I Was Not Prepared For This.

Today I'm reacting to an artist I've never heard of, Ichika Nito and his song "Awakening" played on his signature Ibanez guitar. I thought that I was prepared for this, I was not. At all. I don't understand these guitar players that are almost beyond comprehension when it comes to their talent.
I know I'm probably very late to the party, but let me know if you're a fan of Ichika Nito and why! Or actually if you don't like this, tell me why.
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#ichikanito #ichika #musicreaction

[@matthewchristion5660]

"I'm ready!" "Okay, I wasn't ready for that." 🤣🤣

[@jw1289]

Your wit is astounding. ‘It depends which county you come from.’ Best off the cuff remark of 2023 so far. ✅

[@JGscienceGaming]

That’s normal in the UK

[@AnotherAnonymousMan]

I've been following Ichika since his early days and it's been a delight to see his channel flourish along side his already profound talent. He's also quite prolific in his song writing which just emphasises the abundance of talent he has. He deserves all the recognition he's getting and more.

[@everthealtruist]

Ichika Nito is beyond monstrous. His band Ichikoro is worth the listen as well. Top shelf jazz fusion.

[@gabrielleguitarist5043]

His new band is called dios

[@davedavem]

He's amazing. Not only did he learn to play guitar like that, he figured out how to make a career from KZbin shorts!

[@WinItReigns]

True, True

[@robpreussmusic]

yes. amazing. what remains, remains to be seen. and heard....

[@krienmineel]

And i think hes only playing for like 6-7 years or something? At least thats what i remember from a Q&A

[@cormaclynch3680]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I feel as if he was doing well before doing KZbin shorts. I definitely remember stumbling on him a couple years ago in my recommended rather than youtube shorts.

[@michaelmac1798]

If there's a heaven he'll be there playing that....but you can only do that kind of playing on a expensive guitar set up with feather light action etc I'd like to see him play a £50 guitar and do that!

[@StevenTwoTwo]

Ichika Nito is excellent... Have you seen Charles Berthoud? He's basically a bassist version of Ichika and he's ridiculously good too. And they did a collaboration together!

[@crimsonkate8241]

Was just scrolling to see if anyone had mentioned Charles lol. I second that notion!

[@kyles5513]

Charles is the bass master.

[@StevenTwoTwo]

@@adrianhelyar3186 You sound like Davie 504 when he's jealous because somebody mentioned Charles instead of him 😂

[@russellzauner]

also nate navarro if we're naming YT bassists

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

Yes. Charles is better than Victor Wooten at this point. Amazing. I hope he gets out and makes some music with a live band.

[@jimmygillard]

Thanks for introducing me to so many amazing artists I've not heard of before Justin! You channel is a must watch for music fans.

[@beautifulsky7807]

Snap!

[@Ginger_shot]

Same! My playlists has NEVER been so good.

[@TheInternetIsDeadToMe]

I follow him I’m instagram and was waiting for him to inevitably blow up. His skill and technique are wonderful. People pushing themselves to rethink how an instrument is played is one of the ways to keep pushing music forward. Now if you don’t mind, I’m just screwing my drum kit to the ceiling before dowsing it in melted Stilton.

[@GoTakeaNapOldman]

You'd think he would have been playing for well over a decade! After only 3 years of playing he was amazing, though I think he's been playing for 6-7 years now. He's a fast learner.

[@JohmathanBSwift]

I am just so happy that there are individuals who have given their early lives in the pursuit of transforming the guitar. It was such a pleasure to see Ichika for the first time. I hope Ichika inspires other young people to pursue the guitar and help with its advancement. Now, I'm going to go listen to 10CC's song, Art for Art's Sake. Thank you Justin's PR person for bringing Ichika to his attention, and Justin for the upload. You two make a great team.

[@trufflehuffer]

One of the things I love about your KZbin channel is the plethora of ‘new’ artists/music it exposes me to. Consequently, my music library has grown considerably! Thank you 🙏

[@brien1301]

Literally addicted to this channel.

[@holliswilliams8426]

I have been listening to him for a while, he is so good at guitar it's actually mind-blowing.

[@QuentinKarentino]

you're hitting all the artists i love lately, keep up the good work sir!

[@krismaccall8056]

Eerie coincidence, I literally was only first introduced to Ichika's work 3 days ago. Now you've made him the topic of a (much deserved) video! Nice!

[@dainbramage3558]

same, seems the youtube gods want everyone to listen to him

[@doublek321]

"I should've kept the number humble" is such a Justin Hawkins thing to say. Hilarious!

