their own ideas to the musical
tradition.
“It’s like a giant game of telephone,” Chang
said. “You’re forced to learn a lot in the short time
that you’re here, so you can take in enough to put your own
spin on things without coming out of nowhere.”
The members of Kyodo Taiko will do just that in their upcoming
performance at the Collegiate Taiko Invitational over Memorial Day
weekend. The event, which will be attended by college groups from
across the country, will feature performances and inter-group
discussion of the music. Through events such as this, the group
hopes to spread the influence of its music.
By offering taiko to a greater range of audiences, Chang wants
it to attain the same artistic prestige as other mainstream musical
genres.
“I hope that taiko doesn’t fall into a niche where
it isn’t seen as a worldwide art form, such as jazz or blues
or rock, but as only a cultural thing that has little merit outside
that culture,” he said.
MUSIC: Kyodo Taiko will perform Saturday, May 27 at the Japanese
American Cultural and Community Center at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15
for general admission and $10 for students. E-mail kyodo@ucla.edu for more
information.