ABSTRACT
Times of High Water is a performance on paired taiko drums. A two-beat rhythm is played continuously, striking five points across the two drums. Which point the drummers strike is known from a very simple algorithm, rather than ‘songwriting’. The algorithm generates varied rhythms instantly, but not all are necessarily playable.
This project is about the challenge of playing these arbitrary rhythms successfully and achieving beauty of form in a full-body performance, the criterion that makes taiko different from most drumming. The challenge made innovation happen in movement design and in expressing how success is thought about in taiko.
The innovation leads to composing two-dimensional movement in free space to make music. Thus, it may be valuable to expressivity for performers using movement-based controllers with electronic and virtual instruments.
