Reading Notes

Every chart in Taiko no Tatsujin is built from a small number of note types. Once you understand what each note represents and how to play it, you’ll have everything you need to start playing any song you choose.

Unless otherwise stated, this guide describes the behaviour of the modern Nijiiro arcade version. Some mechanics differ slightly on home versions.

The Drum

Before learning the different note types, it’s important to understand how the taiko drum is played.

The drum has two playable areas:

Surface (drumhead): used for Don (D) notes.
Rim: used for Ka (K) notes.

Each area can be struck on either the left or right side, giving four possible inputs in total.

[insert diagram]

The rest of this guide uses surface and rim when referring to the playable areas of the drum.

The following abbreviations are also used:

D = Don (surface)
K = Ka (rim)

Every note in Taiko no Tatsujin is simply a variation of one or both of these two inputs.

Standard Notes

These are the note types you’ll encounter in almost every song. Learning them is all you need to begin playing.

Don Note

The Don note is represented by a red circle.

Strike the surface of the drum when the note reaches the judgement circle.

Either side of the drumhead may be used.

Remember: red notes always represent Don.

Ka Note

The Ka note is represented by a blue circle.

Strike the rim of the drum when the note reaches the judgement circle.

Either side of the rim may be used.

Remember: blue notes always represent Ka.

Large Don & Ka Notes

Large Notes

Large Notes are represented by larger versions of the standard Don and Ka notes.

They use the same playable areas of the drum as their regular counterparts:

Large Don: Strike the surface.
Large Ka: Strike the rim.

On Nijiiro arcade cabinets, the larger note indicates a strong strike. However, most arcade cabinets are configured with sensitivity settings that allow Large Notes to register with a normal-strength hit, so many players simply play them the same way as regular Don and Ka notes.

On PC/Console versions, Large Notes are played differently. Instead of using a strong strike, press both matching inputs at the same time.

Large Don: Press both Don inputs together.

Large Ka: Press both Ka inputs together.

Using both inputs awards the highest possible score on these versions.

Drum Rolls

Drum Rolls begin with a yellow note followed by a yellow bar. As with Don and Ka notes, there are two variants:

Drum Roll
Large Drum Roll

Both are played exactly the same way. When the Drum Roll reaches the judgement circle, repeatedly strike the drum until the yellow bar ends.

Unlike regular notes, both Don and Ka hits count, so you may strike either the surface or the rim.

Like Large Notes, a Large Drum Roll is intended to be played with strong strikes.

In practice, most arcade cabinets are configured with sensitivity settings that allow normal-strength hits to register successfully. Because of this, most players simply play Large Drum Rolls the same way as regular Drum Rolls.

Remember:

Timing does not matter during Drum Rolls.
Both Don and Ka hits count.
Faster hits generally result in more points.

Scoring: Large Drum Rolls award more points per hit compared to regular Drum Rolls, but are otherwise played identically.

Special Notes

The following notes only appear in specific game modes and are not part of standard gameplay.

Kusudama (Party Popper/Mallet Notes)

Kusudama Mallet

Kusudama, referred to as Party Popper Notes on arcade versions and Mallet Notes on some console versions …

Like Balloon Notes, repeatedly strike the surface until the required number of hits has been reached before the note ends.

Hand-Holding Notes (Double Notes)

Hand-Holding Notes

Hand-Holding Notes, also referred to as Double Notes …

When the note reaches the judgement circle, both players must strike their drums at the same time to clear it.

Hand-Holding Notes are only used in specific charts during 2-player mode, and can safely be ignored while learning the fundamentals of the game.