If you have typed the search string “noriyasu+takeuchi+popular+pieces+for+guitar+solo+v+atomix+scarie+mamado” into a search engine, you are likely not a casual listener. You are a performer hunting for sheet music, a student puzzled by a teacher’s assignment, or a collector trying to decipher Takeuchi’s most experimental output. This article is your definitive guide. Before diving into the peculiarities of Volume V, let’s establish the man behind the music. Noriyasu Takeuchi (born 1963) is a Tokyo-born guitarist and composer who straddles the line between classical purism and pop sensibility. Educated at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, he won top prizes at the Tokyo International Guitar Competition. However, unlike his contemporaries who retreated into conservatory bubbles, Takeuchi became a bridge between worlds.
“Atomix” (note the ‘x’ suggesting a fusion of “atomic” and “mix”) opens Volume V with a shock. Gone is the polite, rolled-chord phrasing of Takeuchi’s Hisaishi arrangements. In its place: a barrage of tambora (hitting the strings with the thumb nail), left-hand hammer-ons from nowhere, and sudden silences. Before diving into the peculiarities of Volume V,
The most enigmatic of the three. “Mamado” is not a Spanish word (closest is mamado – slang for “buff” or “drunk” in some Latin dialects), nor Japanese. Takeuchi has never explained the title. Fans speculate it is a portmanteau of mama (mother) and amado (beloved in Portuguese), or simply a nonsense word echoing Brazilian choro music. and Mamado .
These titles do not translate neatly. They are neologisms, sound-pictures, or perhaps inside jokes. Let’s dissect each. Musical Character: Aggressive, percussive, microtonal. They are neologisms
For the devoted classical and fingerstyle guitarist, the name Noriyasu Takeuchi resonates with a unique blend of technical rigor and whimsical eclecticism. While many know him for his masterful transcriptions of Japanese anime music (Joe Hisaishi’s Spirited Away ) or his rigorous editions of Baroque masters, a deeper cut in his discography has recently sparked a cult following: “Popular Pieces for Guitar Solo Vol. V” – specifically, the cryptic triptych of tracks titled Atomix , Scarie , and Mamado .