Corona Matsuri Uplift

Collaborative Drum Video Mash-up Project

CONTENTS
Matsuri Daiko Base Track
Arrangement
Send Video/Audio Files
Kuchishoga
Matsuri PDF

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Corona Matsuri Project Introduction – A little trailer and promo introducing the Project with a bunch of crazy drumming! I might be a little out of my mind, but willing have some fun with this and invest a little sweat in trying to put this together. If you’re interested, bored, frustrated, inspired, curious, climbing the walls… you’re all welcome to shake it off, shake it up, and kick in!

Let’s Lively Ourselves Up!

In this time of social distancing, lockdowns, and shelter at home - so many of us, world percussionists, taiko players, drum circle jammers have been unable to play together. Some of us have tried to stay connected and cheer each other up by continuing to work and study through making videos, live-streaming, online conferencing. A lot of us have discovered that Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype and the like, are wonderful tools, but not … quite up to playing together. I squint at you, latency!

I saw some of the amazing things people were doing, particularly the Project Ikigai Virtual Concert and wanted to do SOMETHING that would be an open group experience. I was very impressed by what ManMan Mui and Amy Naylor put together – especially their collaborative process, and other collaborative music projects like Playing For Change.

Make it Matsuri

So why not a group percussion video? It would probably be best if it was something fun, upbeat, and that everybody - or at least most folk know or could pick up - and why not Matsuri Daiko? Matsuri has the virtue that the Jiucjhi is almost identical to an African and Middle Eastern Root 2/4 Rhythm. Shangö Percussion has been starting to jam with world percussion instruments and incorporating Taiko, and they do play nice together!

How Would This Work?

The only way it works, is keep it simple. Use low… well, medium Tech. A virtual mash-up I could assemble with the mix of pro/pro-sumer tools in my design studio.

I am going to provide below a downloadable BASIC Matsuri Daiko track.

It will have a lead in, the main Matsuri sequence , a long section of plain Matsuri Daiko - DON Tsuku Don Don - jiucjhi where you can jam out and do your own thing, a bridge, a tempo bump, another Matsuri sequence, and then roll out to a Coda. Simple. A platform to play over. Take a video of yourself doing your own thing with it. Drop me the video or audio and I will try to cut it into hopefully a fun, mash-up, drum video!

It can just be a passage or a segment, or play along with the whole thing.

You don’t have to play taiko! I don’t don’t have a shime-daiko at hand, someone could play that. Someone could play some fue or flute. Djun Djun? Djembe? Frame Drum! Bodhan! Chappa. Tank Drum, Atarigame. Wood block. Bell. Agogo. Shekere. Cannon. Doumbek. Clave. Spoons! Kitchen implements. Hollow Log. Tupperware. Bang the walls you’re probably climbing! Be creative! Bring it!

Matsuri Daiko

For you non-taiko players - Matsuri Daiko means “Festival Drums” and it’s one of the most loved, well-known, and upbeat taiko songs, and lends itself well to jamming wth other instruments. Check out this version by my Taiko "Godparents" –  NYC’s Soh Daiko, to get an idea and some inspiration.

Here's another from Mark H Taiko at Sakura Matursi 2016 in DC. Miyako Taiko, Kristen Koyama and Mark H Rooney represent the Mark H Taiko School at the 2016 Sakura Matsuri celebration. The first song in the 37 min. set is Matruri Daiko, and a lot bunch more!

You can learn more about Matruri Daiko on the Taiko page.

Gratitude in this time of Isolation.

One of the great joys of the Drum, Drum Circles, Taiko, Making music is playing together. I miss it, and I long for when we can all play together again face-to-face in shared space.

I have no idea if this will work, if anyone will participate. But I am willing to put this out there for your consideration, and put in some love and sweat to try and make it happen. An experiment, but a possible thing, I think. So to whoever steps up and contributes, you're awesome! Have FUN and thank you!

Shout out's to all my gteachers, my Taiko "godparents" Soh Daiko, Mark H Rooney, Kris Bergstrom, and Allen Liu for Taiko Drum Machine.

Arigaoto Gozaimasu! – Woplila tanka! – Ashé!

Kurt Griffith,
Shangö Percussion, April 2020

Keep the Heartbeat Alive!

