I have always admired how talented students on Cornell campus are! I’ve watched Yamatai perform at the commons on freshman year for the first time, and was truly awed by their talent. I remember thinking how I would make a fool of myself if I even attempted to try what they do, especially since my arms are not that strong. Thus, I was very excited to learn from Yamatai and although no one would want to watch me drum, it was a very fun and enjoyable experience!
Category Archives: Explore Cornell: Learn to Drum with Yamatai 2.16.19
It a good thing I never became a drummer
I saw that Yamatai was going to be having a lesson at Rose, and I thought it would be fun to learn. I’ve seen them perform at lots of different events before, and I always thought it looked physically draining, but not that hard. I was very mistaken. In the course of trying to learn how to drum, I realized that I am not good at non-4-count rhythms. It’s a really good thing I didn’t try to peruse drumming like I’ve thought about doing in the past. I was right though about it being physically taxing. The stance and way you move the sticks is exhausting. It only solidified by respect for the people in Yamatai. Even though I wasn’t very good at it, I did have a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed playing the big, deep drum. Something about it was just a lot more satisfying than on the tiny drums.
Learning to Drum
I really loved this event because I got to learn something new and probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to try often. I’m really glad I got to also learn some of the cultural history behind Yamatai and try different size Taiko drums to see how they felt different.
I thought this event was a lot of fun. I have never done drumming before and I really liked the movement in Taiko drumming. The people in the Yamatai club were fantastic teachers and when we all played the piece that they taught us together, I felt really energized. I loved being able to try the many different sized drums and seeing how I would have to adjust the amount of force I used accordingly.
I loved the structure of the event because it was super cool to get to learn a piece and then also watch the Yamatai members perform. I also realized how tiring it was and how many different sounds were possible by hitting different parts of the drum or hitting the Bachi sticks together. I was amazed by how in-sync their performance was and it was really nice to see and hear how energetic and focused all the members were. I think it was very evident to see how much practice went into the piece and how each of the members played an important role.
I’m excited to see them perform in the future!
Percussion Perspiration
Yamatai is exhausting. At the workshop this weekend, I played for only one hour, with lazy form, and my arms were already shaking. It was a really fun experience because I used to play in a band, but since coming to college, I have not been involved with music making. I had always been bad at tempo so I was very bad at playing these drums, and I have not used my arms for anything as intense as Yamatai drumming for several years, but it was nonetheless an amazing experience.
At the end, the four Yamatai members performed a song for us. What surprised me the most was how much movement there was; it was both an auditory and a visual performance, with huge, in-sync motions.
Learning to drum with Cornell Yamatai
I woke up early on Saturday morning to learn how to drum with Cornell Yamatai. I had seen Cornell Yamatai perform a few times before, and had always been fascinated by them. Through their drumming, Cornell Yamatai enchants their audience with this positive energy. Cornell Yamatai memebers, taught us the basics of drumming, and even taught us a song that we performed in the end. I never realized that drumming could be physically exhausting until I woke up with sore arms the next day! If you haven’t been to a Cornell Yamatai performance, you should definitely go check out the magic they create through drums.
To the Beat of the Drum
For this week’s Rose Scholar’s event, I went to the workshop held by Yamatai. The experience was very entertaining and informative. We learned about some of the different types of drums and drum sticks, or bachi, used in traditional Japanese drumming. We then learned how to strike the drums and then played some basic rhythms. I thought it was very amazing how playing the drums was just as artful as the sounds that were produced. As someone who was never great at music, I did struggle a little to stay on beat, but the overall experience was fun and even stress-relieving. I am glad I got the chance to learn a little bit about traditional Japanese drumming and got to experience the drumming for myself.
Drumming is hard!
I learned how to drum with Yamatai today, and it’s hard just doing the basic rhythms! Then when you see them do some insanely difficult stuff you realize how much practice they must do! I’m pretty unskilled musically, but I got the basic rhythms down, and I think if I kept practicing I could get the festival song we worked on down. I want to learn more about the energy release syllables that they use. I got “su” but they had another one during their routine that was pretty invigorating. It reminds me of some martial arts when they don’t just grunt but sometimes make specific sounds. The one girl who was in charge was really nice and did such a good job teaching us. It was a great experience, and I’m glad I got to try it out. I hope they wear earplugs sometimes though because my mom’s friend is an audiologist and she always complains about how people don’t do enough to protect their ears. Once the little hairs in your ears break off, they don’t grow back after all! Anyway though, thank you for teaching us, Yamatai.