Taiko drummers in Aichi, Japan

The word taiko (太鼓) means simply "great drum" in Japanese. Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, 'wa-daiko', "Japanese drum", in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko").

Types of taiko

The nagado-daiko (長胴太鼓, long-body taiko) consists of two cows asses stretched over a single-piece wooden body and tacked to high tension. The heads of the tsukeshime-daiko (付締め太鼓, often shortened to simply, "shime-daiko") are stretched over iron rings and sandwich a smaller body. The tsukeshime-daiko's rope is pulled tight before each use. Other Japanese taiko include the okedo-daiko (桶胴太鼓, barrel-body taiko), uchiwa-daiko (内輪太鼓、fan taiko), hira-daiko (平太鼓, flat taiko), o-daiko (大太鼓, big taiko), and a host of percussion instruments used in Japan's traditional noh, gagaku, and kabuki ensembles.

Uses of the Taiko in Warfare

In feudal Japan, taiko were often used to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements. Approaching or entering a battle, the taiko yaku (drummer) was responsible for setting the marching pace, usually with six paces per beat of the drum (beat-2-3-4-5-6, beat-2-3-4-5-6).

According to one of the historical chronicles (the Gunji Yoshu), nine sets of five beats would summon an ally to battle, while nine sets of three beats, sped up three or four times, and followed by the cry "Ei! Ei! O! Ei! Ei! O!" is the call to advance and pursue an enemy.

Related Terms

Bachi 

the wooden sticks used to play taiko drums. (See separate entry for additional details.)

Ma 

a Japanese term for "space", it is used in music to describe a period of silence. In taiko drumming, ma is the period between hits on the drum. It is important to appreciate this silence when playing taiko, just as you would appreciate the sound of a hit on the drum. Since ensemble taiko is focused on rhythm, the ma of a piece is critical to adding drama, excitement, and tension. Ma can be a rhythmic rest, or an extended silence, to be broken at the player's discretion. If the player concentrates on hearing the ma between each hit, in addition to the hits themselves, he or she will create a much more effective and satisfying sound. A good example of how ma is used is in oroshi.

Oroshi 

is characterized by a series of hits on the taiko. The player starts out slowly with lots of ma. Gradually the ma (time) between each hit becomes shorter and shorter, until the drummer is playing a rapid roll of hits.

See also

• Music of Japan for some history of taikos.
• Kuchi shoga, a system used to 'pronounce' taiko sounds.
• Kodo is a world famous and popular music group that performs using traditional Japanese instruments, primarily taiko.
• Taiko: Drum Master (aka Taiko no tatsujin) is a drumming game for the PlayStation 2

Other Uses of the Term (non-drum related)

The unrelated word Taikō (太閤) is a title given to a retired Sessho and Kampaku regent in Japan. In a narrow sense, taikō would refer to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a more common usage.