SBC Week 6: What to write about: All about Byou Uchi Daikos

Hi edubloggers,

 

This is a brief post for Week 6 of the Student Blogging Challenge. This post will briefly explain the three taiko drums in the Byou-uchi Drum family.

 

First of all, to get things straight, Taiko drums are Japanese percussion instruments used in many ancient events such as Kabuki Theater shows, Okinawan Drumming, and even in Wars as signals! However outside of Japan like Hawaii where it is also very popular, it is known as the Wadaiko.  There are two types of Taiko Drum Categories, Byou-uchi Daiko, (Japanese for Tack Drum) and Tsuke-Shime Daiko, (Rope-tied Drums that usually produce a high-pitched sound.)

The first drum I’m going to talk about goes by many names,  Nagado-Daiko, (long-bodied taiko), Chudaiko, (Medium Drums,) or Miya-Daiko, (the name used for festivals, shrines, or temples. They are considered is by far the most popular Taiko used in the modern kumi-daiko style of playing. They are also very common in festivals and in temples and shrines. The drum has a characteristically deep, reverberant sound. These drums are often referred to by their size in units called Shakus which measure 12 inches every Shaku so imagine how many shakus the biggest drums are!  Ko-daikos or Child Drums are small drums that  are roughly from 1.0 shaku to 1.5 shaku. Chu-daiko or medium drums translate to medium drum, (roughly 1.6 Shaku to 2.8 Shaku); and Odaiko (big fat drum) range from 2.9 Shaku on up to 6 Shaku or more. There are many styles of playing this taiko, with a wonderful selection of different stands that hold the Nagado-Daiko in various positions.

 

Photo Credit: –Mark– Flickr via Compfight cc (Chudaikos being played with Odaiko in the back.)

 

The next drum I’ll be talking about is called an Odaiko or Big fat drum in Japanese. The drum can refer to any drum, but are more relevant to the drums with drum heads over three feet. The drum is normally played on a horizontal stand where two players can play. Usually, one player is a timekeeper and the other is playing a pattern or soloing. These drums reach big proportions weighing three tons at the most, guess how many people it will take to lift one of those drums! It is most likely not purchased by many people due to its weight and price; a drum by itself can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

 

Photo Credit: Florentino Luna Flickr via Compfight cc (Girl playing Nagado Daiko with Odaiko in the back.)

The last and smallest drum is called a Hira Daiko which is a small, shallow drum, but can reach up to sizes like the odaiko called Ohira daiko. They tend to be played more in orchestra events or Hayashi Music. Despite It’s boomy, reverberant sound, the tree bark inside the drum tends to decay due to the shallow body.

Photo Credit: –Mark– Flickr via Compfight cc (Small Hira Daiko.)

Finally, I will tell you how to make a very cheap Taiko Drum. First you need to get a car tire and tape. What you need to do is  clean the tire and allow it time to dry completely. Then Stretch tape across the diameter in different directions making a strong skin in the middle. Then, overlap take over the drum and your drum is essentially finished. You can also get a bucket and do the same tape procedure. Enjoy your drum!

 

So that was just a brief description of the Byou-uchi family of the Taiko drums, for more information, please visit my blog.

 

See you later,

Hmschad

Photo Credit: Florentino Luna Flickr via Compfight cc (Man playing a Ohira daaiko or big Hira daiko.)

How to do Taiko part 3: Shime taiko

Hi Edubloggers,

 

Today, I will continue my introduction to taiko drums, this time being the Shime Daiko Drums. Initially, there are two types of taiko drums, Byouchi Daiko (Tacked Drums such as Hira and Nagado Daikos,) and Tsukeshime Daiko (Tied drum, Shime and Okedaiko [Tubed shaped, rope tied drums similar to the Kakko drums.])

 

 

 

Photo Credit: T a k Flickr via Compfight cc (Roped Shime on a Teren stand)

 

NOTE: URGENT URGENT URGENT: The style of this Taiko is Edo Bayashi (Old Tokyo Style), not Eisa Daiko (Okinawan taiko drumming.)

 

The Shime is a small drum with animal skins tied with rope on both sides. However it’s size, it has a very loud, high pitched sound that can easily be heard over lower-pitched drums. The hide is first stretched on metal hoops, then stretched over the body. Similar to the tsuzumi and to African talking drums, both drum heads are bound together with cords so that the drum heads are bound by each other. Like every taiko drum, they must be played with Bachi (Taiko Sticks.) Since it is very small however, you’ll need a lighter wood like Hou or Mongolia Tree Bark, or Hinoke or Japanese Cypress . Shime Daikos are played in a variation of Japanese Music Ensembles like  Hayashi Kabuki Theater players, Traditional songs, Nagauta “long song,” and Taiko performances.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: thelearningcurvedotca Flickr via Compfight cc (Bolted Shime played Matsuri Style)

There are two types of Shimes. A Hogaku which the rim is typically painted black and is usually played on a stand called a teren (A low, lightweight stand used to hold a classical shime-daiko at a slight angle.) The drum is played with a stance where you are sitting on your feet instead of standing. The drum played when standing or the Matsuri or festival Shime Daiko come in five different sized depending on the rim as well as the thickness of the skin. The order bellow is thinnest to thickest.

