“Wadaiko” - meaning “Japanese drum” - has been played in Japan for thousands of years. Drums have been used since the pre-historic times as a means of communications and Wadaiko performance, too, was originally played at rituals and rites to “communicate” with the deity. Over time, Wadaiko has become an essential musical instrument in festivals, theatrical performances such as kabuki and noh, and in Bon-Odori – a traditional Japanese summer dance festival.  

Everyone – from children to the elderly - can play Wadaiko and there are hundreds of Wadaiko groups, both professional and amateur, throughout Japan. The traditional rhythms of Wadaiko are catching the young generation by their ears and Wadaiko is also becoming very popular, especially among Japanese women, as a new form of exercise because it involves moving the entire body, making it a fun aerobic work-out. 

WHY WADAIKO?  

1)    Simple and easy         
All you have to do is to hit the drum with the sticks. Playing music cannot be simpler than this. No scores, no notes. You hit it, and you've got music right there.   

2)    De-stressing        
Today's life can be pretty stressful and why not have a great opportunity to literally “beat” the stress out of you? You can do the baseball swings to the drum or hit it at a lightening speed, and it will still be there and gives you the thundering beats that blow away all the frustration in you and give you a “mental” shower.  

3)    Aerobic work-out        
It is easy to play the drum, but that does not mean you are not going to shed a single drop of sweat. In fact, playing the drum is a total aerobic exercise in which you have to get all your muscles in gear and learn to breathe properly. This is one of the reasons, besides being fun and unique, that many Japanese are taking Wadaiko lessons as part of their work-out activities. 

4)    Know the Japanese culture        
After all, Wadaiko has been a part of Japan's proud culture for centuries and it has a lot of characteristics of the Japanese culture such as rigidity, Zen-inspired concepts and simplicity. Wadaiko is certain to provide you with a glimpse of the Japanese culture and will hopefully help build a better bridge of friendship between the Malaysians and the Japanese.

About Wadaiko Workshop  

Sentul Park Koi Center – in cooperation with Mr. Takayuki Nakanishi – is organizing a 1-month Wadaiko workshop to learn the basics of how to play Wadaiko. Mr. Nakanishi is the leader of the Wadaiko group “Syo” in KL and was a professional Wadaiko player in Japan with over 10 years of experience.   

The first workshop starts on March 10 and ends on March 31. The second workshop is scheduled to start on April 7 through to April 28.  

In order to provide as dedicated lessons as possible, the number of participants per workshop is limited to 5. (If there are many participants, there will be 2 workshops – 2pm to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm.)  

Time: Every Saturday, 2-4pm 
Venue: Sentul Park Koi Center library
Fee: RM 100.00 per month (4 weekly sessions)  

For registration and more info, please e-mail wadaiko_koicenter@yahoo.co.jp  

(Back of) Mr. Nakanishi performing during the Japan Culture Week at SPKC (Sept. 2006)