Ed Pickering comes from Devon, and has been involved in music from an early age. His first experience of taiko came at a festival in Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan, where he lived for three years. He was instantly hooked by the energy, power and commitment of the players, and subsequently spent two years playing with local group Ataka Taiko, performing at concerts and festivals.



Ed joined Meantime in 2002, and his favourite taiko styles are Miyake which uses a low, horizontal drum and Odaiko, which involves a large horizontally-set drum above the head.



Ed's main pastimes are sport and music, and taiko is a way for him to indulge two hobbies at once. He also cycles and runs competitively, annoys his workmates and family with his incessant finger tapping, and doesn't ski as often as he would like.