Joanna and I decided that we would take wadaiko drum lessons which are the big Japanese drums. We had no idea what we were getting into but here are some important lessons that I learned:
1. I have no rhythm. I thought I did but I don't. Our instructor kept praising us that we were doing well but I knew that I had issues.
2. It's not as easy as it looks. I've seen the drummers perform at festivals before and in my mind I thought, "I could do that!" but I can't. It is so much harder than I thought.
3. The drumsticks are not heavy. They were so light. The problem was that I tried pounding the drum like they were heavy but it is the light touch that counts.
4. I thought I was in good enough shape for this but I'm not! Uh...not even close. Our instructor not only practices everyday but runs 10K every day to keep up his stamina.
5. I have the attention span of a gnat! We would practice and then he would turn to me and say, "John! You will lead us now. Just do the same thing that I just did" and I had no idea what he just showed us. After awhile though, I started to get the hang of it.
6. Our instructor Waka appreciated our efforts. He kept praising us but also instructed us when we were doing something wrong and would practice it again. We truly appreciated that.
7. I need to work on my upper body flexibility. I am too stiff and Waka our instructor made it look so easy.
We are going to start taking classes in October and we can't wait. We have an amazing instructor that will put up with our mistakes and we had so much fun today that we can't wait until it starts.
