Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

I am finding it is very difficult to begin reading music but using the exercises in the book in order. I am still reviewing the first exercise through the first Duet for a very long time it seems. I felt I could not read the notes without stopping to think about which note it is, or referring to the numbered not section to cheat.

Is this a problem I am having or should I perhaps begin moving ahead in the lessons, and then come back to the Duet? I am feeling discouraged that it is taking me so long to learn to read music and that the practice is so slow and difficult.

I look at my book, folded open to the first pages and feel discouraged that I have hardly turned any pages after all of this time.

I have felt the same way. I have been on the first 4 lessons for almost 2 months now. I still have that slight hesitation still so I wanted to keep practicing before I moved on. I don't think thats what we're supposed to do but I have a hard time moving on when I don't totally understand the lesson I am on.

I am thinking about cheating a little and just writing the chord notes for the duet.

What helped the most was to just set the metronome and try hard on the exercises.

It still just takes me long to recall each note doing to chord notes on the staff like a math problem

Here is Tomo's comment:

"Thanks so much for subscribing to my Guitar Wisdom. Whenever you face something difficult in the Leavitt book, go back a few pages and try again. This happens to everyone! One good thing about studying with the Leavitt book is that it teaches us to be patient. Take your time, and don't worry about anything!"

Berkelee does not sell book alone. Any thoughts ? Also is it known if there has been upgrades in the following editions from 1986? Thanks

TU

FYI - The book is available for kindle as well. Also, there is a kindle app for iphone, iPad (handy/larger) and PC (large screen/preferred).

With two screens/windows, you can have the book up in one, and listen to/watch Tomo on the other.

This has worked well for me.

...FWIW, Second Solo took me a month+...!

I was able to order a used volume 1 from Thriftbooks.com for about $8 including shipping. The kindle idea sounds like a good way to go!

@Tomo
I'm patiently waiting for the next lesson, p.72, Chord Etude #2. It will likely take me a month to work thru it, but I'm stumped on the fingering for the 3 note chord at the end of line 2: Bb A F

Any help from the board? Or is it possible it's a typo?

Thanks!

@Tomo
Either we're "on the same page" or you're reading this forum, as you dropped your update for Chord Etude #2 today, 17 hours after I posted above!...so thank you.

Watching you play, it looks like the chord form above is B Ab F, easy enough, so I'm goin with a typo as the flat indicator is aligned to the B, rather than A.

Chord Forms Tip

As mentioned I'm using the digital version of the book for kindle, on iPad and also PC.
When I reached page 77, Chord Forms, I needed a refresher on previous chord shapes. I found myself paging relentlessly back and forth across ~20 pages and back again, only to forget what I researched. V. frustrating!

Solution: For each page with a chord form, screen capture/sample content of interest, and save to a files (.PNG in this case) to a common folder.

I can now open any file, in this case PC defaults to Photos app, and go page to page with a single click, back and forth, all in one place.

LMK what you think.

Page 58 suggestion
@Tomo

This page is not exactly self evident without a degree of scrutiny, at least it wasn't for me. it might be worth while to have a stand alone video piece to walk through the content?