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Kazuhito Yamashita - His Guitar Technique

Kazuhito Yamashita - his technique
Multiple scordatura
The Pictures at an Exhibition transcription calls for retuning of more than one string - within a movement - that is to say, while the music continues. To most guitarists, who have enough of a problem playing in one tuning thank you very much.... this represents a whole new take on the concept of tuning. The image shows a snapshot of Yamashita adjusting the tuning of the E string (not a scordatura in this case) without breaking stride. The movement from fretboard to tuning peg and back is almost a blur and no audible break in the music was evident.



Kazuhito Yamashita - his technique
"Harp - like tone and velocity"
There are passages in his "Firebird Suite" transcription and elsewhere that uncannily recall a fast scale passage on the harp. In these passages he plays:
  • with a smooth release of the string, so as not to excite the higher harmonic content
  • way up over the fingerboard
  • very fast and fluidly
... all in all giving a great simulation of a harp! Note that the setup of an orchestral harp enables extremely fast scale passages to be played with one finger, and they are often called on to provide this texture in orchestral works.



Kazuhito Yamashita - his technique
Multi-string tremelos
This family of devices enables the guitar to simulate a string section, with a gentle swelling of sound on 2, 3 or even 4 voices. I have managed to integrate the use of the index finger tremelo into my playing - examples here - listen to tracks - but Yamashita has a whole repertoire of these tremelos using apparently any of the 4 right hand fingers that the arrangement and fingering require. Also note that my examples consist of a 2 stringed tremelo alone, whereas Yamashita often maintains a multi string tremelo whilst playing different textures with the other fingers.

Click to read about Kazuhito Yamashita
Click to read about Kazuhito Yamashita

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