[Japanese Music] The Magic of Arpeggios: A Collection of Beautiful Songs Featuring Arpeggios
In Japanese, “arpeggio” is expressed as 分散和音 (bunsan waon), which simply means a playing technique where you play the notes of a chord one at a time.
It’s a method often used on guitar and piano in ballads, and chances are everyone has heard it at least once.
If you’ve only recently learned the term “arpeggio,” you might be eager to listen to more songs that feature it.
In this article, we’ll introduce many recommended pieces with beautiful arpeggios just for you.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of arpeggios!
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[J-Pop] The Magic of Arpeggios: A Collection of Beautiful Songs Featuring Arpeggios (1–10)
Cinderella BoySaucy Dog
A gem of a ballad that delicately portrays, from a woman’s perspective, the heart wavering between the ideal of love and its reality.
Using the moment Cinderella’s magic fades as its motif, it sings of the complicated feelings of realizing a lover’s true nature yet being unable to let go.
The beautiful arpeggios that ripple from the intro finely capture waves of bittersweet emotion, highlighting the wistfulness that permeates the entire track.
Released in August 2021 on the mini-album “Lazy Sunday,” it sparked a major response, surpassing 100 million cumulative streams.
If you’ve ever suffered the pain of heartbreak or struggled with self-deception in love, this song is sure to resonate.
Christmas EveYamashita Tatsuro
When it comes to this extraordinarily famous song, explaining it almost feels unnecessary.
Among the works of the genius musician Tatsuro Yamashita, it is one of the most popular, known nationwide as a Christmas song.
It first appeared on the 1983 album “MELODIES,” and was released as a single the same year, becoming a long-running hit.
The song’s charm, above all, lies in the beautiful arpeggios that sound from the very beginning and its Baroque-style chord progression.
The interlude quotes Pachelbel’s Canon, and these arpeggios lend the entire piece a solemn and serene atmosphere.
The lyrics, which depict the quiet of a night when rain turns to snow and the heartache of waiting for someone who never comes, superbly capture the loneliness of Christmas night.
In 2016, it entered the Oricon charts for 30 consecutive years, earning a Guinness World Record—testament to its enduring popularity.
Run Through the MemoriesMy Hair is Bad
This is the theme song for the film “Crayon Shin-chan: Our Dinosaur Diary,” performed by My Hair is Bad, featuring beautifully resonant, gentle guitar arpeggios.
The lyrics tenderly portray emotions from meeting to parting, and then to a new departure, touching the heart as they sing of the bonds with loved ones and the preciousness of time shared.
Released in June 2024 and included on the album “ghosts,” the song moved many as a touching ballad that graces the film’s ending scene.
The arpeggios, picked note by note along the chord progression, gently envelop the entire piece and blend exquisitely with Tomomi Shiiki’s husky voice.
It offers deep empathy and warm hope to all who carry memories of the past as they walk toward the future.
[J-Pop] The Magic of Arpeggios: A Collection of Beautiful Songs with Arpeggios (11–20)
Theory of the Mindful HeartRADWIMPS
This song, distinguished by its delicate acoustic guitar arpeggios, is RADWIMPS’ fourth major-label single, released in July 2006.
The beautiful fingerpicked broken chords envelop the entire piece, musically expressing the protagonist’s state of mind as they confront their inner self.
The lyrics, which portray the inner conflict swaying between contrasting emotions—lies and truth, love and hatred—will resonate deeply with listeners.
Also included on the album “RADWIMPS 4: Okazu no Gohan,” it became one of the band’s signature tracks, reaching No.
13 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.
It’s a masterpiece you’ll want to hear when you feel lost in love or wish to face yourself.
LONELINESS WILL SHINEToe
As the title suggests—Finding Light in Solitude—this is a beautiful instrumental piece that is introspective yet imbued with hope.
Clean, delicate arpeggios dominate the track, and the structure, which begins in near-silence and gradually builds in sonic depth, is particularly striking.
Through toe’s signature fusion of complex rhythms and melodies, the arpeggios transcend mere accompaniment to become the core of the composition.
Released in July 2024 as the lead track from the album NOW I SEE THE LIGHT, it drew attention as the band’s first new work in about six years.
A music video by photographer Yoshiharu Ota has also been released, evoking profound emotion through the union of sound and imagery.
It’s the perfect piece for those who cherish solitary moments or wish to immerse themselves in the delicate world of post-rock.
Snow SmileBUMP OF CHICKEN
A gemlike ballad that delicately and warmly portrays a love story where the winter chill becomes an excuse to draw two people closer.
Released as a single by BUMP OF CHICKEN in December 2002, its beautiful acoustic guitar arpeggios lend the entire song a sense of clarity and depth, while fingerpicked broken chords evoke a serene, snow-laden landscape.
It reached No.
3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, securing its status as a classic.
As Motoo Fujiwara describes, the lyrics are “both kind and unkind” in their construction—leaving room for interpretation while skillfully interweaving winter imagery with the subtleties of budding romance.
I want to see you.iri
A song by iri, a singer-songwriter from Kanagawa Prefecture.
It’s a soothing number featuring an acoustic guitar arpeggio that plays throughout behind a hip-hop track.
The steady, flowing arpeggio in the same rhythm accentuates the rap’s distinctive phrasing and irregular rhythms, resulting in a groove that makes you want to sway naturally.
The lyrics, which convey passionate and strong emotions laid over the slow tempo, resonate deeply.
