Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Just noticed there are 3 sections dedicated to sight reading. I have never bother to learn sight reading and wondering if its truly important for just wanting to create your own music or song writing. It seems to take a lot of work and patience to get good at, and im wondering how helpful it would be?

I've been wondering the same thing. I heard Jimi Hendrix couldn't read sheet music. But don't take that to mean it's not a valuable tool to have at your disposal.

Someone once asked Chet Atkins if he could read music, and he replied that he could but "not enough to hurt my playing". I think that if you want to do serious studio work, it will get you way more gigs, and it can only help your experience otherwise.

I wouldn't say that it is vital to the process of creating music.

But it is a vital communication tool, depending on your setting. As such, it can play a role in just about everything else about music.

So, whether you're in a band situation or a studio or part of a production team, a written roadmap of some kind will streamline the process. Literally help get everyone on the same page... and provide a bed upon which to fiddle with arrangements.

In addition, when you copyright your song, submitting the written melody and lyrics, along with an audio recording and video performance of the song will prevent any ambiguity with interpretation.

I think Tomo made a good case for the Leavitt Book in today's Youtube lesson. The time when you're learning position playing is a good time to associate note names, fingerings, and intervals with written notes.

Tab just tells you where to go, not what is there.

Here is Tomo's comment:

"Thanks so much for subscribing to my Guitar Wisdom. There are some benefits in sight-reading: (1) developing your patience and dedication, (2) increasing your fretboard knowledge, and (3) improving your picking and muting technique. When I was a young student, I personally noticed much improvement in these areas, after working through Bill Leavitt's Volume 1."