Japanese | Native |
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English | Near-Native |
Koji Yamamoto (KG)
To make it easier to remember abroad, my artist name is KG.
I was born in Tokyo and now live in Berlin, I’m 29 years old.
I have more than 14 years of guitar experience and more than 6 years of teaching guitar.
“Playing guitar is fun and easy” is my motto!
Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram to find out more about my activities.
・https://twitter.com/kojiguitartweet
・https://www.instagram.com/kojiguitarberlin
・Composer
・Session musician
・Electric/Acoustic guitar teacher
I can play blues, jazz, funk, fusion, neo-soul, R&B, western music, JPOP, Disney songs, guitar solos, anything!
2014 ~
Started working as a guitar support professional and guitar lesson professional.
2014 - February 2019
Worked as a professional guitar instructor for about 5 years in a music school in Tokyo.
The same year, I was rewarded as one of the teachers with excellent results in the trial lesson.
May 2015
I quit my support job to focus on my lesson business.
February 2019~
[Skype] Started working as an online guitar instructor, counting 35 students on December 2019.
February 2019~
Moved to Germany/Berlin, and began to deepen my own insight as a session guitarist, performing in bars with artists from all over the world. I’m an active session player who now sessions twice a week.
Acoustic instrument, blues & rock, jazz & blues, R&B, neo-soul, etc.
Guitarists
John Mayer, Tommy Emmanuel, Guthrie Govan, Chris Buck, John Frusciante, SRV, Larry Carlton, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Setzer, George Benson, BB King, Emil Ernebro, Joe Bonamassa, Matt Schofield, Josh Smith, Eric Gales, Joe Robinson, Eric Johnson, Martin Taylor, etc.
Foreign artists, bands
Queen, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Norah Jones, Cranberries, Adel, Mariah Carey, Oasis, Carpenters, Green Day, The Beatles, Avicii, etc.
Japanese artists
Koji Tamaki, Hibari Misora, Southern All Stars, Motohiro Hata, Kenshi Yonezu, Aimyon, OfficialHIGEDANdism, Superfly, Judy and Mary, B'z, Dreams Come True, Anzen Chitai, Ayaka, Rimi Natsukawa, Mr Children, Spitz, Tokyo Incident, Ikimono Gakari, Sukima Switch, Quruli, etc.
Hello! I'm Koji, a Japanese guitarist who lives in Berlin, Germany!
I've had 80 students (as of January 2020), from 7 to 67 years old! I teach a wide range of levels, from beginner's classes on tuning, simple string plucking, and guitar characteristics, to advanced classes on ad-libbing and learning how to learn the frequencies on the fingerboard, to lessons on how to make a professional sound by learning the quirks and phrases of artists in detail.
Anyway, I try to keep the atmosphere of my lessons free and fun!
For more information, please refer to the lesson contents for each level below.
・Beginner's Course
First of all, learn how to enjoy guitar!
Be able to play something if someone asks you too!
Studying the characteristics of the guitar as an instrument.
Instead of just memorizing the chords (see note 1), learn how to play guitar a cool way?
It's important to stay motivated in the beginning!
Practice playing easy chords with abbreviated chords (see note 3).
C and F are difficult to play, so I'll omit them at first to make them easier to play.
Choose a song you like, play only the melody, and have fun playing the song together.
Practice grasping the distance of the frets on the fingerboard.
Intermediate Course
You will be able to play the song exactly like the original song, without any ellipsis.
You will be able to perform in public, on video, or with audio content in a band or as a soloist.
More than just “play something” you’ll get praised for it instantly!
Practice a few songs that have a nice chord progression.
I'll also explain why certain chords sound beautiful.
Learn various ways to play chords, arpeggios, fingerpicking, right hand patterns, etc.
What are chords in the first place? Why do we hear different sounds in the first place? (It's a bit academic) I'll explain why it's good to play that way, and explain how it works for each performance.
Practice the scale (see note 2).
Instead of simply memorizing it, how to play it, how to make it easier to play it, how to make it sound cooler?
Using a simple scale, try ad-libbing with a blues progression (see note 4).
Advanced Course
Make the guitar your identity, expand your friendships with it, and prepare yourself to use it in the future, or actually work with it.
Make others want to play guitar when they see you!
Cover all the different types of scales (see note 2) and explain them, using not only positions but also the sounds that go into the scales.
Use chord tones (see note 5) to practice ad-libbing into jazz and pop music where chords are difficult to understand.
Train to be able to play at least 4 chord positions.
Understand what it means to use slides (see note 6), hammering (see note 7) and springs (see note 8) and understand the types of vibrato (see note 9) (sound intervals).
Mastering Bending
The sound can be adjusted without being out of tune, the sound can be controlled by bending at half-tone intervals, and vibrato can be applied.
Note 1: A series of three or more notes that are pleasant to the ear when played simultaneously.
Note 2: A sequence of several related sounds, from low to high. It's mainly an indicator of the relevance of the sound you play solo.
Note 3: A chord that is made easy to press by removing a sound that does not damage the overall sense of sound even if it is removed under certain conditions.
Note 4: A simple song progression consisting of three chords, a popular chord progression because it allows you to play a single scale in a session.
Note 5: Each note contained in a chord.
Note 6: The sound is made by sliding the finger.
Note 7: To make a sound using only the remaining strength of the left hand, without using the right hand.
Note 8: Strumming a string with the force generated by hooking the fingers of the left hand.
Note 9: Swaying the string with the fingers of the left hand to sway the sound at regular intervals.
My motto in lessons is “Have fun and do the music you want to do!” but also “be able to play phrases and chords after practicing hard!”.
・Is he/she fundamentally an attractive person?
・Does he/she look sparkly, happy?
・It's not only whether or not the person is good at playing, but do they actually look cool when playing?
・Can you relate with the way they think?
KG
【 Cafetalk Translation / April 2020 】
Please note that this profile has been translated by Cafetalk for easier understanding.
***iguro