Drum Patterns

The secret inner beauty of Japanese taiko drums is what gives them their rich sound

February 13, 2017

By Greg Uyeno

Don kara, don kara, don don don! That’s the thunder of taiko drums!

Taiko drums are traditional Japanese instruments usually played in groups with athletic, dance-like choreography. They’re beautiful on the outside: lacquered wood with a natural grain, sometimes hand-carved from a single piece of wood over several weeks. But that’s only scratching the surface—some of the most impressive craftsmanship goes entirely unseen.

On the inside of many taiko drums are intricate carvings in geometric patterns. Traditional patterns take inspiration from nature and resemble turtle shells or fish scales, but they’re hidden from view when drumheads are stretched tightly over the ends of a taiko.

So why do drum makers go through the trouble? It’s all about the sound. “If the interior surface isn’t broken up, you’ll get a high-pitched ringing when the drum is struck,” says Mark Miyoshi, a taiko drum maker in Mount Shasta, California. The carvings break up the drum’s sound waves, creating a deeper, richer sound.

Asano Taiko

Some taiko drums are so big that drum makers can stand inside them while carving!

Miyoshi began making drums 40 years ago, when his taiko group needed more instruments but couldn’t afford to buy new ones from Japan. He likes to carve parallel rings into his drums. Other drum makers pick the patterns they carve to complement the grain of the wood or the shape of the drum. But the main goal, says Miyoshi, is to make sure the inside of the drum isn’t perfectly smooth.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the Asano Taiko Company has been making taiko drums in Japan since 1609. Its standard nagado drums have a wave pattern on the inside, but Asano also makes drums with four specialty patterns.

Asano Taiko

A drum maker in Japan carves repeating hexagons into a taiko's interior, making a kikkobari pattern.

“Each carving has a different purpose to make different sounds,” says Sumiyo Asano, a company spokesperson. Some customers choose a special pattern for drums used in art performances or festivals. Other custom patterns can be used on odaiko, the largest of taiko drums, which are sometimes bigger than the person playing them.

“I hope that most folks appreciate the sound of the drum and perhaps someday they will see the inside and appreciate the attention each drum maker gives to the interior and, ultimately, the sound,” says Miyoshi.

WORKING WITH TRANSFORMATIONS

TESSELLATIONS are patterns made from repeated shapes called tiles that completely cover a plane without any gaps.

TRANSFORMATIONS move a tile without changing its size, which can be seen in a tessellation. Below are three types of transformations:

Many of the carvings inside taiko drums are tessellations. Determine the sequences of transformations used to move the shapes in the taiko drum patterns.