It's not "all-the-way-major-key" like most of my other tunes. It's not fast, but not as slow as "Love Song". This is my first attempt of composing a middle-tempo balad.
I poured my whole heart and soul into it. I don't think I can ever do the same thing again.
I hope you guys enjoy listening to it. (I'll shoot the video too. but I wanna practice a little more to get the hang of the tune.)
I've been kinda busy these days and it's been hard for me to make enough time to compose. But we just had the holiday week over here in Japan. I thought there's no way I don't take advantage of it and THERE! I've finished it up.
I'm writing this as I'm listeining to "VOICE" over and over again. I now realize that the rhythm is a little messed up on some parts, the pitch is kinda shakey on some parts, it doesn't sound too sophisticated lol.
But this time, I'm not mad at myself about that.
I just wanted to compose a tune that I can fully pour my whole soul and heart. I put my soul into "Love Song" too, but as for that one, there are some parts I pull it back out.
But this tune, I just put it in there from the begining to the end. (...Ok, I didn't mean to make it sound like that lol)
I guess I need to learn how to pour my soul AND get the tune more sophisticated but unfortunately I'm not that good nor ingenious.
I turned my voice into my guitar sound and let it all out.
Personally, it's the best work in Ginjineko's history up until now. I'm not the one who speaks only fine words so I don't say stuff like, "All my songs are the best :)" :P
I'll be happy if you guys enjoy the tune and feel something out of it.
First of all... I'm really sorry that I haven't been replying to your comments recently. I'm reading every single one of them. YES, YES! I KNOW! I should reply if I have time to read them! lol
AND, Thank you so much for so many votes on Guitar Idol 2008. You know, I'm just a dirty lil' "stray cat" on the internet. But look at this! So many people supported me... I don't know how to thank you all.
Please know that you are truely appreciated!
Okey... now why don't we talk about some stuff nobody really cares... lol
I've always liked long sleeved shirts. But I roll up the sleeves most of the time. What's the point of the long sleeve then?? I don't know lol.
I just don't like wearing short sleeve T shirts. Those who have seen me in real life know it, but I have sloping shoulders with thick neck and big face so I look too burly in T shirt lol.
So, I was once thinking how I could hide my flaws. And one day, I saw one of the "Rocky" series movie. I forgot which one it was, but it was the one with "Drago".
I decided that I wanted to look like that. I got up at 6 every morning and ran 4 km, did 3 sets of 30 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 dumbbell-lifting and more... And repeated this again from 7 in the evening...
What the hell was I thinking?? lol
Thanks to this workout, I was a very muscular boy when I was in junior high school. I once tried to roll up the sleeves of dress shirt but did't go up above the elbows lol.
But I was playing the guitar too, you know!! See, Zakk Wylde is all nice and buffed up, right? lol
It's not that I was just trying to be Draco lol.
But anyway, I was working out to hide my sloping shoulders, thick neck and big face. I worked out to hide my body form so I naturally started choosing clothes that can hide the flaws of my uper body. That's why I still tend to wear long sleeved shirts.
Oh yeah! My legs are short too!! lol ...But we aren't talking about that right now, are we...
Yes, long sleeves! These things are really annoying when you are trying to play the guitar!
When you are stroking, it gets stuck on the bridge and can't stroke all the way. Agh!! When you are pick-stratching towards the neck, it gets caught up on the bridge and can't slide all the way! Aaagghh!!
That's why, when I play the guitar, I always roll up the sleeves. But I've been playing the guitar for a long time so it's now my habit to roll them up even when I'm not playing. Yup, don't see why I still wear long sleeved shirt lol. Maybe I should just go ahead and buy more short sleeve T shirts though lol.
I stopped working out after I bought the guitar. The muscles shrunk and I look like this now. But it looks like my rolling-up-the-sleeve habit and the taste for long-sleeve shirts never die.