[@micahbiesinger9824]

Justin’s videos are getting so good it’s mediculous!

[@russellmorgan5611]

This video dedicated 7 x 7 second snips give or take to 2.00 mins. worth of performance. Yeah "mediculous".

[@manuelbockman1244]

Yes, Justin, you got to put THAT on a Tshirt!!!!!!!!!! Justin is mediculous🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@johnh5424]

'Shit, that's really good, isn't it?' The understatement of the century 😄

[@philipjennings3490]

Thank God Justin remembered to do the intro theme tune at last. I was getting increasingly panicked with every second he didn't play it

[@philipjennings3490]

Also, Ichika Nito is astonishing

[@Nicolasmondragon707]

Justin Fucking Hawkins Rides Again! 🎶🎶🥁

[@jeffcahill5722]

Agaiiiiiin.....

[@garylong4303]

ALL 👍👍thxs for riding again Justin From Prescott AZ

[@craigconnick4100]

Love that you are a purveyor of these new up-and-comings Justin, thanks. Sounds like some really chill Japanese video game music, lovely. I tried learning the two-hand tap some time back. Tough stuff. A good entry to this technique would be Jo Satriani's "Bamboo" xx

[@tommore]

Amazing! also this is the 3rd time in recent vids where I discover a song/artist through KZbin's algo, only to see a video of that on this channel the next day!... great content and energy Justin, keep it coming!

[@paulyguitary7651]

Yeah Ichika Nito is amazing! There is a YT bassist that uses the hybrid tapping like Ichika uses. His name is Charles Berthoud. Imagine doing those left hand hammers on a bass while hitting those sliding taps at the same time.

[@russellzauner]

I am glad that you enjoyed Ichika! Ichika is in two bands; Dios (with a singer) and Ichikoro (instrumental Fusion). If you like Ichika's style, then I would suggest Manuel Gardner-Fernandes, who's band Unprocessed released a few live performed tracks that are simply astounding; try Unprocessed - Deadrose (Live @ UNPROSESSION 2.0). If you've heard the phrase "hands don't glitch like that", Manuel is the source - it was derived from a social media comment implying the video was doctored. It wasn't; it's just that you need a very fast image sensor with a global shutter to cleanly and clearly capture the performance of the modern musical Olympian, something which is not found on most cameras (even expensive ones). Yes, there are several musicians who can easily outperform most imaging devices under 1000 USD, or even devices costing 4x that.

[@animajennation]

Sir, today’s tee shirt is a triumph! 👏💯

[@Denial401]

Ichika Nito and Marcin made a song together and it is absolute gold!

[@sarahboiss]

Oh shiiit! The shirt 😂 Justin! I love your chaotic ways of your wardrobe! This music is incredible! Thanks again for a new ouverture in something fabulous ❤

[@preachercaine]

Glad you are back in your room , I was getting homesick

[@thebestmanison]

“Depends on which county of England you’re from” brilliant 😂😂

[@soundssimple1]

" ..depends which county of England you are from...." priceless.

[@GordonPavilion]

Yep!

[@GT380man]

It’s even worse than that. Here in the garden of England, you might be a Man of Kent, not to be confused with Kentish Man.

[@masonmarco5767]

Yes Justin! More Ichika!!!

[@jamesd9523]

1:54, I love it how you went all of a sudden more northern 😂😂

[@dad_jokes_4ever226]

Loving the t-shirt Justin !

[@shawnteece2441]

cheers my good man!Justin you're such a good communicator and would make a hell of an instructor have you ever given guitar lessons to anyone

[@paulie6446]

Buckethead was the first person I ever seen doing that picky/hammer-on thingy✌️

[@holliswilliams8426]

I think it's like a hybrid of chicken picking and finger tapping, I think BH does it in ''Drift'' and some other songs, can't even remember the names

[@opinionatedfemale]

You could never fail your listeners, JH!

[@tijanamidzic6637]

I was waiting for you to discover this ☺️

[@paullawson6749]

Nice to see youngsters into the guitar and taking it to a new level

[@paulradermusic3869]

Perhaps for a comments day? As I've only made it through your theme tune so far, Justin, I have a burning question. I watch everyday and have often wondered if, when you tag the last word "again" are you simply just repeating it to emphasize the fact that you are riding again - as in "I've ridden once and now I'm riding again" or do you mean that, "I've ridden once, then rode again, and NOW I'm riding again, AGAIN!"? Just curious. Thank you so much for being here! I'm off to watch this video now. Cheers, Paul

[@jack-a-lopium]

Hahah :D

[@BlastastiC]

"I should have kept the number humble" Amazing 😂

[@mikedawesofficial]

Great stuff ❤

[@chrishalemusic]

Madiculus on a tshirt. Yup that should be a thing. Glad to find this channel. Was just listening to the Darkness the other day and guess that algorithm finally brought you to my feed! So happy.