  • Namitsuke
  • Nichogake
  • Sanchogake
  • Yonchogake
  • Gochogake

If you know some Japanese, you’ll realize that from Nichogake to Gochogake have the actual numbers two to five.

Ni= 2

San= 3

Yon/Shi: 4

Go: 5

 

 

When using stands, they are called Dai in Japanese. We usually sit down and play it in a  stance called Seiza, however, most festival groups play standing up in a stance which your core muscle is the same height as the drum. There are two ways Shimes are made. One way is the traditional rope-tied drum and the other which is the bolt-tied drum.

 

Photo Credit: thelearningcurvedotca Flickr via Compfight cc (Roped Shime played Matsuri Style)

 

Unlike the Nagado Daiko which makes three sounds Don, Tsu and Ka, the Shime uses Ten for one hit or two hits of a loud and soft simultaneously happening, tere which is two hits, and tsu which you use gravity to hit the drum, as it is a very small sound.

 

 

I hope you got a good terminology of the Shime Daiko. If you need help, please feel free to leave a comment or visit this website. If not, still feel free to do so and leave a comment.

 

Bye

SBC week 5, Activity 6

Hi Edubloggers,

 

The cultural events me and my family do mainly revolve around Buddhism, A religion that originated in India. The Buddha (Gautama Buddha wanted to try to find enlighnment by doing risky things such as starving and almost suffocating himself. He found Enlightenment from meditation. Here is a event I attend.

Bon Dances:

 

Every Summer, it is believed that the spirits of the deceased ancestors of many come down to Earth. The dancers dance in a orbital way around a small tower called the Yagura. The dances revolve around old legends such as the fisher men, rock workers, and taiko. As thime passed, we started using more modern songs such as Koisuru Fortune Cookie, Beautiful Sunday, and Ei ja nai ka. We have prayers, dances performed by the Okinawan drumming groups and a local taiko group playing a live song of “Fukushima Ondo.”

 

Bye,

Chad

 

 

SBC Week 5, Activity 3: How to get more Comments on your Blog

Hi Bloggers,

 

Here are 10 ways to get more comments, views, get flipped to to the Flipboard Magazing, or be mentioned in the SBC.

 

1.) Make more posts

2.) Comment on various people’s blogs

3.) Find interesting topics

4.) Leave comments on the SBC Page. Miss W might feature one of your posts.

5.) Read and comment on the Flipboard: Same concept as the SBC page, you might just meet new people.

6.) Add interesting widgets or alter your name or description to lure your readers.

7.) Add a translator so people from oversea countries who speak different languages can read.

8.) Leave comments on other people’s blogs and posts complimenting or suggesting things.

9.) Leave a few links to mention people and let others see your blog.

10.) Make your posts interesting: Do so by using correct grammar and punctuation, adding pictures with citation, and starting with a heading and ending with a conclusion.

So these are some ways to increase your comments. I hope that these tips are helpful,

Bye

How to do Japanese Calligraphy Part 5: UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

Hi Bloggers,

 

I thought I was finished with my topic and started to do elsewhere, except a few thing.

 

1.) The Hiragana and katakana. So remember I said there were two writing systems, well I just thought i’d give them to you. As a refresher, Hiragana was for writing Japanese words such as いちご、which is strawberry. On the other hand, the Japanese didn’t know all the English words, so they put it in a system called Katakana, which sounds similar to it’s English word. Ex: ホット ドッグ、(Hotto doggu) is Hot dog in Japan. With that in mind, here are the two systems from this website.

Hiragana: (Japanese Words)

 


a

i

u

e

o

ka

ki

ku

ke

ko

ga

gi

gu

ge

go

sa

shi

su

se

so

za

ji

zu

ze

zo

ta

chi

tsu

te

to

da

ji

zu

de

do

na

ni

nu

ne

no

ha

hi

fu

he

ho

ba

bi

bu

be

bo

pa

pi

pu

pe

po

ma

mi

mu

me

mo

ya

yu

yo

ra

ri

ru

re

ro

wa

wo

n/m

Combinations

きゃ
kya
きゅ
kyu
きょ
kyo
ぎゃ
gya
ぎゅ
gyu
ぎょ
gyo
しゃ
sha
しゅ
shu
しょ
sho
じゃ
ja
じゅ
ju
じょ
jo
ちゃ
cha
ちゅ
chu
ちょ
cho
にゃ
nya
にゅ
nyu
にょ
nyo
ひゃ
hya
ひゅ
hyu
ひょ
hyo
びゃ
bya
びゅ
byu
びょ
byo
ぴゃ
pya
ぴゅ
pyu
ぴょ
pyo
みゃ
mya
みゅ
myu
みょ
myo
りゃ
rya
りゅ
ryu
りょ
ryo

