My name is Ari Koinuma.  I love guitars.

I particularly love electric guitars — Strat-style ones with single coil pickups, to be exact, though I have dreams of designing and putting together a more unique guitar one day.  As generic as Strats are, I just don’t find myself interested in playing/owning other guitar that much.  On the other hand, I find myself very fascinated with guitar pedals, especially overdrives.  I think I’m attracted to overdrives because they are so fundamental to the sound of rock guitar, yet they are small, more affordable (compared to amps, anyway) and easier to experiment with.

Ultimately, I love making music with my guitars.

In my life I’ve tried many different activities relating to music and guitars.  I taught, I transcribed, I recorded, I scored films — but as time went on my interests in those activities seem to slip away.  In exchange my passion for electric guitar has intensified.  I practice more diligently now, after over 20 years of playing.   I am still nowhere near where I want to be, but therein lies the thrill — my own potential as a guitarist is not close to being tapped out.  I am hoping to spend the rest of my life playing my guitar, always getting better and acquiring new skills and expressions.

On the side, I do enjoy writing and blogging.  ThoughtfulGuitarist.com is my channel for fellow guitar players.  Here, I share my thoughts and discoveries along my journey (like overdrive pedals I try out ;-)), hoping that you’ll find it entertaining or informative.

Ari Koinuma, Guitarist

Photo: Judd Sather