THE sky is without colour, a chilly wind blows dismally. Spirits are low and we dream longingly of summer days which seem so far away.

Thankfully, at Teign u3a of Newton Abbot, we always have something exciting happening to cheer our members up, and last Thursday we welcomed the fantastic South West Taiko Drummers who certainly did that!

After a brief history and demonstration our members, led by Lucy Thomas and her colleagues Joyce and Ian, were given the chance to pick up the bachi (sticks) and have a go.

Each time our members swapped over the rhythms and chants became more and more complex. An energetic workout for your brain and body.

It was extremely exciting, the energy and noise in the hall was quite thrilling. You could feel the vibrations running right through you.

There are four principles of Taiko:

► Ki – energy

► Kata – movements

► Attitude

► Musical Technique

All these principles need to be applied, it’s not just a case of picking up the bachi and banging the drum.

There is lots of movement, music and energy. For anybody who has not tried this fascinating Japanese drumming, I would highly recommend it!

To join our fabulous u3a or find out more information please contact us at: Teign.org.uk or email [email protected] or come along and join at our monthly meeting which is held at 2pm on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Courtney Centre Newton Abbot.