Howdy,
Welcome to the first Rolling Thunder Taiko Newsletter.
First off, I would like to thank all of you who have requested a Rolling Thunder Taiko Drum brochure from me. Many of you put in your requests quite a while back, and I would like to apologize for the long wait. I am writing this note to explain the long delay, and to update you on the status of Rolling Thunder's various projects.
The brochure has been in production for a long time, and again, I apologize for the delay. During this time, I have been experimenting with the first Hira-daiko style drums that I was making. I have come to the conclusion that the fir wood drum bodies were too thin to withstand the head stretching process. When the heads are put on the drum, the body must withstand very high tension. The fir wood bodies were warping and distorting when I put the heads on the drums, and I decided to stop producing fir Hira-daiko because of this problem.
I have since replaced the Hira-daiko made out of fir wood with Hira-daiko made out of Oak. This Oak comes from wine barrels, and is very dense and strong. All of the drums I have made out of the Oak wood bodies have held up to the head stretching process easily. Not only is the wood stronger, it has better tone as well. The down side is that the drums are now more expensive due to the higher materials cost and more labor. I think the better sound and more durable body make up for the extra expense.
I plan to start making Hira-daiko and Jyosuke style drums in both a performing model and a practice model. This will allow me to offer drums at a reasonable price level, and meet the needs of performing groups as well.
I will be going to Japan for several weeks starting October 17. Part of the trip will be spent at several Taiko makers in Japan, where I hope to continue to learn more about how to make better Taiko. Once I return on Nov 5th (and after I recover from jet-lag), I will finish up the brochures and get them mailed out to you. I hope you will think the wait was worth it.
In other news, I plan to produce English versions of Japanese Taiko Video Tapes. The first Tape will be a basic introduction to Taiko, with an overview of the different drum types, instruction in stances, how to hold the bachi and basic rythems. The tape also includes short examples of different playing styles. The second tape will be a special on a Japanese Taiko group called "Matsuri Shu". This tape features Matsuri Shu performing eleven differnt songs, including traditional favorites such as "Miyake Daiko", and "Yatai Bayashi". This tape is extremely valuable for the variety of playing styles it shows, from festival pieces to Odaiko solos. Both tapes are planned for Spring 1997.
Rolling Thunder is also investigating the possibility of importing Japanese taiko that I currently do not make, such at Shime and Oke-daiko. There are some plastic bodied taiko available in Japan much cheaper than the all wood taiko (which most of you know are extremely expensive). More news to follow as I receive more details.
Look for Rolling Thunder to participate in next year's big Taiko events: The Intercollegiate Taiko Festival at the University of California, Los Angeles; and the Taiko Conference, a four day convention/performance dedicated to North American Taiko, also in Los Angeles. Details, as always, are available on The Rolling Thunder Taiko Resource.
If you do not wish to receive future editions of the Rolling Thunder Taiko Newsletter, please email me at wateya@taiko.com and I will be happy to remove your name from the list. For those of you want to continue to receive the newsletter, you do not have to do anything - you are already on the list. The frequency of this newletter will be every once in a while.
Thanks,
Dave
P.S. Be sure to stop by Rolling Thunder sometime in the Middle of November, I will have pictures from Japan up on the site!