NATC 2025 Phoenix

Description
- When I first visited Hachijo Island in 2012 and played Hachijo Daiko with the locals, I received a comment: "That's not Hachijo Taiko". While Hachijo is known to be an improvisational style played by two players, I was shocked to hear that simply improvising on the Hachijo setup wasn't good enough.
- It is said that islanders are able to recognize the soloist by listening to their rhythms from afar. The focus of this workshop is for each participant to further develop their own Hachijo style through exploration in sound and rhythms. Explore beyond the given roles of the Uwauchi player being the soloist and the Shitauchi player being the base-keeper in the Hachijo setup.
- WS focus/concepts: becoming an "active listener" as the Shitauchi player; incorporating repetition and creating rhythms that feel/sound good to you as the Uwauchi player

Prerequisite Knowledge
- Experience with Hachijo Daiko in the past (preferred, but not required)

Description
- A workshop that will focus on various important elements to Kumidaiko, such as listening, grooving, and developing a stronger sense of musical interdependence.
- Exercises will encourage students to channel their internal pulse while executing drill patterns as well as playing interlocking rhythms in an ensemble setting.
- WS focus/concepts: external pulse exercises (clapping and stepping); breaking down swing beat and triplet subdivisions while counting; playing excerpts of interlocking rhythms from Masa's original composition "Tap L'eau"

Prerequisite Knowledge
- Knows how to play swing beat
- Knows the 1eau (1-ee-and-uh) drill, or any familiarity with musical subdivisions / timing drills; (highly recommended, but not required)