About This Piece
Kotaro Oshio's arrangement of Hikaru Utada's First Love (1999) — Japan's best-selling single of all time — is one of the most watched fingerstyle guitar videos ever made, with nearly 2 million views. The arrangement captures the deeply romantic quality of Utada's original while adding Oshio's characteristic percussive elements and harmonic decorations.
First Love is one of the pieces that established Oshio as Japan's foremost fingerstyle guitarist and introduced many Japanese listeners to the solo guitar format.
Technical Overview
- Melody-driven: The vocal melody is always clear and singable — Oshio never lets the technique obscure it
- Percussive accents: Body taps mimic the original track's drum groove, adding rhythmic energy without overwhelming the melody
- Natural harmonics: Used sparingly but effectively at emotionally important moments
- Standard tuning: Accessible without retuning
Learning Path
One of the more accessible Kotaro Oshio pieces. Players who can handle intermediate fingerstyle arrangements will find this within reach. Focus on the melody first — it must sing above everything else.