This is a report submitted by Marc Steuben of Simpson Taiko. Simpson Taiko, through Simpson United Methodist Church, was a recipient of a 2018 TCA Mini-Grant.
A few years ago, in an effort to play on more drums and fewer buckets, Marc, from newly formed Simpson Taiko, in Arvada, Colorado, started experimenting with ways to make good-sounding drums more easily and inexpensively. During a chudaiko project, he cut off the ends of a newly rebuilt barrel to shorten it and started wondering if those ends could be put together to make another drum body. It turns out they could be, and that project resulted in a large chudaiko named “Jumbo” and a hiradaiko named “Mumbo.” That was the inspiration for our TCA mini-grant proposal: replicate and improve that process, build two new drums, and document the entire effort for others to follow, experiment with, and improve. TCA’s great mini-grant program started the ball rolling and advanced our group by making possible an excellent learning experience and two new “home-grown” drums—we hope our TCA mini-grant presentation continues the momentum and does the same for your group.
See the step by step presentation of Simpson Taiko’s drum building project. Click on the image below to view their entertaining and informative Powerpoint presentation.
