Pursue your
Musical dreams
The ULtimate Music Blog For Beginners, Bands,
& Anime Fans
My Origin Story
Hi! I’m Nostalgia. I took music all through school, playing various instruments (keyboard, clarinet, viola), participating in musical extracurriculars (drum line, drama club musical, cheerleading), and singing alone & in choirs. However, I played my instruments casually, never trying to master any of them. As long as I was able to cover songs, that was all that mattered.
By the time I graduated in 2012, I realized, I wasn’t that talented in regards to music. I couldn’t play complex pieces on piano nor improvise like other kids. Since I didn’t see a future in music, I decided to retire. I tried other hobbies afterwards, but nothing gave me the same spark that music did. I did try a few other instruments (harmonica, ocarina), but since I shared a room and lived in a small apartment, they were too noisy to practice regularly or seriously.
After playing Guitar Hero at home for a while, I picked up guitar for the first time in 2017. I relied on nothing but print outs since I didn’t have internet at home. This worked out in my favour as I was able to see patterns on the fretboard and apply theory for the first time. I was even able to improvise confidently within a few months! Having made great progress in my first 6 months, I decided to invest in private lessons.
My teacher saw great potential, but by the 3rd lesson, he pushed me too far, expecting me to do multiple new things on the spot (play on higher frets, with distortion and muting, bends and slides, all at full speed). He was disappointed, and said I’ll have to relearn guitar from the beginning. I got discouraged and put the instrument down. It wouldn’t be for long though!
Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality
Inspire
Founding & MIssion
In 2020, with new found motivation and the will to cross the last thing off my childhood bucket list (playing with a band on stage), I picked up guitar again. I’ve been recording my guitar journey on Instagram (@key2nostalgia) to track my progress and hopefully inspire others to keep practicing as well.
After filling the gaps in my foundation with GuitarTricks, I’ve been working hard on my rhythm skills while studying more about Japanese music theory, as that’s the music I love and want to play the most. Not long after, I started putting my rookie anime band together (more details below).
By September 2021, my band practiced a few times and were dedicated. They said they wanted to take the serious route, so I built this website. I built a couple self-improvement/goal achievement blogs in 2020 as blogging was also a dream of mine, but I ran out of article ideas pretty soon; thus, I was really excited to blog to promote the band. I would share guitar tips, compile easy anime songs for beginners, and share what I learned about Japanese music theory. Turns out, it was my perfect niche!
Within a year, I’ve grown so much. Not only do I feel pretty confident as a rhythm guitarist, but I also got to cross the band dream off my bucket list. We got to perform an acoustic set at the Pretty Heroes convention and perform on a real stage at Idol Revolution. The following year, the singer and I got together again as an acoustic duo, which meant more pressure for me, but we played more, at Pretty Heroes and at Japan Festival Canada!
I’m still a beginner, so if I can make my crazy musical dreams come to life, so can you! As long as you put in the work and put yourself out there, unimaginable things can happen! Definitely check out my blog as I’ve spilled my heart out in every article ^_^
A dream doesn't become reality through magic;
It takes sweat, determination, and hard work
Learn
NEW!! Japanese Music Theory Course
To this very date, my most popular article is where I break down 15 anime song progressions, and my most popular eBook is also about Japanese chord progressions. I’ve been wanting to create a course that compiled all I learned in one place and with FL Studio in hand, I have finally made it a reality. If you’re wondering why Japanese music sounds so different and you realized Western chord progressions don’t even come close, here’s all the answers you could ever need in one place!
Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience,
and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Dreamers
Completed 2022:
The Chromatic Dreamers Band Project
It’s been a dream of mine to get on stage and I had the feeling there were other newbies who had the same dream. It can be intimidating being a beginner when there are only advanced players around, but I wanted to prove that anyone can get on stage through this short-term project.
I managed to find 3 other dreamers to join me on this journey. We all loved anime and Japanese music, and we were looking forward to performing them on stage one day. However, I will say, even the ‘easiest’ Japanese songs are harder than the average Western song as they got longer chord progressions, funkier basslines, and lots of fancy riffs…but we were driven!
After finding our final member, we started rehearsing together in August 2021. Our main goal as a band was to play at an anime convention. Almost exactly a year after we started rehearsing, we got to do just that at the Pretty Heroes Convention. Unfortunately, it was just an acoustic set, but thankfully, the next opportunity came right after at Idol Revolution, hosted by Dolly Momoiro.
Dream On!
Completed 2023:
Natsukashii Kumo Acoustic Duo
During April 2023, Nostalgia and Cloud decided to join forces once again to form a new acoustic band called Natsukashii Kumo, which simply means “Nostalgic Cloud” We’re both a big fan of older anime songs that we grew up with and hold dear to our heart. We also love some newer hits that make us look up at the sky as reflect on our lives.
