Naoko Takada

The concert that I chose to see for this report was performed by Naoko Takada. She is a Japanese woman that plays the marimba. Since we had already studied the Japanese music culture in class, I felt that this would be an interesting concert to attend. Her music gave me a deeper appreciation for Japanese music and the Japanese culture itself.

The marimba comes from the xylophone. In Japan, the xylophone changed from the 1930’s to the 1960’s by two important xylophonists, Yoichi Hiraoka and Eiichi Asabuki. There music on the xylophone was very different compared to the American forms of playing the xylophone. In Japan, there were many radio shows dedicated to xylophone music. Eiichi Asabuki had many students, and even started the Japanese Xylophone Association that has about 5000 members.

Xylophone concerts were beginning to be heard by large audiences. The xylophonists were becoming very influenced by the sound of the marimba. The marimba became immediately...