Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Day 16, clocked in, really trying to be aware of every movement and sound pertaining to this exercise. Keep on trodding.

A few observations.....

Noticed Tomo's picking hand moving. My hand has been fixed on bottom strings to mute them so in the process of correcting that. I have been following the Leavitt sight reading course and this change is making things easier.

I have added electric guitar to the practice and found muting top strings with my fingers more necessary than acoustic. Changing from acoustic to electric I found my fingers pressing too heavily including the muting fingers, causing the strings to sound when I lifted them, lighter pressure is the cure.

I have recorded myself to check I'm not cheating!

I am trying to transfer all this technique to pieces I am playing and having very positive results. The main points I work on are thumb position, lighter finger pressure and less finger noise.

So I am a very happy man.

Guitar angel with body & elbow (Guitar Strap length)

Chromatic scale going up.... thumb movement

Day 16!

Today I worked on pick position, making sure to pick each note close to the first pickup and not picking too aggressively. I also worked on thumb position.

Thank you,
Max

Thank you so much!

Week 3|Day 16

Much better today than yesterday's disaster. No metronome. I focused on going slowly, sustaining each note, and moving my thumb smoothly along the back of the neck, using Tomo's video as a model.

Michael Kimber

Day 16 Tomo thank you for the additional videos. What was particularly helpful for me was how you emphasized the right elbow as a fulcrum which de-emphasizes the left hand pressure. So I noticed this and how it affected my left hand. I felt some fatigue, not in the thumb at all, but a bit more in the fingers which I found interesting, like using muscles I hadn't used as much. Overall, it was a beneficial 10 minutes of focused practice noticing the thumb more relaxed and lighter overall on the neck. Thanks!

Day 16 Complete!

I echo Ken’s sentiment on the supplemental videos. I found the guitar angle video to be very insightful. It was extremely helpful to explore this approach and attempt this technique. It will definitely take a good deal of practice to develop this but it is amazing what this does for left hand tension. I laughed out loud at the comment about being able to play without your thumb but not your elbow…that certainly underscores the importance.

I will say that it was surprisingly difficult to combine ascending and descending lines, particularly the transition between the two, but the challenge has helped me lean into this and see it as sn opportunity to grow!

Best,
Erik

Day 17
According to Tomo‘s video about adjustment of thumb position during ascending process, I found my thumb relaxed but seemed completely wrong.
It's like it doesn't adjust. When I shift the next position, my thumb will have a big range move.Other times the thumb would not move ,or I might unconsciously change the position of my thumb.And the left elbow does not adjust with the thumb at all.(I noticed in the video that your left elbow adjust with your thumb)
Good to find this out, thanks Tomo, the video was very helpful.
Maybe it's time for me to stop practicing like I used to.Because I'm little confused about my stiff movements right now.
I think it has something to do with my bad habits, but I don't know what it is.But I knew I wanted to be better.
Please Tomo to give me some advice, thank you very much, sir.·

Day 16 | Week 3
Today I studied all the new video content, very helpful especially the Elbow : )
Focus on posture with right elbow and smooth thumb movement no pressure
Thank you

Day 17 week 3 focusing on descending. Finger placement while keeping tempo still a challenge. Slowing it down to get finger placement correct. This where I need to develop some muscle memory.
Have a great Sunday everybody. Even though this is work, it’s calming and a great way to start a Sunday.

Blessings,

Bryon Mondok
Laconi, New Hampshire

After completing this exercise and I play guitar, I love how not stressed my left hand is :)

Thanks,
Anton

Week 3, day 17
Notes:
• Interesting how the thumb (which never touches the fretboard) has such an impact on the fingers (that do touch the fretboard).
• Finger noise is worse on the lower frets, perhaps because they’re spaced further apart?
• It’s so important to identify weaknesses.

Thanks so much.

Day 17 | Week 3
Today, I will focus on:
+ playing notes with no finger noise
+ right elbow movement and thumb placement
So grateful for the supplemental videos. I will study them closely and rewatch the week 3 video.
✨

Day 17 Searching for balance between right elbow and left hand pressure has really caught my interest and attention. I'm curious about where this focus will lead me! Thanks for the invitation to microscopic focus Tomo!