にほんご▶

May. 24, 2025

As I wrote in “My Current Instruments“, I have three requirements for my musical instruments;
1. Not too loud, 2. Not too large, 3. Not a keyboard but a complete solo instrument.
I know many instruments that satisfy 1 and 2. But the problem is finding the Western instruments which satisfy the 3rd requirement.

At elementary school, I learnt that the essential elements of music are melody, rhythm and harmony. So the ‘complete solo instruments’ must be playable these three elements simultaneously by one player.

A solo wind instrument is good for singing melodies, but can’t play harmonies. Percussions are for rhythms only. Bowed instruments, such as the violin can play melodies, rhythms, and two tone harmonies. But it’s difficult to play all three simultaneously.

The instruments that can play these three elements simultaneously are the keyboard instruments or the classical guitar. However, I don’t think I’m very good at playing keyboard instruments, so my only choice is the classical guitar.

But even if I had other options, I probably would have chosen the guitar because I’ve always loved the sound of the guitar.

Because I have been listening to Western orchestral music since birth, I am happy to be able to play at least one Western instrument.

Now, the rest two instruments I have are the sanshin and the shakuhachi. Both are Japanese instruments, but not many people in Japan play them. Why did I start playing them? I’ll write in the next articles.

← My Current Instruments / Miscellaneous ↑

I have written some articles in ‘More about Composition‘ about how melodies, harmonies and rhythms are composed on the guitar.