 

Basic Matsuri Daiko Track

This is a basic Matsuri Daiko track, with a lead-in roll, the main sequence, a long jiuchi segment to improv and solo over, a bridge, ramp-up and coda, on two chudaikos with jiuchi and minimal kiai for cues. Record your own track to accompany and see what we can come up with. I do very much reccommend headphones/earbuds. Have fun! Lively yourselves up while stuck at home! Download 4.6 MB

If you're having volume issues on your device/s, you can try this alternate, normalized, maximum-volume version. Download 8 MB
 

Matsuri Jiuchi Track – 108 bpm

The Matsuri jiuchi from Taiko Drum Machine at 108 bpm. 5m:30s. I worked from recorded tracks vs using the TDM web site output, since for some reason they dont quite sync. Download 8.6 MB
 

Matsuri Jiuchi Track – 128 bpm

The Matsuri jiuchi from Taiko Drum Machine at 128 bpm. 2m:35s. Download 4 MB
 

Allen Liu's Taiko Drum Machine

A useful tool for solo players and when you can't play juichi for yourself. Try it! Cool feature, you can save patterns as links. Note: For some reason recording to the web output ends up with sync issues, so I provided the tracks above.
Matsuri Juichi at 108 bpm  |  Matsuri Juichi at 128 bpm

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Arrangement

00:04 Build roll – slow to fast, back to medium
00:42 DON DON DON DON
00:46 Matsuri Jiuchi - 8X Medium Tempo [ 108 bpm TDM ]
— Ichi - Ni - So - Re!
00:55 Matsuri Daiko, Classic Sequence 4X
——
01:50 Plain Matsuri Jiuchi – (50 measures - not quite 2 min?)
  – Space for accompiament, solos, and improvs.
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02:46 Matsuri Daiko, Classic Sequence 2X
03:13 Bridge Sequence, 2X
  DON DON   KO-DON -tsuku*-   [*long rest]
  DON DON   KO-DON -tsuku-
  DON DON DON -su- DON DON DON -su-
  DON DON DON DON -tsuku-
03:31 Resume Matsuri Jiuchi - uptempo 4x [ 128 bpm TDM ]
— Ichi - Ni - So - Re!
03:36 Matsuri Daiko 1-6, Classic Sequence 4X
04:22 DON DON DON DON DON DON DON DON
04:26 End Roll, vary the volume 
04:40 DON DON DON DON —
— Ichi - Ni - So - Re!   I-Yoh!
04:44 Ka-DON! - Yame (End)

Total Runtime: 04:48

 

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How to send me Video or Audio Files

Please send me an email to samuriartguy@gmail.com with the subject Matsuri Uplift Project - Let me know you're particiapating in the project, please include YOUR NAME, group affliation if any, a description of your track or segment, and any instructions on where or how it fits in. For Instance - "fue segment, should go before the intial drum roll" or "Taiko solo for improv sectinn" - and of course any other thoughts or comments and questions.

Video & some audio files tend to the large sized, typically too large to email.
If you use Google Drive you can access a Shared Folder here.
You can send files to Matruri Uplift Project at Dropbox,
Or you can send me a link, or any method that works!

Let's see what happens, and see what we can build!!

Arigato gozaimasu! Wopila tanka! Ashé! Thank you!

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is purely for enjoyent and community engagement and outreach. There is no commercial use intended. This will be a COPYLEFT project, for the drum community.

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Matsuri Daiko Kuchishoga

Jiuchi

1	-	2	-	3	-	4	-
DON	tsuku	Don	Don	DON	tsuku	Don	Don
2/4 – Afro-Carribean/Middle-Eastern
B	t    t	B	T	B	t    t	B    t	S

 
Can be played on any high or medium pitched drum.
Shimedaiko. Djembe, Doubmbek,, etc..

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Matsuri Daiko Main Sequence Patterns

	1	-	2	-	4	-	4	-
1	DON	su	DON	su	DON	kara	ka	ka
2.	Don	Don	su	Ko	DON	kara	ka	ka
3.	su	DON	su	Ko	DON	kara	ka	ka
4.	Ko	Don	Ka Ra	Don	DON	kara	ka	ka
5.	Ka	Don	Ka	Don	DON	kara	ka	ka
6.	Doro	Kara	Don	Don	DON	kara	ka	ka

Downloadable Rhythm Sheet
Ni Yon Matsuri Daiko - Festival Drums & 2/4

Drum patterns for the rhythms for Matsuri Daiko with base root rhythm 2/4. Prepared for Shangö Percussion. In kuchishoga and english notation. (Note: Generic Arrangement) Download/View PDF

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Go to the Main Taiko Page!

See also – Taiko Stuff on the Resources Page