[@suf9045]

So glad you covered Ichika, Charles Berthoud is a bassist I think you will love he is otherworldly!

[@jamlemon]

Ichiko! Glad you found him, the guy is next level guitar.

[@saucyjk6453]

Had the same reaction , heard him a few months ago. Insane.

[@Mackened]

You should look at the ex-Lostprophets members new band No Devotion next they're great

[@Adam-or4cl]

Didn't know they had a new band brb gonna listen now

[@BishopOfArchive]

Agreed would be cool because LP and The Darkness were my 2 favourite bands back in the day, Justin should see what they're up to now for closure over the whole...situation. Still can't believe that happened but the rest of them did nothing wrong, talented guys.

[@trivialtrav]

Gee, I wonder why they no longer go by Lost Prophets. It's almost as if that name will forever be associated with one of the most evil musicians ever.

[@phantomechelon3628]

Never heard of the guy before but that is some seriously mind-boggling technique! Beautiful tone too. Very clean and simple sound versus the bewildering playing.

[@TheTobesOfHades]

Been watching him for a while, love his playing.

[@tehpickle1250]

Love the T-shirt sir!

[@Deviantygr]

Thanks for the recommendation on this artist, just HAVE to say how big a fan of your shirt I am!

[@LeviClay]

A breeze for us transcribers ;)

[@GordonPavilion]

Go on Levi, you know you want to do it.

[@LeviClay]

@@GordonPavilion if Ichika wants a book, he knows where to find me. Not worth the work and then copyright claim to do it on YT. Did one already.

[@johns950]

It's the instrumental break in 'Cant Stand Losing You' (The Police).

[@daisy9910]

Ichika Nito does a collaboration with Marcin. Both amazing guitarists.

[@impossivel2006]

I would love to see one of these videos filmed in a car and called "Justin Hawkins drives again"

[@jack-a-lopium]

Oh god, the 'filming in my car with the camera pointing right up my nostrils' KZbinr

[@impossivel2006]

@@jack-a-lopium Nostrils Hawkins Drives again would be a smash hit

[@LoveIsRealmusic]

I’m here for that E7 at the end!

[@ADHDforAdultsAndSeniors]

amazing artistry!

[@augustburnsmoi]

Haha I love how Justin stopped breathing there for a second when the song started! I love it too when music just injects a random emotion into you when you're least expecting it. Justin -- for a good solid does of melancholy and nostalgia, listen to Rain by Manuel Gardner Fernandes.

[@paddycollinsB14]

Excellent Tee Shirt, mate!

[@craigjustschannel936]

Been watching awhile… he’s kinda my new favorite. Everything he does is so amazing beautiful.

[@Zakkrifice]

Mein Gott! That was great stuff!

[@juicyeggss]

ichika nito and tim henson make me want to both play and quit guitar

[@xaviergough9359]

They both suck.

[@wllulu]

Real

[@kyles5513]

Ya, this dude is insanely good at stringed instruments.

[@avh9394]

Wow, that's sick!

[@dsVektor]

My personal favorite of Ichika's is Orb. But really, anything by him, either a short clip or a longer composition, is amazing.

[@grandudetonesnob7107]

I think it's truly amazing when a precocious lad plays Metallica on his mum's ironing board. Very clever!

[@tiagocandeias1979]

His short videos are quite entertaining, def recommend watching those. This particular song reminds me of Al di Meola, Paco De Lucia and John Mclaughlin.... all rolled in one :D

[@ragman1960]

Nice…very calming for a manic Tuesday 😅

[@olihughes]

He's one of those guitarists where you can't quite work out whether he inspires you to practice for the next 10 days straight, or simply never pick up the guitar ever again; because you know you will never come close to what he's achieved!

[@glp.1337]

I think you're underestimating yourself and others a bit. Have you tried doing nothing but play the guitar for like 1 year straight? Nothing else, just play guitar in all of your free time. Do that for a year and see if you still think like that. Because it's all about passion.

