Taiko
Jinsei Practice Tip:
Make a "Faux-kedo"
Materials
list:
(2)
12" plastic flower
pots.
(4) Nut and bolt sets.
(12) 1" or wider
washers (4 for strap
anchor bolts, 8 for
connecting bolts).
(2) Small plastic
bottles each filled
with 2.5lbs of sand,
rice, or other dry
loose filler to make
ballast.
(1) Roll heavy duty
packing tape.
(1) Old bedsheet (or
Okedo Strap listed
above).
Strong twine or
string.
You
can make your own
Practice Okedo, a
"Faux-kedo" if you
will, by bolting the
bottoms of two 12 inch
plastic flower pots
together, and then
creating stretched
packing-tape "heads,"
similar to the type of
"drumheads" used to
turn car tires into
practice Chu-daiko.
Before
taping on heads you'll
need to set attachment
anchor loops for the
strap (see
configuration below),
and you may want to
add some weight
(ballast) for more
accurate movement and
action.
Strap
Anchors:
After bolting the pot
bottoms together.
Through-bolt a couple
of small drawer pulls,
or other anchor-loop
to fix the strap
through. On a real
Okedo, the strap is
attached with a 1-2
head-hole space in
between, so be sure to
offset your
"Faux-kedo's" loops a
bit so it will have
similar balance and
action. Note the
anchor position in the
image below: One is
set near the player's
body and the other
away. This lets the
drum hang at a good
playing angle.
Ballast:
Selecting one of the
attachment options
below, tightly secure
about 5-lbs. of total
weight to the bottom
of the pots before
sealing the heads with
tape. Try swinging the
drum from the forward
to the horizontal
position to check the
weight, balance, and
secure fit of the
ballast before finally
sealing heads.
Option
1) Two empty soda
bottles filled solidly
with sand (or rice)
works. Screw lids down
tightly then add a bit
of tape around the cap
to be extra sure no
sand will leak out. Be
sure to center one
bottle at the bottom
of each pot to
maintain balance, and
tie
tightly together
through the bottom
of the combined
pots
(the drainage holes
are super handy for
this).
Option
2) Use a 2.5lb. chunk
of wood in the bottom
of each side if you
have a drill and
long-enough bolts.
Strap:
To make a sling-style
strap, rip a 40cm wide
x 200cm-ish long strip
of fabric from an old
bedsheet. If possible,
ripping rather than
cutting will reduce
fraying, and the
fabric naturally
bunches into a nice
"self-sealing"
roll-gather, so you
don't have to hem the
edges if you don't
want to bother.

Suggested
"Faux-kedo"
set-up, top
(player's-eye)
view.
(Image distorted
slightly to show
both playing-head
areas. Do not cut
pots.)
How
to Play Katsugi
Okedo:
This set of videos
on YouTube offers a
TON of great info...
Basic
Katsugi form by
Ryo Shimamoto
from allthingstaiko
(click the ALL
Videos link to
access the rest!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R0sSWaBvPQ
|