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| ▲ This photo, provided by Evermore Entertainment, shows guitarist Lee Gheun-hyung. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Evermore Entertainment, shows guitarist Lee Gheun-hyung. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Mar. 28 (Yonhap) -- When asked what the guitar means to him in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, the South Korean guitarist Lee Gheun-hyung replied, “I think I am capable of expressing myself better when playing the guitar than when I say or write down my thoughts.”
“I once used to focus only on the act of playing the guitar, but I now am proud to see that my performance is being inscribed on history and regarded as a legacy,” the iconic guitarist added.
Lee kicked off his music career as a member of the hard rock band “Little Sky,” formed in 1984 and debuted in 1987. He has been playing the guitar for nearly 40 years and has been in charge of guitar sessions for mega-hit songs, including Lim Jae-beom’s “For You” and “Confession,” Kim Bum-soo’s “I Miss You,” and Lee Eun-mi’s “I Have a Lover.”
His first grip on a guitar dates back to his days as an elementary student back in the 70s: With the guitar at home, he self-taught himself to play the guitar.
Lee said, “I used to listen to Led Zeppelin’s music the most even when I knew nothing much about music. In hindsight, I think his music had the most impact on me and my music career up until today,” adding, “Until now, I have this dream of becoming a performer like Jimmy Page (the guitarist of Led Zeppelin) when I grow older. He himself is the embodiment of the music he plays.”
The guitarist recently dropped his debut solo album “Alone…Not Alone” 36 years after his debut. He poured his heart and 10 years into this album, and the word of encouragement of Kwon Ki-wook, a junior in the music industry and CEO of the production company Evermore, had him take the courage to unveil his music to the public. Kwon’s words had him pluck up his courage to release his own music regardless of the fame and honor it may or may not bring.
His 10-tracklist album, including “The Final,” which feels as refreshing as if racing across vast plains; “My Blues,” by which the artist unraveled the blues in his own way; “After War,” which was inspired by the movie “Pianist” that talks about the Second World War, finally rolled out.
Among them, the seventh track “Panic Disorder,” which was his first piece to work on, catches the ears of listeners with its impressive tempo that suddenly speeds up and swirls as if one is facing a panic attack. The guitarist, in fact, played the piece in a way his musical sense tells him to but it was his acquaintances who told him that he had exquisitely expressed the breathtaking moment of the panic attack. That was how he came up with the title for his seventh track.
In particular, Kim Jong-hyun, a member of the now-disbanded boy band NU’EST, participated in singing and writing the lyrics. Kim was able to join hands with the guitarist as he is also managed by the production company Evermore.
Lee said, “I thought it would be nice if there was a rap in this song, but I could only think about it since I rarely had interactions with young musicians,” adding, “Even though this track is a bit heavy, Kim Jong-hyun definitely expressed it well.”
He also added that his 40 years as a guitarist were far from effortless or straightforward: With musicians losing their places to stand due to the global COVID-19 pandemic that hit Korea hard enough, he also encountered several junior musicians worrying about their livelihoods. Moreover, with virtual instrument technology being developed at the ever-fastest pace, he is witnessing a decrease in the number of requests to play in a guitar session. However, he emphasized that there are yet some parts of playing the guitar that computer programs will never be able to replicate.
Lee said, “Virtual instruments are just different from real-person performances as they only hit certain programmed notes,” explaining, “The sound is often thinner than expected.”
“That is why I urge people to play the bass, especially when producing an album,” he said. “What comes out is completely different. Also, that is how my friends in the music industry and directors of recording studios will be able to make a living, right?”
When asked to give a piece of advice for newbie guitarists who held their guitar for the first time, he answered without hesitation, “Do what you like.” His answer is based on the lesson that he learned that although some may think that success comes from the recognition of others, it is always what one truly likes that one can continue to do for a long time.
“The biggest problem of the young artists who wish to be professional in their own fields is that they are very alike. They seem to share similar musical colors. You become irreplaceable only when you have a strong color,” the guitarist said. “Rather than focusing only on the act of playing guitar itself, I wish for them to develop a musical pride.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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