[@olihughes]

@@glp.1337 I've been playing guitar for 25 years. I studied Music at University for 3 years, and pretty much did nothing but play and learn guitar every day for like 5 years straight... I was a full time musician for 7 years after University, so I got good, but no where near that level! - You may be underestimating just how good he is!!!

[@glp.1337]

@@olihughes oh wow, that's quite the resumé! I might be underestimating him then. I just can't imagine not being able to achieve it when the only thing you're doing is playing guitar. You say you learned and played guitar every day for like 5 years. How many hours a day would you say you were playing? Because we might have a different approach/understanding of obsessively playing.

[@olihughes]

@@glp.1337 My main way of learning the instrument was learning songs. I'm completely self taught. I've never had a teacher and I never really learnt scales or did practice routines to a metronome or anything like that. But I would regularly spend 5-6 hours a day for days and weeks at a time learning one song or a riff or solo - I'm a big heavy metal fan and for about 8 years (when I really took it seriously and practiced a lot) I practiced and learnt the techniques which would enable me to play the songs I wanted to play, and the more metal I discovered, the more technical and difficult the guitar techniques I wanted to learn got. But when I was "on a mission" I would spend hours and hours going over the same parts over and over again - The most obssessed I got was learning "Everything Went Black - The Black Dahlia Murder" I spent about 2 months learning each riff methodically for hours and hours almost every single day and pretty much didn't play anything else. Then after about 15 years of listening exclusively to Metal I needed a break 🤣. I started listening to Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, SRV - I got more into blues, folk and the songwriting side of things, that's when I started performing (I'd done a few metal gigs but for fun with my mates, nothing paid or serious), I taught myself how to sing and play on an acoustic, plus I learnt drums and bass, which was a lot easier to pick up from a technical point of view, but I learnt how to 'perform', so I'm much more of a jack of all trades master of none - If I had spent the whole time still playing and learning metal to the same extent I was in my early 20s then I'd probably be closer to this sort of virtuoso standard but I got older and my interestes widened both in and out of music, and I'm less 'obssessive' now. I play for fun and sometimes go 3 days without playing, which was unheard of in my 20s, plus, I don't play much electric anymore and can't play a lot of the stuff I used to be able to play 😪 TLDR; this guys playing is the result of 15-20 years of excessively practicing one craft religiously, and being an absolute master of one style of music, whereas I drifted around and learnt lots of different styles to an above average standard. That's the end of my TED Talk 😅

[@olihughes]

I would also add there are some people that have a natural proclivity towards certain things - for example in sports - some people will train as hard as they can every single day, practice and practice, have the best advice and connections, and opportunities but still can't perform at the standard needed to be the best of the best. I feel I have a reasonably innate understanding, love, and passion for music - I used to wake up at 6am before school so I could watch Queen and Eric Clapton VHSs, but I still think if I could do this all again - I would struggle to get to the same level as this guy - some people are just built different!!

[@shiftybat7318]

Ichika rocked the annual Jared Dines Shred Collab with a rather unusual sound. It was overall a grand installment to the series. We even got some bass this time!

[@belladonna131]

I wonder if he's combing playing the guitar and the biwa and he has an instrument that looks like a combination of the two. The biwa is picked and not stroked, but the guitar is usually strummed, not always, but mostly. The biwa is always picked. That was really nice.

[@stephencarey6114]

Love you man

[@Mark-om3cl]

Play more of the songs or the whole thing please.

[@emilybaker3703]

Haha I love the T-shirt. 😁

[@stuartsaint4581]

"It depends which county of England you are from but you usually only have five fingers" - this made me howl laughing

[@valinhorn42]

Had a good chuckle at that

[@Nick.Webster]

I always thought the JH3000 was a reference to Romford’s fastest man, Johnny Herbert

[@dawnjeanballard2874]

Wow. Ichiko is exquisite.

[@l.baughman1445]

I wasn’t ready for him either when I saw the Metallica interpretation. She says whilst watching Justin Hawkins Rides Again on her iPhone.

[@rm9719]

Rick Beato, please break down Ichika's playing. I've been following him for a while and he blows my mind! I know this isn't Rick 's channel but I know he follows Justin's, and has recently been interviewed by him. Cheers

[@JoeBrewerMusic]

Ichika is my absolute favourite guitarist. Arpeggio is his outstanding song as far as I'm concerned. Multiple listens every night!

[@Horizon-1-3-5]

Hi Justin. As you are falling into the abyss of watching guitarists who have taken it to the next level try Tosin Abasi next. Hes something else aswell. Love your vids.

