Accent

Lost in vibration

For Rome Hamner, the beat of the Japanese taiko drum is as necessary to life as the beat of her own heart. "It's something I can't not do," said Hamner, 29. "Drumming is such a basic thing to what humans need. In that way it feels right and natural." Taiko drumming has been a tradition in Japan for thousands of years, used for everything from communication to intimidation during battle. In more recent times, a group form of taiko, kumi-daiko, has evolved and gained a global following. "Since the 1950s, taiko has exploded in Japan and here in the United States," said Hamner. "It started out here primarily as a form of pride and cultural expression in Southern California, then moved eastward." Hamner developed an interest in the group form during her yearlong stint teaching English in Japan. "I saw it over there and fell in love with it," she said. Upon her return to the States, she decided to take on the activity, training with local expert Stanley Morgan. When Morgan took ill and could no longer continue, Hamner co-founded Odaiko Sonora, a two-woman group dedicated to the ancient art. Twice a week, Hamner and her partner, Karen Falkenstrom, meet at ORTSpace studios, 121 E. Seventh St., to practice their drum sets, relieve stress and, from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturdays, teach others the ways of the drum. "I've never found anything that has used every part of myself so well, mentally, physically and spiritually," said Falkenstrom, 40. "When I'm doing it, everything else kind of disappears." The two refer to their current class of eight students as "taiko baka," crazy about taiko. The students also perform with Odaiko, most recently at Sunday's Family Arts Festival. "For me, it's something I have inside," said Ofelia Lichtenheld, a 53-year-old real estate agent who is taking the class with her husband, Eric. "It's a very physical activity, and I have fun." The couple have been fascinated with Japanese drumming for years, planning trips from their former home in Guadalajara, Mexico, to cities like San Francisco just to take workshops on the subject. "We moved to Tucson just for the taiko," Ofelia joked. While Eric enjoys the discipline involved in drumming, Ofelia revels in the fact that she is participating in an activity that was previously not open to the fairer sex. "I'm from a culture where women are not supposed to be independent," said Ofelia, who is of Mexican descent. "To be able to be part of a group that was traditionally only for men is great for me." About 80 percent of taiko drummers in the United States are women. "There is very little individual glory in a good taiko group," Hamner said. Here in the States, I believe it's something that women are more comfortable with than men are." Sex empowerment coach Merryl Sloane signed up for classes with Odaiko Sonora after watching the group perform at Tucson Meet Yourself in 2002. Sloane tries to find a balance in her drumming between the traditions of the Far East and her own Jewish heritage. "It's important for me to have respect for this art form because it comes from another culture," she said. "At the same time, we have to adapt it to where we live and who we are." Although she loves drumming, she says it's not for those opposed to strenuous activity. She recalled performing Dec. 7 with Odaiko as pace keepers in the 2003 Tucson Marathon. "We joked we were doing a taiko marathon," said Sloane, who helped keep the beat for more than four hours. "I was very sore afterwards, but it was a good feeling, and the runners were appreciative." Taiko roughly translates to "great drum," but the art form actually includes many drums of different shapes and sizes. The most commonly used drum, the nagado-daiko, usually comes to about waist height but can reach enormous proportions. Takayama City, Japan, is home to the largest. It weighs more than 4 tons. Traditionally, nagado-daikos are made from hollowed-out tree trunks, but the members of Odaiko Sonora make their own - a regular practice of taiko groups in the United States. "We have to build the drums because they are too expensive," said Hamner. "A good Japanese taiko drum can cost up to $10,000." With a French wine barrel, some furniture tacks, a bull ring and a few other odds and ends, Odaiko can create a reasonable facsimile for about $600. The sound quality is not equal to the Japanese drums, Hamner said, but when all 10 drummers begin to bang in unison, those small things don't seem to matter. "It's such a rush to be part of a group making that noise. When we play with our students and it comes together properly, there's no feeling like it."