As I analyze my own taste in music, I notice my favorite fingerstyle instrumentals are possessed by the pioneers (Leo Kottke – The Fisherman), the innovative (Michael Hedges – Because It’s There), and the virtuoso (Andy Mckee – Rylynn). In my perpetual exploration of fingerstyle guitar, eventually, like almost all the musical artists I discover, I stumbled upon Masaaki Kishibe on Youtube a few years ago. One of his more popular songs is Hana (花), the character in Japanese (and in Chinese) translates to flower. As I listened to his music, and particularly to this piece, I realized that one doesn’t need fancy techniques, nor esoteric music theory manipulations, nor be pushing the boundaries of an instrument, to create beautiful music. As beautiful, elegant, and charming as it is simple, Hana has since become one of my favorites tunes of all time. So here it is, my cover of Masaaki Kishibe’s Hana.