Within the span of 5 months, we recorded a couple covers for Youtube at the rehearsal studio, performed at Pretty Heroes again in July 2023, and then performed at Japan Festival Canada in August 2023! The festival was huge, but we couldn’t ask for a better finale for this band project.
It’s been amazing seeing how far a rookie band can make it if they simply put themselves out there and dare to ask. I hope we have inspired other musicians to also take that leap of faith to chase your musical dreams~<3
There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.
Composer
My New 2023 Venture:
Composing & Producing
For Christmas 2022, I was gifted FL Studio over the holidays, and it opened a new world of possibilities. I was excited to see what I could create with all the theory and chord progressions I learned over the last couple years.
Unlike other artists or producers who may work on a piece for months or years until they are fully satisfied, I plan to continue doing what I always do: Just putting myself out there, and sharing my progress as I learn and get better. My main goal with this blog has always been to inspire and motivate others to pursue their musical dreams by sharing what I know and leading by example.
The hardest thing is always that first video, that first song, that first performance….so within 3 weeks of getting the program, I released my first song. I want to create music that you can feel, but also music that has more positive and unique themes, as that is what always attracted me to Jmusic.
Check Out My First Song!
"Be Courageous"
When I started writing my first song, I didn’t expect to be done with it in less than a month, let alone less than a week, but here it is! As the world got more bold about Satan worship and mocking God, I decided to fight back by making bold Christian/biblically-inspired music. Two can play at that game! >_>
My inspiration for this song was Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you.” When I got baptised over a decade ago, I got a necklace with that verse engraved on it, and I always remember it when I take a leap of faith to pursue my goals or travel alone.
I am obsessed with Japanese songs that modulate (key change), and figured I would use it to shift the mood between feeling secure and confident, but also having moments of fear and doubt. However, with hope and faith in Jesus, they will come out victorious. More details on my Music page~
Praise God
Ongoing 2024:
Joined A Worship Team
Around new years 2023, i came to accept the true gospel of faith alone in Jesus Christ and was born again. I lost interest in a lot of things, including Japanese music, and only cared to hear or read about things concerning God. I wrote my first Christian article around this time, and later started my Christian Journal with all my discoveries. I then decided to go back to my home church, but realized they had a lot of false doctrine and interpretations. While I was hoping for a new church family for connection and encouragement, I was also wary of the search as I already knew most aren’t biblical and have compromised for the world, but I did tell God that if I saw 2024, I will get serious about it.
Just in time, a couple churches reached out to me on BandMix. They were both quite some distance outside of Toronto, but one answered my doctrinal questions well, offered to set up a ride for me, and their online bible studies/church meeting sounded decent, so I said I’ll check em out. During my first visit, I was put on stage and stumbled through songs I never heard before via progressions from the keyboardist. It was a very small church plant and the members were friendly, so I decided I’ll stick it out for now. I’m excited to work on playing by ear and improv through this experience. Gospel and Christian music isn’t as complex and random as Japanese music, so it’ll be easier to pick up on patterns and transpose songs <3
Revival
Blog's New Direction:
Bringing A Light To Otakus & Japanese Individuals
After my radical conversion, I instantly lost interest in Jmusic and music in general. Outside of the songs I had to learn for Natsukashii Kumo, I didn’t care to play music. I preferred silence or educational Christian content.
While I love serving my new church and I enjoy the songs on their list enough to sing along, 4-chord songs just aren’t as fun to play in comparison to the 6- to 12-chord progressions and storytelling nature of Japanese music. While I have failed to find more than cover artists, I searched once again for Japanese Christian music, hoping to maybe cover some on my channel. To my pleasant surprise, I actually found some! And through similar artists and suggestions from the family, we managed to compile over 50 Japanese Christian artists, bands, and cover musicians!
I then started to think about playing those songs at a convention, but wondered if there would be religious barriers/restrictions. So I did research to see if anyone has ever brought Christ to a con before, and I was so happy to see some articles about people’s experiences. There were even dedicated platforms and initiatives for people who are trying to bring God to gamers, anime fans, and other nerd communities. I was interested in hearing more and have asked a few of them for an interview, hoping to share their knowledge should others want to do the same thing in their city.
I also came across a Christian Japanese artists who recently put up a video talking about their vision and need for support. If you didn’t know. Japan has always had less than a 2% Christian population and had the title ‘missionary graveyard’. While religion is not banned, there is a history of Christian persecution, language was always a barrier, and Japanese people are scared to stand out. Their culture and traditions is rooted on Buddhist and Shinto beliefs, and while Japanese people may call themselves non-religious, many customs and festivals began from these religions. Japan is already known to be cold hearted and last on the list for willingness to donate, so I can only imagine how much harder it would be for Christian artists.
Having already exhausted ideas for general Jmusic and music theory, and not really planning to indulge and explore general Jpop again, I’m looking forward to using this platform to help spread the Word, to provide valuable resources, and to support both missionaries and Japanese Christian artists as they reach the lost with the gospel and their musical ministries.
