Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi Kenneth,

For all of us who enjoyed your blues improv, what Tomo lessons did you do to get to this point? Any tips and/or advice for us?

Yes!

So much fun seeing our TFGW subscribers efforts on these blues etudes on TFGW video lessons!

Thank you!

Tomo

Yeah, I'm starting to try applying some of the drop 2 voicings, triads and chord progression to some blues now that I've learned a bit. I'd like to sound more musical. So far it always sounds like a scale rather than a melody so trying to move away from doing just that. It's hard. I watched your YT video on blues phrasing and noticed once you said was to emphasize the 1 and 5 and saw you bend from a b7 to the tonic. Or playing a chord and then see you play on one string the scale associated with chord and hitting the 135 of the scale (at least as far as my eyes/ear could tell) And just finished watching and taking notes on the dominant 7th chords video in your blues section where you talked of hitting chord tones.

So, what other advice do you have for someone starting to make and play/improv blues riffs aside from watching BB King haha (btw watch a few live concerts of his yesterday. Damn does that man know vibrato!!!)?

Thank you for sharing!

Good job!

When you are practicing & applying... sound like exercises... then use those more naturally with any period correct phrases from old records (do not make your own phrases yet until learn history of music that already sounds so great!)

That's one of ideas and not absolute or ....

I follow each chords. Maybe you can copy my solo that following those chords then analyze them with intervals.
More fun!

I love playing blues! I just made this demo videos that included blues soloing lesson.

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Intro 00:00
Let's listen this guitar tone! 01:52
About these switches & function 02:45
Great rhythm guitar sound 06:05
Funky Phase Tone & FREE Phaser effect! 08:05
E Blues improvising & One Control Silver Bee 11:42
Phrasing V.S. Scales (More details when I am improvising) 14:04
Using two pickups for noise cancelation 16:12
You have to say something! Phrasing over each chords 17:50
Clean tone groove & phrasing ideas 19:50
E Blues Funky Rhythm Guitar Example 22:31

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Your question... you can search more blues related lesson videos here.

Thank you.

Tomo

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into these lessons, and the quality of the video production which allows me to slow down to the speed I need without too much garble!

I would like to have played the root/thirds with some hybrid picking, but my hand won't allow it yet.

I personally found it very helpful when learning your bends to actually play the intended notes without any bend to be clear on what notes you are playing! This helped me a lot.

And of course relating everything back to chord tones, R-3-5-b7 and chromatics is so important, so thank you.

But the rhythm and time feel is so critical. So even with the 12 bar I found myself counting the exact down/upbeat you were playing from and the subtle changes you make! All so good!

Well, glad to be helpful! You did a great job transcribing my solo! Your pacing & rhythmic feel is so awesome!

Most people can play correct notes but rhythm and pacing are not so precise.

Yes! That 3rds / 2 notes phrase for Dom7 chord... you are playing over those chord changes so well!

2nd chorus, BB King 's Everyday I have the blues horn line with R 3 5 M6 b7... Excellent job! Time

Correct! The rhythm and time feel ... so difficult to control! Those are essentially more important than any correct notes!
Wrong notes with the right rhythm & good feel... much better... that much time feel is very important!

Now you are getting closer!! I think your consistency and continuous efforts are making a great progress in your guitar playing!

Now you know 12 bar blues! Please enjoy more!

Thank you.

Tomo

Thanks to you and your encouragement. And very cool advice regarding time feel and rhythm even with missed notes. The groove is so important...I must remember that. Toward the end of the solo I got tight, especially in my fretting hand, mainly because I could see the finish line and wanted to get there! So I got tight and missed those sweet semi-tones. Oh well, don't expect too fast!

You're very welcome! My pleasure! So you can have more fun! More and more! Because time feel part... can go more deeper!
I still remind myself how important to use less pressure from my left hand. Natural to push a lot so... need to remember. I hear a lot of great things you are cooking! Please keep cooking! You would enjoy more! We all need.... Don't expect too fast!!

Thank you.

Tomo

Hi Tomo,

Is what he's doing what you have suggested us to do? As in learn single octave scales near triads or chords and harmonize/improv over a chord progression like 12-bar blues? I think that is what I see him doing. Correct me if I'm wrong? Thanks!

You're very welcome! I have watched your video a few more times! So much fun watching you play!

I would focus on a few spots.
1) Less pressure from your left fingers
2) Use a little more dynamics on your picking.
3) In order to success 1) & 2) I would suggest to make a little louder volume from your amp. This will make you feel a little uncomfortable because it's LOUD and SENSITIVE!

Try same thing... but maybe you make two different solo instead of longer solo.
Solo length is generally 2-3 times is good enough.

Make your backing track a little slower so that your phrasing can make more clear rhythmic statements.

What do you think?

Thank you.

Tomo

One more!

Please watch this video... about 20 more times and take notes!

This way, this event, making a video of your soloing will help your playing more and more!

I would watch many times!

Thank you.

Tomo

Thank you Tomo. All great suggestions which I will undertake. Listen more, takes notes, slower backing track and solo, louder amp to focus on dynamics. Will do!