Masaaki Kishibe
Encyclopedia
Masaaki Kishibe (born January 13, 1964), is an acoustic
guitarist
from Japan
.
and began studying piano
at a young age, eventually picking up the guitar by the time he was 14. Kishibe learned both instruments at a fast pace and eventually decided he wanted to take learning music more seriously, and throughout the next decade he formally studied in music schooling, under famed Japanese guitarist, and composer, Isato Nakagawa. Masaaki would go onto learning a variety of different techniques, as well as music theory, and eventually began composing his own music using the fingerstyle technique
.
In 1990, Masaaki Kishibe became a student at Berklee College of Music
in Boston
, Massachusetts
, and moved to the United States to pursue his studies; however, having no ultimate objective in where to direct his study attention, he failed to graduate, and returned to Japan, though still humbled by his experiences in the US. He continued to self teach himself fingerstyle guitar playing, and began writing his own compositions.
In 1995, Kishibe wrote and recorded his first record, "Truth," to which he attempted to display his own personality through guitar composition and playing. While the works included many pieces that are memorable, and are cherished fan favorites, it was considered an album that had maturing to fulfill in his writing style.
Over the next four years, Kishibe would continue to improve his playing ability, as well as his writing ability, and the results came to 1999's "Growing Up".
Kishibe has continued to tour around the world, and continue to write and release music, composing 5 albums, and eventually began creating fingerstyle arrangements of popular pieces of music including, "Salut d'Amore" from the film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
, and "When You Wish Upon A Star
" from the Disney children's film, Pinnochio. He has also released separate live performance and instruction DVDs. His most recent release was 2009's "12 Stories".
, throughout Taiwan. As McKee continued to rise to fame in the US, and helped bring attention to fingerstyle playing with the uploading of his videos of Rylynn and Drifting to YouTube garnering millions of plays and overnight fandom, fans who became inspired by his form of playing would dig up more information on guitarists like Andy, particularly Andy's list of guitarists he recommended his fans to look into, which included his website for a great amount of time. As attention to McKee's recommendations grew, so did the growing popularity of music that listeners could find from Kishibe. But as his music is not available for purchase anywhere other than Japan, and only through ordering via e-mail with his Japanese distributor, Pooh Yokocho Inc, the easiest way for curious fans to hear Kishibe's music for the first time is through the few low bit rates mp3 files contained for free on his website. A particular song, "Hana," has been covered and performed by many professional and amateur guitarists around the world on YouTube. McKee himself recorded a cover of it on his 2009 EP Common Ground
. While Kishibe still has no American distribution, his fanbase continues to grow through the underground internet music community.
Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
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...
.
Biography
Masaaki Kishibe was born in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and began studying piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at a young age, eventually picking up the guitar by the time he was 14. Kishibe learned both instruments at a fast pace and eventually decided he wanted to take learning music more seriously, and throughout the next decade he formally studied in music schooling, under famed Japanese guitarist, and composer, Isato Nakagawa. Masaaki would go onto learning a variety of different techniques, as well as music theory, and eventually began composing his own music using the fingerstyle technique
Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
.
In 1990, Masaaki Kishibe became a student at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and moved to the United States to pursue his studies; however, having no ultimate objective in where to direct his study attention, he failed to graduate, and returned to Japan, though still humbled by his experiences in the US. He continued to self teach himself fingerstyle guitar playing, and began writing his own compositions.
In 1995, Kishibe wrote and recorded his first record, "Truth," to which he attempted to display his own personality through guitar composition and playing. While the works included many pieces that are memorable, and are cherished fan favorites, it was considered an album that had maturing to fulfill in his writing style.
Over the next four years, Kishibe would continue to improve his playing ability, as well as his writing ability, and the results came to 1999's "Growing Up".
Kishibe has continued to tour around the world, and continue to write and release music, composing 5 albums, and eventually began creating fingerstyle arrangements of popular pieces of music including, "Salut d'Amore" from the film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
Nuovo cinema Paradiso , internationally released as Cinema Paradiso, is a 1988 Italian drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore...
, and "When You Wish Upon A Star
When You Wish upon a Star
"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...
" from the Disney children's film, Pinnochio. He has also released separate live performance and instruction DVDs. His most recent release was 2009's "12 Stories".
American audience
While Kishibe is widely known around Japan and other eastern countries, he was not particularly well known in the US until he performed at the 32nd Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS in 2003 taking 2nd place overall in Fingerstyle Guitar; then subsequently touring with guitarist another former Walnut Valley winner, Andy McKeeAndy McKee
Andy McKee is an American fingerstyle guitarist, currently signed to the American record label .His style of playing and his compositions have earned him a considerable international fanbase...
, throughout Taiwan. As McKee continued to rise to fame in the US, and helped bring attention to fingerstyle playing with the uploading of his videos of Rylynn and Drifting to YouTube garnering millions of plays and overnight fandom, fans who became inspired by his form of playing would dig up more information on guitarists like Andy, particularly Andy's list of guitarists he recommended his fans to look into, which included his website for a great amount of time. As attention to McKee's recommendations grew, so did the growing popularity of music that listeners could find from Kishibe. But as his music is not available for purchase anywhere other than Japan, and only through ordering via e-mail with his Japanese distributor, Pooh Yokocho Inc, the easiest way for curious fans to hear Kishibe's music for the first time is through the few low bit rates mp3 files contained for free on his website. A particular song, "Hana," has been covered and performed by many professional and amateur guitarists around the world on YouTube. McKee himself recorded a cover of it on his 2009 EP Common Ground
Common Ground (Andy McKee EP)
Common Ground is an EP by guitarist Andy McKee. It was released on August 25, 2009, and was offered digitally only on sites such as iTunes, Amazon, and Lala. The iTunes package for it included four videos. Two of each video were of the same song, with each corresponding video either with or without...
. While Kishibe still has no American distribution, his fanbase continues to grow through the underground internet music community.
Discography
| Album Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Truth | 1995 |
| Growing Up | 1999 |
| Bloom | 2002 |
| Recollection | 2005 |
| Kiseki no Yama | 2006 |
| My Favorites | 2008 |
| 12 Stories | 2009 |