Omiyage Class Week 4 - Student Perspective

This class was the most difficult, yet rewarding. It was difficult because Yuta taught the left handed bachi twirl, which added a whole new layer of difficulty in body and arm coordination. However, by the end of the class I was beginning to feel more authority over playing the piece!

Class started with basic hits, then playing each section of the piece with individual and group comments from Yuta. After, he taught the left handed bachi-twirl and integrated this concept to the learnt parts. It took quite a while to refine, for my hands were all over the place trying to coordinate them to move independently and end up in the correct spots. Next, Yuta pushed forward to learning the bridge between the solo sections.

I’m looking forward to next week and getting through more of the piece. Utilizing my whole body in hits, conveying strength and grace, memorizing the lines, making bachi-twirls smooth and subtle….there are a lot of things to think about and practice! I feel I am slowly beginning to reach some personal goals in my taiko playing through the Omiyage course. Now it’s time to try and fit in some extra practice before next week!