Katakana (English words)


a

i

u

e

o

ka

ki

ku

ke

ko

ga

gi

gu

ge

go

sa

shi

su

se

so

za

ji

zu

ze

zo

ta

chi

tsu

te

to

da

ji

zu

de

do

na

ni

nu

ne

no

ha

hi

fu

he

ho

ba

bi

bu

be

bo

pa

pi

pu

pe

po

ma

mi

mu

me

mo

ya

yu

yo

ra

ri

ru

re

ro

wa

wo

n/m

Combinations

キャ
kya
キュ
kyu
キョ
kyo
ギャ
gya
ギュ
gyu
ギョ
gyo
シャ
sha
シュ
shu
ショ
sho
ジャ
ja
ジュ
ju
ジョ
jo
チャ
cha
チュ
chu
チョ
cho
ニャ
nya
ニュ
nyu
ニョ
nyo
ヒャ
hya
ヒュ
hyu
ヒョ
hyo
ビャ
bya
ビュ
byu
ビョ
byo
ピャ
pya
ピュ
pyu
ピョ
pyo
ミャ
mya
ミュ
myu
ミョ
myo
リャ
rya
リュ
ryu
リョ
r

2.) Special Shout out to Dinah for the idea of using a photo to show what the pen posture will look like. Remember to keep you three dominant fingers (Ring, Middle, and index) fingers on one side of the brush and your thumb on the other. Keep the brush upright!

Image taken by me!

Bye,

Chad

SBC Week 4, Activity 5: Free Rice

Hi Edubloggers,

 

For this week’s SBC Challenge, I went to a site called, Free Rice, where you answer vocabulary questions which every one you get, you donate 10 grains of rice to a person.

Photo Credit: virtualwayfarer Flickr via Compfight cc

 

I thought it was interesting because everyone needs access to food, water, and shelter and from that, I was able to donate 860 grains of rice in total. Hopefully, many people can check out this beneficial website.

 

Bye

 

How to do Taiko part two: Chudaiko

 

Hi bloggers,

In this weekly post, I will explain the different types of drums and variations, as well as some links to make your own tire drum.

The drum that you’ll most likely see it performances are called by the name chudaikos, Nagado Daiko, Miya, or a variation of the Byou-uchi daiko, (Tacked and stretched using circular pins called ‘Byo.)  It’s big sound and versatility make them an absolutely essential part of any taiko group. They can be placed vertically on the ground to play standing or laid horizontally to be played by two players simultaneously. They can be mounted on various types of stands to be played at different heights.

There are four basic ways you can play the drum, Naname (Nah-na-meh), Beta (Beh-tah), Miyake, (Mee-yah-Keh), and Onbayashi, (ohn-bai-ya-she.)

The first and easiest way, Beta style is basically playing the drum upright on a short stand. Though you cannot make much motion outwards, Beta players can still use a lot of energy playing it.

The second way is Naname, which is the drum placed on a stand facing approximately a 70-degree angle. On this drum, the player must be on a side and play it outwards.

The third way is called Miyake style, which originated from Miyake Island from Japan. Popularized by the KODO Group, it is very similar to Naname, except it is at an 180-degree angle which two people can play it, and is lowered making a better stance.

The fourth and final way is Onbayashi style, which is sitting directly in front of a stand similar to a naname, but much lower. The performer must sit directly, facing the drum. in my opinion, it looks very tiring and drains a lot of energy.

The drum is made by getting and hollowing the insides of a barrel. Then, they taking it apart and imputing biscuits, (circular things to keep things under high pressure in place.) Unlike regular drums, the Japanese added geometric designs inside to break up the sound waves. Once they painted it using a shiny lacquer, they put on an animal skin and used jacks to tighten the skin while putting in the tacks. After about two- three months, the taiko drum should be complete and sound great!

Finally, I will explain how to make a tire drum. First, you need to get an old or used tire and wash it with warm soapy water, as well as allow it to dry. next, stretch packing tape across the diameter of the tire and across. STRETCH IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! IT WON’T SOUND STRONG IF YOU DON’T! After you have gotten almost the entire drum cover by tape on both sides, stretch the tape on and around in one direction making a protection layer. Now that you’ve gotten your tape drum, you need drumsticks! Lucky for you, you have many hardware stores around you. Go to the store and ask them for wooden dowels. When you find them, you’ll see a plethora of long, cylindrical sticks. here’s some information,

Cypress: light, soft
Spruce: light, soft (similar to, but cheaper than cypress)
Cedar: light, soft
Maple: average weight, average touch
Hickory: heavy, hard
Oak: heavy, hard
Find the size and width right for you, and ask a store person to cut it for you.

 

 

Photo Credit: Florentino Luna Flickr via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: k.isikawa_G3 Flickr via Compfight cc Chu or Odaiko played Miyake Daiko style
Photo Credit: wundoroo Flickr via Compfight cc Chudaiko being played Onbayashi style (Players need to be sitting directly in front of the drum)

 

Photo Credit: Sarah Sutter Flickr via Compfight cc Chudaiko being played Naname style

 

Okay, so you have all the information about chudaikos and how to make a taiko drum as well as how to make bachi (taiko sticks.)

Bye,

 

Chad