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Old 2007.09.06, 03:47 AM   #1
alleon86
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Default letting HZM go will haunt SR/TJ forever

Replacing a guitarist is easy. There is tons of awesome guitarist out there, but a GREAT pianist is very hard to come by.

HZM, a pianist of his caliber is VERY VERY hard to find. HZM is extremely gifted. I listend to his solo stuff and also his previous SR/TF stuff, he is freaking incredible. Im not gifted in piano, but Ive been playing the piano for 10 years now, and im not even close to HZM level and I practice hard.

I was looking at the old concerts, dynamic out and electric mole. He, no doubt, adds another dynamic to the band. IMO letting him go will haunt SR/TJ for years to come.

The new pianist is okay, he more of a keyboard player to me. He is definitely no HZM, he cant even do his solo part properly....
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Old 2007.09.06, 05:21 AM   #2
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well, you see very few people here lamenting the departure of HZM. Many of us are keen on Izawa.

You-know-who on the other hand...
(if getting a good guitarist is easy, explain why she 4ailed.)
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Old 2007.09.06, 06:25 AM   #3
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alleon86,

I've played the piano maybe half as much as you have, but seen four times as much of HZM on video. I have a lot of respect for his ability, and I've even met the guy and got his autograph personally, but there's a few things wrong with his playing.

1.) HZM has no dynamics. Simply put, the man is a machine. He'll hit all kinds of notes in a split second, that would be impossible for us mere mortals, but there's no feeling for how he hits those notes. His tone might often be different from one song to the next (unlike someone who makes a lot of fans angry), but within any individual song, his tone has no variables.

2.) HZM likes to steal the show. Now don't get me wrong, because I love it when he does that. The problem is that the style of PE'Z is much more accommodating (and encouraging) for individual members to have their moments, than Tokyo Jihen. Listen to Funny Day & Hard Night (the latest PE'Z album) and you'll understand why HZM left Tokyo Jihen.

3.) This never came up in Tokyo Jihen because Shiina Ringo keeps a short leash on everyone except her guitarist(s), but I've noticed (and I don't think I'm alone here), that HZM doesn't take his concert performing as seriously when he's on a keyboard, versus when he's on a real piano. Contrary to this image of perfection you may have in your head, HZM actually gets quite sloppy on the keyboard in PE'Z lives. The only part of PE'Z Realive 2005 I actually enjoy, is the third quarter of it when he's on grand piano, and the rest of it I pretty much skip, though many of his keyboard performances are epic in studio.

Simply put, I like the man, but he's much more valuable to PE'Z than he ever was to Tokyo Jihen.

Then there's Izawa, who is nowhere near as fast and complex, but he has the creative urges to hit notes which are much more... "groovy". His performances (from a solo point of view) are much easier for us to duplicate than HZM's, but it's not like either one of us could actually compose Tegami or Kaban no Nakami. And with Himitsu (Adult ver.), you have to take into consideration not only the complexity (or lack thereof) for his notes by themselves, but also the very special sense of timing of how he hits certain chords inbetween what the other band members are doing.

The only thing I miss about HZM not being in Tokyo Jihen anymore, is his stage personality.
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Old 2007.09.06, 06:51 AM   #4
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My friend, a pianist, absolutely hated HZM's piano playing...
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Old 2007.09.06, 08:53 AM   #5
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I have to say that a lot of HZM parts are pretty much brute force playing, so that's probably why your friend hated it so much Huruhara. What that guy brings to the band is his playful personality and huge stage presence, unlike Izawa who I think is more musical but also more mellow thus less fun to watch on stage. The current incarnation of the Jihens is so devoid of personality that they need "motion graphics" to make their concerts more interesting. The only reason I'm still listening to them is because of SR. With TJ 1.0, there's at least Hirama's flair and HZM's stage antics to look forward to, but this time it's just SR SR SR; no matter how much they're trying to make you believe otherwise since SR is writing zero songs this time on album #3, it's still her high up on a pedestal approving and disapproving which songs use or not use. That being said, I have to be fair to Izawa. He's much more of a songwriter than HZM is. Izawa's musical sensibilities appeals to a wider demographic compared to HZM's. It's a tough call isn't it, between a hyperactive piano/keys man with so-so songwriting skills (HZM) versus a more boring guy with good songwriting skills (Izawa)?

I definitely think that TJ 1.0 could have progressed much much further as a band compared to the current version. Kyouiku didn't quite meet my expectations, but at the same time I felt there was a lot of room for improvement. Adult also didn't meet my expectations, but I felt that it has hit some kind of dead end in terms of progress. (Feel free to disagree.)

That being said, even SR is getting a little cranky right now so the way out of this mess is that she gets pregnant with Asai Kenichi's kid.
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Old 2007.09.06, 08:53 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by alleon86 View Post
HZM, a pianist of his caliber is VERY VERY hard to find. HZM is extremely gifted. I listend to his solo stuff and also his previous SR/TF stuff, he is freaking incredible. Im not gifted in piano, but Ive been playing the piano for 10 years now, and im not even close to HZM level and I practice hard.

I was looking at the old concerts, dynamic out and electric mole. He, no doubt, adds another dynamic to the band. IMO letting him go will haunt SR/TJ for years to come.

The new pianist is okay, he more of a keyboard player to me. He is definitely no HZM, he cant even do his solo part properly....
LMAO, 10 years and you are no where to HZM....that's why you are one of us but not one of those jumping on the stage. Yeah, "being gifted" is what makes the difference.

HZM is good and cool but uhm...he's a bit too generous on his notes.

Izawa, on the other hand, is more humble but he has the ability to turn his modesty into gold.
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Old 2007.09.06, 09:43 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Glathannus View Post
1.) HZM has no dynamics. Simply put, the man is a machine. He'll hit all kinds of notes in a split second, that would be impossible for us mere mortals, but there's no feeling for how he hits those notes. His tone might often be different from one song to the next (unlike someone who makes a lot of fans angry), but within any individual song, his tone has no variables.
I can feel him in Okonomide and Poltergeist. (Electric Mole)
100% agree with point 2 tho.
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Old 2007.09.06, 09:46 AM   #8
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I still obey Izawa for his piano parts in Tasogare Naki.
(try to listen only to the right channel, then you can here it a lot better)
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Old 2007.09.06, 10:39 AM   #9
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I'm a huge HZM fan and am one of the most happiest person in the world with this departure. Izawa is more suited for this band. Much more.
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Old 2007.09.06, 01:52 PM   #10
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HZM reminds me of Miyavi. They can play their instruments in ways that seem inhumanly possible but their compositions are lacking.
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