Here is a video of the sumo intro that I introduced in class. There isn’t a need to learn to play it, only to learn to recognize when to come in. Remember there is a kiai right before you start playing.
Scroll down to last week’s blog post to play the whole song.
Below is a video of the drill we also played to practice going from DonGo to KaRa and Don’s and Ka’s. I am playing at 4 different speeds: 80 beats per minute, 95 bpm, 110 bpm, 125 bpm. I recommend playing the slower ones until you feel comfortable. The faster tempos are not expected, but I put them in for anyone who wants to continue to challenge yourself. It’s more important too feel relaxed in your technique. and have even playing between R and L hands. (Note that the underlying beat is a swing beat, this is why I listed it as a DonGo Kara Drill.)