Event

Tatsuya Nakatani Workshop

Tatsuya Nakatani is an acoustic sound artist and master percussionist originally from Osaka, Japan. For over fifteen years he has been conducting Master Classes and Workshops at universities and music conservatories around the world.
Nakatani has developed the curriculum experientially, coming from outside of Academia. Programs are reflective of his personal philosophy and the story of his life in sound.
The Masterclass or Workshop can consist of a short performance, a lecture, and possibly a period of guided practice. Students will be introduced to a variety of Nakatanis unique methods and techniques for improvisation, and explore creative approaches to music and sound making. The Workshop or Master Class promotes an awareness of sounds-in-the-world, key to helping musicians develop their personal sound.
Central to Nakatanis philosophy of sound is the Japanese concept of space, expressed in ma. Ma can be understood as being in-between, as silence or emptiness - space as air or space as interval in rhythm. Ma can be applied to music where the use of space relates both to making sound and not making sound. Listening and acting with an awareness of space around music and space created through music, ma thinking is introduced as a method for musical improvisation.
Using careful listening in the context of the search for one's individual sound, students will explore the use of extended technique. By going beyond conventional approaches to an instrument, the use of extended technique grows the range of sounds available to the musician. Students are introduced to techniques which can expand the sonic possibilities of their instrument. In addition to demonstrating these methods and techniques, Nakatani will discuss the practical reality of living as an independent artist; booking, touring, promoting and performing. First-hand accounts of doing so while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a DIY approach will be offered to encourage the spirit of self-realization needed in working as an improvising artist.