Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi,

Would you recommend sight reading exercises? Not tabs but actual music reading.

Thanks

Hi Berdugo,

I personally would recommend them. For me, even something simple like Leavitt's Berklee Basic Guitar Vol 1 has value because I found that it helped me learning the notes on the fretboard in addition to the sheet music. I have played several instruments growing up, yet the guitar is the only one that I never bothered to learn sight reading with. There was a period of about fifteen years where I was able to pick up a guitar and play songs I liked, but I could not tell you where a single note was located if I had to read it off the staff. This was a huge disservice to myself as a musician!

Sight reading on guitar has been an incredible next step for me on this musical journey. It started off as one of those "well, sure, I don't really care much but I guess I'll just try it" kind of things and it wound up having an impact on more areas of my playing than I could have realized beforehand.

One of my favorite things to do while learning sight reading was to record myself playing each of the duet parts from the Leavitt book I mentioned above. It was a great simulation of playing with other people. Even playing simple quarter note phrases is a thrill to me when it is part of something bigger than myself! After a long time away from "real" musicianship I can say confidently that it feels great to be back home.

Thanks for your suggestion of leavitt berklee basic guitar vol 1!

Here is Tomo's comment:

"Thanks so much for subscribing to my Guitar Wisdom. Music sight-reading is another way of communicating. I definitely recommend it."

In the next week or two, Guitar Wisdom will introduce a new series of sight-reading lessons that follow the first 60 pages or so of "A Modern Method for Guitar, Volume 1" by William G. Leavitt, former Chair of the Guitar Department at Berklee College of Music. Tomo believes that Volume 1 is an excellent sight-reading starter book for guitarists. He used it many years ago, when learning to read music!

We are not permitted to make the sheet music in Volume 1 available on Guitar Wisdom. However, subscribers who are interested in learning sight-reading with Tomo can buy a copy of the book online at berkleepress.com, so that they can follow along with the lessons.

That's great! Thank you so much!

I bought this book back at the beginning of the pandemic. But because my guitar teacher and I are on pause for the pandemic, I haven't made it very far on my own.

I am looking forward to sensei's guidance.

i sont understand...
i need to buy the book in order to use SIGHT reading lessons? Why?
if i had the book i could do it on my own.
why cant you put a pdf download pages from your own staff?

Tomo's sight reading lessons are much more than just reading the notes. What is not in the book, and what Tomo stresses, is the many muting techniques which are much more difficult than just playing the notes. To play them perfectly clean is quite a challenge, and is an valuable skill to build.