Well, when it gets boiling hot in the summer, I do wear short sleeve shirts though :P
...But who cares? lol Uh well, that's about it for today!
I'm sorry that I've been kinda away from the blog recently. I don't even have time to respond to the comments from you guys. I'm really sorry. I'm reading every single one of them. I always appreaciate it.
Anyway, I released the new tune "Muteki☆Wing" a little while ago but I completely forgot to upload the backing track. lol
It looks like some people have already started to copy the song. Go ahead and download the backing track, use it however you like.
Guitar Idol 2008 is an open guitar instrumental music competition and it's going on right now. I found out about it on YouTube Channels of "CesarHuesca" and "GGuerra".
---Summery of this competition---
You can submit either your original tune or play over the backing tracks you can download from the official site. You can submit it as an MP3 file or through YouTube.
Viewers of the site vote for their favorite. And also, the panel of top industry professionals will judge the players. 10 players who gain the highest vote from the public and the panel will play in front of thousands of audience at London Guitar Show on June 14th Sat.
Then, the 10 finalists will be judged by the panel of top industry professional and the winner will be opening up for Joe Satriani on June 15th Sun. on the main stage at the finale of the London International Music Show.
---------------------------------
I asked my friend, khaluah, to translate my biography etc. and have just entered myself. (Sorry, I'm not really good at English lol)
●Guitar Idol 2008 Official http://www.gtridol.com/
In order to vote, you need to make an account at the official site. Registration is very easy. Here's the step-by-step instruction of how to make an account.
1. Go to the official site. http://www.gtridol.com/
2. Look to the right, you shoud see a gray button that says "REGISTER". Click on that.
3. Enter whatever the user name you like, and also a valid email address. The RULES seem like they only apply to those who actually enter for the contest, so if you are just making an account, they really don't mean anything to you. Just check the box and hit "Creat New Account".
4. Go ahead and check your mail box. You should see email from Mr. "website@guitaridol.com". Follow the direction on the email.
AND you are done!
THEN, here's my entry page. http://www.gtridol.com/ginjineko
Access to this URL while you are still logged in. Go ahead and check out my performance. And if you liked it, please vote for me. Your support will be much appreciated!
Thanks!!
●Guitar Idol entry
●Love Song STEREO Ver
As you can see, there are a lot of players you already know very well on YouTube. Cesar Huesca, who has over 5000 subscribers, is currently on No.2 spot. The Best Smile GTR Player, Gustavo Guerra is now on No. 23 (as of today <4/25> he's on No. 4).
I can also see Carl Fernandes("sakata" watched his video when he covered Canon Rock for the first time). That's not all. You see many players you've already seen somewhere else. This competition is NO JOKE!! lol
I checked out some of the top-rated players. The No.1 spot holder, "Chris Feener", is using 7-string guitar, slapping, fast playing, tapping… it's so called super-play. But there are also other players who are performing slow ballad and blues etc. It's not that everybody's trying to be the "fastest" or "the most technical". I think it's more like, most of the top players know how to make impressive tunes and express the emotion through their guitars.
CesarHuesca's entry is also relatively "quiet", while "Gustavo Guerra" is going in his full speed lol.
But I think this tells that the competition is something you should take quite seriously.
And here I am, entering for this high-leveled competition. To be completely honest, I wanna win one of the top 10 spots, wanna see London and play with other great guitar players.
And at the same time, I also feel like I'll just end up feeling sorry being among such great players… cause I know that I'm not that good.
I feel like I can already hear some haters saying stuff like, "Stop degrading Japan, you suck, just give up and take back your entry!!" lol …but, enough about that.
I've never seen such a big competition for guitar instrumental music before.
Some years ago, they came up with YouTube. In Japan, they came up with something called "Niko-Niko Douga". Now, the guitar players who have been doing their things on internet gained some places to shine. More people now recognize guitar instrumental music.
