Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi Tomo,
I was away but I’m back and currently reviewing and catching up! Great challenge with chromatic scale! Your attention to detail and hand movement is SO important! Thank you so much!

E!

Welcome back! Good job!

Yes!

Thank you!

Tomo

This week I am noticing that my right palm is not muting the 5th and 6th string. I am having to mindfully adjust to fix my mistake. Overall I am noticing huge improvement of this exercise. I hope everyone is feeling the same.

Good job!

Slowly to control your palm muting.
Play everything super slow!

Great to hear that.
Like this, one thing everyday for 30 days.

Thank you.

Tomo

Day 21

I continued building foundations today and started an intellectual stimulation journey of learning a new programming language as video game design and development was something I thoroughly enjoyed in my youth and throughout college. I played my acoustic today but have been unable to motivate to learn the next steps in the chromvember challenge, I still have not moved past ascending.

However, I’ve learned that when I do something it means it is something I truly want, and when I am fully unable to do something there is a good reason for that also, whether it’s because I need rest or because I need to search for inspiration as I did earlier today by listening to a variety of genres. Because of this music time I was able to decide on this intellectual journey and it springboard me out of a depression I was starting to descend into, and I played my guitar tonight and the ritual was complete.

I feel so much better now after playing my acoustic a few minutes ago and I played in a gentle way that sounded absolutely gorgeous, I was very inspired.

Thanks,
-Toni

Bryon I also practice in the early morning when the family is still asleep! It is my little slice of solitude. The peace and quiet lets me pour all of my focus into finger noise, hand tension, breathing, etc. I also love that you practice with your girl. A young musician in the making!

The solitude is bliss! Thanks for your comment, Linda. Have a great weekend.
:)

Bryon

Bryon,

So happy to hear that!
I have been practicing this chromatic scale super slow!

Yes! First I don't expect at all. Smart people think ahead. This part I really respect some stupid lazy people who just don't care anything! That will add less pressure!

Acoustic is okay. Make sure use a lot of picking volume control.
I practice my acoustic too. Still no noise! So play much slower!

Do not use any coating strings! Those kill your skills!
Thank you.

Tomo

Good job!

Body motion! So important!
No noise! You can hear more other noises that you did not notice before.

Thank you.

Tomo

Day 2 Practiced at 20 BPM to account for a slower pace for descending run.

Also, really grateful for the additional videos you posted. Especially the left hand thumb position one, which showed the rear of your hand while practicing the descending scale . Practice went a lot more smoother thanks to the same, and hand muscles a lot more relaxed, with less finger pressure.
Also the tone sustaining issue I described the previous day(above note) is a lot less today, again thanks to the same.

Sir, would you say that the same thing can be applied for
practicing the ascending line. As in ,move the thumb little by little for ascending,as shown for the descending video?
For reference

This challenge is supposed to do slow but no metronome please! If you use a metronome then you will get $500 ticket! No metronome please! I never mention that at all.

Very important to follow the detail instructions!

Good job playing slow!
Sustain each note.... and no noise!

Thank you.

Tomo

Good job!
Glad to hear that my additional video helped.
Just like that... should not understand by words... because anyone could take slightly wrong way and if that will stay.... then you are going to wrong direction strongly correctly.... that's most YouTube video results!

Yes! Maybe I should make a video for you so you can see it.
Thank you.

Tomo

Here we go!

Week 3 day3 Practiced up and down the neck without metronome(my sincere apologies for using that in the past couple of days) .
Slow, with more sustain on the last note(or pinky finger).

Many thanks for providing the video above. Adjusting the thumb, or moving thumb little by little, as the fingers move from one note to the next has been incredibly helpful in lessening the tension from the left hand and improving reach. This further helps in applying minimal pressure on the frets.

I have also come to the realization, that the thumb is more to provide support.Pressing the thumb against the neck of the guitar causes the left hand to become more tensed in the first place.

Good job!

Thank you!

Tomo

This challenge is so much fun!

Good job!

No metronome! This challenge is without a metronome!

Slow is good! Later this challenge you can use a metronome.

Thank you.

Tomo

Thanks for sharing!

Good to hear that!

Good job!
Thank you.

Tomo

Week 3-Day 16-Complete!

Once again working on light touch and good hand position relative to the neck, while being relaxed and moving with the groove :)

Again, I'm amazed at how lightly one has to press to get a note and it's barely any pressure at all. Love it!

Starting to feel more relaxed and confident doing this everyday religiously.

It's gotten to the point that now I can't begin my guitar practice until I do chromatic exercises! :)

Thanks for sharing.

Slow is so important so no metronome needed in this challenge.
Thanks for asking.

Light touch! Less pressure!
Good job!

My pleasure!
So much fun to feel everyone's efforts!

Tomo

Good job!

This technique will make you to play much lighter!

Thank you!

Tomo

Hi Tomo,

Thanks for the video to show how you hold the guitar with a strap. Since I've gotten a strap and a stool, and my goal of making my technique better, I've noticed that I too hold the acoustic guitar in a similar manner, though the acoustic is much thicker than an electric.

Cheers!

Week 3-Day 17-Complete!

Yup! The light touch is the key to success!!! I think this is the first day in this challenge and in the few months since joining GW that both ascending and descending (especially) were solid. Good hand and body posture, moving and grooving, light touch on the fingerboard helped by the elbow holding the guitar, (like the video you shared :)), thumb lightly moving up or down, releasing, lifting then moving, sustaining the notes well.

Definitely seeing more improvements over time :)

Hope this is going well for all of you, too! Keep working!

Good job!

So happy to hear that!

Thank you.

Tomo

Michael Kimber hang in there! Thomas Edison said "I have not failed 10,000 times, I have only found 10,000 ways that will not work".

Your efforts will eventually bear fruit. Look back at your journal to see how far you have come in just two weeks.

Thank you for the encouraging words, Linda. I greatly appreciate them.

Michael Kimber

No metronome! No limit to slow down!

Once you have any problem... stop and start from beginning and play it slower!

No need to have any muscle memory! Need to be flexible to music!

Thank you.

Tomo

Thanks Linda! I love my mistakes a lot! This way I can get better ideas!

This is amazing and this going to be something so special!

Thank you.

Tomo

Good job!

I never ever felt anything perfect! That's why i am humble and can work harder!

Do slow as you can and find more tiny details. Good job!

Thank you.

Tomo

Thanks for sharing.

Good job!

Light touch, less pressure, natural palm muting....

Thank you.

Tomo

Thanks for sharing!

This palm muting can apply when you play scales or triads.

Good job!

Thank you!

Tomo

Good job!

I practice this super slow! Insanely slow!

Good motivation & inspiration from everyone!

Thank you so much!

Tomo

Yes! Same as I cannot drive my car backward so well!

Own tempo is good! Don't worry to stay in tempo.

Slow is so good! Good job!

Thank you.

Tomo

Day 16 - resting palm mute 5th 6th strings across the left hand p4 mute, body sway smooth flow. Amp super clean. Competing volume with my wife's radio. HAPPY SATURDAY!! *smiles* Johno

Good job!

Palm muting

I play softer than my wife's music!

Thank you.

Tomo