Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hello,

I am looking for a backing track for the A blues progression Tomo plays. The chords are A7-D7-E7. He uses the Form 1-4-1-1, 4-4-1-1, 5-4-1-5.

I can't find a dedicate video to the backing track and when I tried to use Tomo's soloing videos, I can't use his backing track obviously because it is playing too fast.

I currently tried to play it slow and record myself using the "Voice memos" app on my Iphone, I was wondering If anyone had any tips for how I can create a cool backing track on my own? Also If anyone knows if the progression I mentioned above has a easy to use backing track that would be great.

In terms of actual soloing over the backing track, does anyone have any suggestions or know which of Tomo's videos to watch on how to connect chord changes? I feel like I can come up with a nice phrase for each chord, but currently I just try to look for the 3 in the next chord and then play a phrase off that note. That makes my solo's constantly sound the same.

Best,
Ben

The usual suspects for backing tracks are:

1 Free software: Garage Band, Audacity, Bandlab
2 Device hardware: Phone camera, Phone recorder, Zoom recorder, Tascam recorder
3 Device software: iRealPro, Band In A Box, google "free alternative for iRealPro" "free alternative to Band in a Box"
4 Guitar Pedal: Nearly every company that makes a delay pedal makes a looper pedal
5 Websites: Youtube, Learn jazz Standards channel, Ultimate Guitar, Google "backing tracks" ....etc
6 Social web: Search for discord servers find an on-line community and play livestreams for each other

The options are endless.

And yes, even Tomo has an A blues shuffle backing track on GW: https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/tf-backing-track-10 And remember, you can slow down any video on GW in the settings.

The short answer to connecting chord changes is to limit yourself to create solos that ONLY use the 6 guide tones and the 3 roots/fifths of the 3 chords. Then expand your vocabulary. I started by taking apart turnarounds and analyzing them. A simple common trick that you see everyone use is to slide into the major third from a half-step below to start a phrase.

The long answer is to listen a ton of blues and copy the ones you like best to find out how and why it works. Start simple. For example: pretend "Rocky Mountain Way" is a blues in A. Figure out a simple chromatic walkup to D from B or C to get to the IV chord. Then vary the rhythm. Can you do it in half a measure? in a single beat? play with it.

Also consider starting with other keys instead of A. E, Bb are popular keys for blues and jazz blues and you will probably find more backing tracks in those keys on-line and in the GW tracks.

Also, don't underestimate the power of doing the work yourself. I used a free online tool to create this example in about 30 minutes. You can create crude midi-backing with tools like Guitar Pro, Tux Guitar, Powertab, Songsterr, Soundslice, etc.

https://www.soundslice.com/slices/lJpkc/