Zack Kim

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Zack Kim

Background information
Born May 5, 1983
Genre(s) Instrumental Rock
Jazz
Fusion
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active 1993 - Present
Associated acts Solo
JAKAL
Murkyway
Cosmic Funk Express
Website www.zackkim.com

Zack Kim Yong Woon (born May 5, 1983), or simply, Zack Kim is a Korean guitarist who has become known for his mastery of technique called “free hands”, which involves “tapping” the guitar strings with both the left and right hands simultaneously. Many guitarists apply free hands to one guitar, but Zack frequently performs on two; his left hand playing one guitar while his right hand plays the other. His arrangements include a range of styles, from classical to jazz, as well as quirky yet virtuosic arrangements of tunes such as the theme song from the Super Mario Bros. video game.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Korean guitarist Zack Kim was born in Korea, but his family relocated to Malaysia when he was eight. Although he has never had any formal training, Zack has developed a keen ear and flawless technique, as well as a mastery of Touch Style. He played lead guitar in his first band, JAKAL, an acronym formed for the names of its members, Jorge Bayona, Ali Nisthar Mohammed, Zack Kim and Alvaro Bayona. They recorded a four song tape with an original instrumental composition of his called "Anthem to nothingness", possibly his first original piece. The band was active from 1996 to 1998.

He and his band Murkyway won the annual Taylors College Battle of the Band in 2002. Murkyway did not last long seeing the departure of Freddie Sinsua (guitar, vocals) and Brian Quah (Bass) to the United States to pursue their studies. He is frequently a session player in Malaysia with bands such as Tempered Mental, One Buck Short and Groovetank, as well as with producers such as Greg Henderson and Nick Lee. He was also named the best guitarist at HELP Institute's Battle of the Bands, where his group, Cosmic Funk Express, emerged as winners.

Zack Kim has reached YouTube celebrity status stemming from his Free Hands style video clips. His Super Mario Bros. theme has been viewed almost 11.3 million times as of May 2008.

Kim is currently serving in the Korean Military Service, and has been rather 'inactive' with his guitar playing. According to his official blog, Zack is allowed to practice his guitar once every week for an hour. Zack is supposedly 'enjoying' his time at the armed forces, and his tour will end at December 9, 2009.

[edit] Influences

Although Zack never had any formal training, he credits Adam Fulara and Stanley Jordan for influencing him with the basics of two-handed tapping.

[edit] Free Hands

"Free Hands" is a unique way of playing guitar with both hands, invented by Emmett Chapman in 1969. Many people credit Stanley Jordan with popularizing the technique, which involves “tapping” the strings with both the left and right hands' fingers aligned with the frets. This method is different from tapping with the right hand parallel to the strings as done by Eddie van Halen, for example. Many guitarists apply this technique to one guitar, but Zack has developed a virtuosic way of playing two guitars. His left hand will play one guitar, while his right hand plays another.

Other guitarists that frequently utilize Free Hands or a similar technique are:

[edit] Military Service

On Monday, January 14th, 2008, Kim posted, on his official website, the message "See you guys in two years time! Don't miss me too much cause I'll be back :D Yours Zack Kim." The reason behind this is because Kim is currently serving in the Korean military.

On Saturday, March 8th, 2008 kim wrote the following message on his website:

“ Dear loyal viewers!!!

It has been almost two months since I last updated and I hope everyone has been doing SUPER FINE!! I was lucky enough to get a temporary leave for the day and decided to update on whats been happening here at the army. I am doing well and managed to finish my basic training without getting injured. I have been taking extra care on my fingers so that I'll return safely again to my guitar. Speaking of gutiar, I do get to play with it an hour a week which I wished I had more time with however, I have been doing alot of air guitar so that my fingers would not get too rusted :)

I will be finishing the army on the 9th Dec of 2009, 21 months from now and will try to update this page as much as I can. Take Care :D

P.S. I did not manage to reply all my mails and messages but would like to thank everyone for writing as I read every single one of em. Miss you all :)

Yours Zack Kim

 ”

[edit] External links

[edit] References

[edit] Arrangements and compositions

Classical

  • Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
  • The Promise by Michael Nyman
  • Fur Elise by Ludvig van Beethoven
  • Piano Sonata in C Major by W.A. Mozart
  • Prelude in C Minor BWV 847 by J. S. Bach
  • Goldberg Variations No. 1 BWV 988 by J. S. Bach

Jazz

Miscellaneous

Original Compositions

  • Anthem to Nothingness by Zack Kim
  • Dear Tiesto by Zack Kim
  • Korean Boy by Zack Kim
  • Pieces by Zack Kim
  • See You Again by Zack Kim
  • Miss You by Zack Kim
  • I'll Be Waiting by Zack Kim

Christmas Songs

Languages