[@bsf723]

Question for Comments Day! I thought you were fantastic at both Taylor Hawkins tribute shows and now that it looks like the Foo Fighters are going to continue performing, do you have any opinions on who you think their next drummer could or should be? A lot of people think it should be Josh Freese (who I also think is great) but a lot of us die hard Foo Fans could see Rufus step in, especially because of his personal connection to Taylor. However, at the same time we know and respect that he's a very big part of The Darkness. Just curious to hear your opinion since you were also a close friend of Taylor's. Thank you for all that you do and keep making amazing content!

[@erumisato5241]

Here's a translated interview with Nito, Marty Friedman, and Takayoshi Ohmura. They recently played on stage together as a side project kind of thing. I hadn't heard of Nito before this, and had meant to check out his stuff...so I'm glad you did this today. I'm gonna have to dig deeper with him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYPdmGuhnJpskMU

[@mrbaz5150]

Would love to see a Guthrie Govan review. Maybe of his Hans Zimmer Man of Steel solo that came out towards the end of last year :)

[@NinStardust]

Justin, please, I’m begging you, check out Rodrigo Y Gabriella!!! They’ve been playing what they dub “acoustic metal” in that hybrid picking and tapping style since 2002! They are freaking awesome and I’m going to keep nagging you until do a video on them! 😝 Please! 🙏🏻🥰💖

[@revwillyg6450]

Saw them in concert. It was amazing. All our local hipsters didn't appreciate the metal though 🤘🏻

[@NinStardust]

@@revwillyg6450 I’m so jealous! I’d LOVE to see them live, but have never been able to get to one of their gigs… maybe one day! 🥰

[@houseofblacklanterns859]

Would love to see you cover My Bloody Valentine at some point, especially with regards to their unique approach to using guitar sounds.

[@jakefrancis9521]

Great t-shirt 👍

[@Paul-gk2he]

I would love for Mr. Hawkins to do a video on Jon Gomme AKA the least unappealing thing about Blackpool. Either Passionflower or Orville (The Secret of Learning to Fly Is Forgetting to Hit the Ground) I reckon would be neat. Also, Ichicka Nito is awesome to go down the rabbit hole with. Every video he makes is interesting and he's in this unique space where he's impressive to traditional guitar fans but also knows exactly how to create art which perfectly suits the social media age. And the guy can just straight fucking play, he can.

[@lukesalter3989]

Whenever I see a guitarist like this my 1st thought is I'm going to learn that!!!! Followed by the thought I never be that good I'm selling my guitars and amps

[@elink2k1]

I remember listening to a Steve Via guitar piece and trying to figure out what he was doing to make this high tweet sound... later, some tab guy figured it out... he was pulling the string down off the fret board. LOL. Those tab guys... am I right?

[@Dinadelhi]

So beautiful he’s amazing- on another note- Justin can you review OTYKEN ❓I just found them - the only can I can describe them is “visceral”❗️

[@snarfbomber298]

So wierd loving nito for years then starting watching this guy for no apparent reason then seeing this.

[@blnsq]

Wow. That a man! But remember Stanley Jordan (old days) too!

[@williamrobinson7435]

Amazingly talented guy! Thanks for showing us this one. E7 at the end is OK, I mean the classical bods even have a term for it 'Tierce de Picardy', or Picardy Third.. When you bung a major chord on the end of a minor key tune basically. Nice one Justin! 🎶🌟👍

[@Seaby41]

Sounded just fine to me

[@williamrobinson7435]

@@Seaby41 indeed Dude, tierce de Picardys, or maybe tierces se Picardy, absolutely ROCK! 🎶👍

[@CrimsonLolita_]

I’ve been waiting for this one 🌚

[@keithokeef]

Ere !! My foot didn't tap once so it's a no from me !!

[@overshotelf2964]

Well if you enjoyed Ichika, you should DEFINITELY check out Manuel Gardner-Fernandes also! His video "The Evolution of My Guitar Playing" is pretty interesting. Other recommendations would be: Hands Don't Glitch Like That, Right Hand King, Guitar 2.0, Death Notes, or Clown. Cheers Justin!

[@borkmaze]

He has to check out his interstellar cover! Just amazing

[@overshotelf2964]

@@borkmaze TRUE!!!

[@wordytoed9887]

God bless, I love Ichika!

[@jamesnewman48]

he is fun to watch.

[@Bacchus69]

Ichika is unique and talented.

[@TataWiktor]

Now you have to check out Marcin or Marcin and Ichika collaboration.