Hi All! I created a group called “Let’s Study Japanese Music!“. I’d love for you to join 🙂
It’s come to my attention that there isn’t really a place to discuss the intricacies of Japanese music.
Actually, let me rephrase that. I’ve noticed this in 2020 when I picked up guitar again and was trying to understand Japanese music more so I could play it. I couldn’t really find anything about chord progressions, Japanese music terminology, or common lyrics!
If I would ask an advanced guitarist music questions and they weren’t a Jmusic fan, they would just think I’m biased as they believe all music works the same. It was really frustrating!
Thankfully, with deeper research and learning new terminology, I managed to find a couple Youtubers that put me on the right path, but I still couldn’t find much else. If I used western music theory to create and write sounds, it always missed the mark. I am a logical learner, so I was on a serious mission to figure out the why’s and how’s of Japanese music.
When I started this blog a year later in conjunction with my anime rookie band, I figured, I could do more research and educate myself so I could write and share things I couldn’t find in the past. Who better than I who has loved Japanese music for over 15 years and at least know some Japanese to dig the Japanese side of the internet and assist with translations?
Not only that, but I was a lot deeper and had more connections than I thought! I’ve been acquainted with Yumiko Kurosawa, an original Visual Kei musician, who was actually in my first band attempt. Through him, I met Dolly Momoiro, the creator of Toronto Harajuku Style and organizer of various Jmusic events, one that I later got to take part of. My first concert ever was to see my fav Jrock band, One Ok Rock.
Adding on, I had a small old dance channel under the name Blackeroid, I’ve played many Japanese music games, and I’ve been listening to many many new artists after getting Spotify last year….I may not be an expert, but I do have history. (You can learn more and see what I’ve done here!)
Since then, I have written a few helpful guides, like “Why Does Japanese Music Sound So Different?” “The Most Complete Japanese Music Terminology & Instrument Dictionary” And “250+ Common Japanese Words In Lyrics“. I have also created lists and resources for otaku musicians to find tabs and easy songs to start with. Definitely check out my blog if you haven’t yet!
But now, I’m ready to embark on a new adventure, and that is starting and leading a Facebook group dedicated to discussing and analyzing Japanese music.
Sure, there are quite a lot of Facebook groups for fans of Japanese music, but I’ve noticed people will just share links and covers, or show admiration to the artists, but there’s no real music talk going on.
After starting it up and sharing it around Reddit and a few groups, it took less than a month to gather my first 50 members. It makes me quite happy to know others are also interested into digging deeper into the lyrics and theory behind their beautiful and nostalgic songs. It also motivates me to study harder, and to get back into learning the language seriously so I could tutor others.
So, if you’re interested, please join my group 🙂 It is called “Let’s Study Japanese Music!”
Whether you’re a musician who draws inspiration from the country, or you’re just a J-music fan who wants to know more about Japanese artists and how they think, please join! Everyone is welcomed <3
Feel free to ask questions, share songs you found interesting to listen to, any insight you’ve learned, and participate in polls and other discussion.
And please share if you know of others who may be interested 🙂
