Lights Out

The Taiko Center of the Pacific classes are held in a small white building (formerly a chapel) on the Kapiolani Community College campus near Diamond Head. For the past few days, electricity in the building has been down, which meant that tonight's practice was held in the dark. This turned out to be a minor setback. Kirsten-sensei set up lanterns along the walls of the room, which provided just enough light for us to see her and maneuver around the room without bumping into anything/anyone. The light from the lanterns cast dramatic shadows on the front wall giving the impression of a haunted house. Since it was difficult to see one another, the focus of tonight's practice was listening to one another and playing as one. Not as easy as you think. We each had an opportunity to perform a solo of Oichi Taiko and to receive individual feedback. Everyone seemed to appreciate this exercise, because most of us practice on makeshift tire drums at home. Kirsten-sensei pointed out that the sound produced with my right hand was significantly louder than the sound produced with my left hand. Since I am right handed, I need to work on strengthening my left hand. This is the same problem I face in tennis. I must train myself to be ambidextrist. How about starting with holding my toothbrush with my left hand? haha.