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Drums to wake the gods

How do you move someone to tears with the single beat of a drum? That was the goal of a Japanese drum master who specialises in a style of drumming called Taiko. Scotsman Neil Mackie met that drum master in Japan in the 1990s and there began a bit of a musical obsession. These days Neil and his international troupe of Taiko drummers - Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers - are even selling their brand of the music back to the Japanese as they're often invited to perform there. Taiko is sometimes described as a style of drumming to awaken the gods. Newshour went to a rehearsal ahead of their concert at London's Southbank.

(Photo: Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers)

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3 minutes