is an acoustic guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 from Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Born in Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...

, on February 1, 1968, he is best known for his work on the steel string guitar. Oshio is a part of Sony Music Japan's SME Records division.

Oshio's music

Oshio's music is classified within various categories including pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, new age

New Age

The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...

, and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

. Oshio's musical technique includes fingerpicking, tap harmonic

Tap harmonic

Tap harmonic is a technique used with fretted string instruments, . It is executed by tapping on the actual fret wire most commonly at the 12th fret, but also can be executed by tapping any of the fret wires with proper technique. It can also be done by gently touching the string over the fret wire...

s, and a unique strumming style referred to as a "nail attack" in which he slaps the strings with the nails of his middle and ring fingers which is inspired by Michael Hedges

Michael Hedges

Michael Alden Hedges was an American composer, Acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Background:...

. While his albums include mostly original material, Oshio is also known for his covers and movie soundtracks. His unique skill in interpretation and arrangement can be heard in tracks such as Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence from his album Starting Point.

Oshio's career

Oshio released his first indie record in December, 1999, which was followed by a second indie album in March, 2001. In July 2002, he released his first major record label album Starting Point and performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival with B.B. King.

Discography

• Love Strings (March 24th, 2001 in Japan)
• Oshio Kotaro (October 11th, 2002 in Japan)
• Starting Point (July 10th, 2002 in Japan)
• Dramatic (June 18th, 2003 in Japan)
• Be Happy (June 23rd, 2004 in Japan)
• Bolero! Be Happy Live (December 15th, 2004 in Japan)
• Panorama (September 7th, 2005 in Japan)
• Color of Life (November 29th, 2006 in Japan)
• Blue Sky, Kotaro Oshio Best CD (Jan 31st, 2007 in Japan)
• Nature Spirit (Jan 1st, 2008 in Japan)
• You & Me (Oct 1st, 2008 in Japan)
• Tussie Mussie (Mar 11, 2009 in Japan)
• Eternal Chain (Aug 5, 2009 in Japan)
• Hand to Hand (Jan 12, 2011 in Japan)

External links

• Official Kotaro Oshio website