Taiko Japanese Drum Music CDs

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Japanese: 太鼓

"Taiko" refers to the several types of traditional Japanese drums both conceived of in Japan and borrowed from other countries. While taiko drums have been in Japan for centuries, the modern kumidaiko style, which began in the 1950's, is by far the most prevalent form.

One of the earliest uses for taiko drums was on the battlefield. Soldiers would beat different rhythms on a large drum to inform their fellow troops of tactical decisions and for moral support and. One style of military taiko, used in the osuwadaiko style, has three large holes that increase its booming volume.

The taiko were also used for more refined court music, called gagaku (which is still performed today). Beautifully decorated, these drums are quite elegant for their painstaking ornamentation. Despite gagaku, however, taiko drums are first and foremost known for being thunderous and powerful.

The modern form of taiko began in 1951 with jazz drummer Daihachi Oguchi. It occurred to him that there was no reason, besides tradition, to keep different taiko drums separate, so he began playing old taiko pieces with a new multi-drum ensemble.

Oguchi arranged musical pieces to fit the many different sounds of different taiko drums, so high-pitched rhythm stood beside a lower, booming pulse, as other percussion provided exhilarating melodies and accents. This new style, with one foot in the old world and one firmly in the new, was an instant success, and several taiko ensembles sprang up soon after.

Although Japanese immigrants introduced taiko drums to the outside world in the early part of the twentieth century, it wasn't until 1968 that Seiichi Tanaka formed the first North American taiko ensemble, the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Tanaka pioneered his own "Tanaka style", and his actions led to other groups springing up in California and beyond.

Today, thousands of taiko ensembles exist throughout the world, and it is one of the most well-known drum genres in the world, as well as one of Japan's great contributions to world music.

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Taiko CDs