TAIKO: Beat a Different Drum

Experience the Taiko art form hands-on!
Seattle Kokon Taiko will be hosting a Beginners’ a 4-session class in November and an intermediate 4-session class in January.
Learn to play Japanese-style drums with Kata (form and movement), rhythm and historical/cultural context.
No experience necessary for the Beginners’ class!
Space is limited and first come-first serve.

November Beginner class:
New November Beginner class series with focus on slant style, Naname-dai, drumming. Participants will learn the very popular festival piece, Matsuri Taiko.

Matsuri Taiko
Composition: Seiichi Tanaka, San Francisco Taiko Dojo
Adaptation: Wm. Satake Blauvelt, 1988

Matsuri Taiko, or Festival Drum, draws its main rhythm from traditional folksongs played at festivals in Japan. Our adaptation of the piece stresses a wide open, highly angular and exaggerated style with multiple solos using large movements against a backdrop of festive percussion. Seiichi Tanaka of San Francisco Taiko Dojo, considered by many to be the "father" of taiko in America, wrote the main body of the song with patterns and movements derived in part from an Oedo Sukeroku piece called Midare Uchi. Through Tanaka-sensei's influence, it has become one of the most widely played pieces in North American taiko.

November 7th, Mon, 8-10 pm
November 14th, Mon, 8-10 pm
November 21st, Mon, 8-10 pm
November 28th, Mon, 8-10 pm
Cost: $75 per person
Registration is CLOSED for the November class.

January Intermediate class:
New January Intermediate class series with focus on slant style, Naname-dai, drumming. Participants will begin learning a Utsu Hachijo.

Utsu Hachijo Music: Traditional
Arrangement: Takayasu Den, Ondeko-za
Adaptation: Jeff Hanada & Ken Mochizuki, 1986

Hachijo-jima is one of the Seven Isles of Izu stretching south of Tokyo into the Pacific Ocean. It is the most distant of these islands and was once used as a place of exile. The driving rhythm and flashy arm movements are characteristic of the style of drumming found on these islands. Some say this style was influenced by the sword-play of the exiled samurai warriors practicing on the beach. This piece was taught to us by Ondeko-za, the "demon drummers" from Japan, during one of their many exciting visits to Seattle.

January 9th, Mon, 8-10 pm
January 16th, Mon, 8-10 pm
January 23rd, Mon, 8-10 pm
January 30th, Mon, 8-10 pm
Cost: $75 per person
January registration form
Deadline is Friday January 6th for January Intermediate session.


Place: Seattle Kokon Taiko Practice Hall in the International District. Details will follow after confirmed registration.

Pre-Registration is Required for all Classes:
No refund after deadline is past. To register, please fill out the registration form (right click on the appropriate registration form link and select "Save Target As") and send as an attachment to elist.seattle.kokon.taiko@gmail.com . If you are notified with a "class still has opening" message, then mail registration form and payment (checks made out to "Seattle Kokon Taiko") to:

Seattle Kokon Taiko
c/o Lika Seigel
2530 2nd Ave West
Seattle, WA 98119