By: Allison Ballard
I strapped the katsugi to my body and walked awkwardly around the studio trying to figure out how to position it at any given moment. Trying to figure out how to hold the sticks and strike the drum. Trying to figure out how to make this new apparatus feel like an extension of my body and not an appendage.
After playing taiko for 16 years, the katsugi brings a brand new dimension. A taiko drum specifically designed to be carried, that creates a vehicle to interact with the audience and explore a whole new range of movement. A new style of playing that requires a new set of skills. A new technique that takes me back to square one. Back to beginner’s mind. What an interesting place that is…
It is a wide-open place that vibrates with possibility, desire and excitement. And it is a small, dark place entombed by fear. Fear that I can’t do this. Fear that I can. Beginner’s mind is fallow ground. A cacophony of “what ifs” sprout out from the depths of such fertile soil–some are welcome crops that offer sustenance and others are unwanted weeds that threaten to tangle and strangle all I hold dear.
It is not only true with taiko—it is true with many unknowns in my life. But taiko has given me tools to effectively engage this antagonist I know as “fear”:
- Find your stance and know it provides your foundation for success.
- Check your grip. If you hold on too loosely, you’ll lose control. Too tightly and you won’t be able to maneuver.
- Know where you’re at in space and what’s around you.
- Connect with fellow drummers.
- Scaffold the work and break it down so it’s manageable.
- Move from your center.
- Relax and breathe.
I really don’t know if I will be able to “master” the katsugi or not. But I know that exploring it will be yet another step on my taiko journey. And another step in my evolution towards self-actualization. I welcome the opportunity and feel blessed to be part of the adventure.