However, that's still only within the internet world. Commercially, at least in Japan, the music industry is paying little attention to guitar instrumental. Mr. Matsumoto (The guitar player of B'z) releases an instrumental album but it never hits million. What about Zaza? How about Vai? They are considered "big" but only recognized by handful of people who really love listening to non-Japanese music. How about JerryC and CesarHuesca? Most people don't even know about them.
NAKAO☆ (aka Yashoku King) once wrote something like this on his blog. "I keep asking myself, 'Maybe nobody wants instrumental guitar players in this world'." ttp://blog.livedoor.jp/torikama/archives/54331449.html ※ If you are interested, go ahead and check out the actual article (Japanese).
That's right.
"If there are not enough people who listen to guitar instrumental, then why don't we make them"
When I read this article, I felt like I was hit by lightening.
It's easy to be pleased only by yourself. It's easy to talk back to criticism saying, "Hmph, you just don't understand and I really don't care." It's easy to shut your heart and think,"My video's views don't grow cause nobody in this world want this kind of music. It's ok, I'm just playing to please myself so if you want to listen, please do. If you don't, then, uh well."
But why not going one step further? "The most important thing is to do your best to MAKE people listen to you".
Of course, I'm not bold enough to think that it's my mission to make guitar instrumental music mainstream. I'm just playing cause I simply want to play. lol
But, if somebody builds the stage for us to shine, like this guitar competition, and if I can be the tiny-little, 1 nano-milligram of detonator to blast off the guitar instrumental music so people'll just HAVE TO pay attention, then I'd be happy to be the clown.
People are supporting me. I'm writing such a "big-mouth" article here. Then I might end up being on the last position. But hey, what's wrong with that?
When I see the result of this competition, I ain't gonna say passive stuff like, "It's worth just participating."
If you don't make a move, nothing will move. If you make a move, something's gonna move.
Yes, I'm a trash-talker. I've also got some attitude. I'm not even super-good at playing the guitar and don't have any glorious history as a guitar player. I'm just an ordinary 30-something male. But still, I can enter for the competition. And if that changes "Only 10 people are interested in guitar instrumental" into "Now, 11 people are listenin!", then I'll be fully content.
Oh yeah, I wanna see London!! lmao Hell yeah, I wanna see Joe Satriani lol
But that's just my wish and everything is up to the viewers and the judge panel. "God knows".
But there must be something God doesn't even know, and I wanna take advantage of it by making some action myself.
Thanks for your warm support, guys. You guys are awesome.
And from here, I'll write something a little personal so if you are not interested, go ahead and close the browser now.lol
I entered with my original tune, "Love Song". Yes, this song is for my "son". He'll be introduced to this world in summer, but to be honest, I still can't believe that I'm about to be a dad.
Looking back my own life, I can tell you that I've gone through a lot. I made people mad sometimes, laughed sometimes, got depressed sometimes, shed some tears and got pissed off sometimes too.
But well of course, that's how life is. lol
Then, I asked myself. What do you think about yourself now? Do you have anything you can be proud of yourself?
…I have no idea. lol
If I don't know myself, how can others feel it? Well then, why don't I pave a path, starting from now?
…hoping to be that somebody "he" can be proud of.
Not only my business, money or fame. I just want to leave my footprints on the path I've walked on…the footprints that'll stay there for decades.
I don't know what he'll think looking at them.
But here's my only wish.
In the near future, when he writes about his dad for one of those school projects, if he writes something like this, then I know for sure that my footprints were worth something.
I have an important announcement to make today! I just wanted to let you all know that I entered for Guitar Idol 2008 with my original tune, "Love Song". Your vote helps me win one of the 10 finalists spots. Go ahead and check out my video. And if you liked my performance, please vote for me.
All you need to do is to register yourself here. (You don't need to enter for the contest. You just have to make an account to vote) http://www.gtridol.com/home
And vote for me from here EVERYDAY. http://www.gtridol.com/ginjineko
