Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Day 22 | Week 4
Wow this certainly is a challenge : )
My focus on loose grip right hand (This makes huge difference to my dynamic control when I can dial it in).
Also concentrating on smooth left hand with good thumb position, right elbow to provide fretting pressure.
Feels like learning a new sport, "moments of brilliance" - the quest for consistency through slowing everything down
Thank you : )

This challenge reminds me of the 14th century story of the Italian painter Giotto.

The pope was trying to find an artist for a major work of art and sent a courtier to several well known artists. The pope's courtier asked Giotto to draw an example of his work to demonstrate his skill. Giotto dipped his brush in red paint and drew a perfect circle. The courtier was furious, thinking he had been made a fool of. However, the Pope understood the significance of the circle and gave Giotto the job.

Sometimes the simple things done really well are the most impressive!

Day 23 week -

Descending is much smoother with the dynamics. Ascending, as with each new assignment, is where I need to think most, concentrate the most. I’m finding as I pick lighter, I’m pressing the strings lighter as well, especially with the pinky. Sustaining the note is difficult, keeping my thumb pressure correct is challenging, and I find myself rushing to finish the ascending part so I can do the descending part which is coming to me more naturally. So going slow, sustaining, relaxing the left hand; these are where I’ll be focusing on while I calmly ascend.

Tomo, we’re doing this for a maximum of ten minutes per session. Is it ok to practice this a few times a day? Have three or four of these ten minute sessions spaced out through out the day? What are your thoughts on this? Not that I want to be an over-achiever, but I do want to make this a natural part of my playing sooner rather than later. How do I strike a balance?

Thanks for all you and your team do to keep us motivated in this November challenge. This will be a November I remember for a long time.

Respectfully,
Bryon Mondok
Laconia, New Hampshire

Week 4: This is alot harder than it looks. i will work on dynamics and speed. I find it very hard to have 4 levels of softness. i think i can manage 3 levels (i think) so i need practice alooot on this :) :) Thank you so much!

Day 23
Today I adjust the amp, like: Range of fives watts. Guitar volume 8
Gain 4. Master 8.
Bass 3. Mid 3.5 or 4. Treble:9
Write somethings is need to pay attention in the notebook:
Posture.
Elbow and body.
Thumb position(Lower middle), always moving, light touching.
Hold pick with no pressure, soft.Try to find the normal dynamics.
Palm muting:play and touch at the same time.And other time floating above the strings.
Try no count the rhythm.
when I feel something wrong, at once to stop, and going back to the beginning.
Remember : How long is not important, how to do is important.
Slow, and more slow.
Find from video recording:
About palm muting:I can't do“play and touch” at the same time ,it's like, first to touch ,then playing.in this process,I can hear some pick noise. Some situations will happen: muting with playing at the same time.And play-touch and floating often overstep they limit.
About thumb position and movement: Thumb movement span is large, will lead the finger make noise.
Thumb can't hold the position with center little below.
Find normal dynamics plan failed.Because I still pick string wrong or something.Now I’m still trying to no noise, and learn how to do things slow,I think is really important to me .
Remember to reading this before tomorrow beginning.
Thank you! Like this passion*smile*

Certainly not easy.

I need to concentrate on keeping the level the same In one position, I tend to go quieter with every note.
I'm finding my coordination between finger and pick not perfect when I get quiet, it helps if I move with the note something I have been finding difficult.
I need to relax especially when I try to play quietly, or translated I need to play slower at the start.

But I can see improvements which makes me happy, I hope it is the same for everyone.

Week 3, day 23
Notes:
• Also practiced Tomo’s new lesson on Mixolydian scale with one string (ET 05)….and interesting how all the fundamentals from this Chromatic exercise apply perfectly to the techniques in the new Mixolydian lesson (no finger noise, go slowly, muting, pick dynamics). The sky is the limit!

Day 23 Complete!

I can already tell that I’m going to be working on this one for the rest of my life! The addition of dynamics really highlights how much work I have to do. A beautiful thing to find. I need to start recording myself periodically and listening back…progress is going to be very, very slow…to notice it I will need to listen further back in time.

Best,
Erik

Day 23 So much to track! Currently focusing on varying softness of attach for dynamics; not too consistent yet. Keep going...

Day 23 - Dynamics with muted strings, fret contact, and posture. Difficult to be even sounds through dynamics evenly. - johno

In our exercise today worked on hitting the first note of normal a little softer

Day 23! Just a quick note today:

Worked on making sure my hand movements were clean and avoided noise

Thank you,
Max

Day 23 | Week 4
Today I focussed on not resting right hand pinky on scratch guard so as to float right hand. This will take time to eliminate, great for patience. That pinky is so sneaky, need to watch carefully and slowly.
Thank you : )

Day 24 week 4
Thank you for your comments yesterday, Mr Fujita. I practices this in two more ten minute sessions throughout the day yesterday on a couple of different guitars I have here in my basement office space. I found that I do better standing up practicing this which I’m very happy to have discovered. I can keep the tempo better, place my fingers more accurately, move and groove with my body better.

I was watching one video you put out recently and you told viewers not to tap there foot, but to move the body. That comes more naturally to me, I find. Tapping the foot distracts me at this stage of my playing, if I’m honest. Your advice is so wise and affirming. Very counter to what others are teaching. And I love that you encourage using pen and paper for keeping notes and recording what you’re learning. So helpful!

Respectfully,
Bryon Mondok
Laconia, New Hampshire

Week 4 | Day 23

I made some improvements over Day 22. I used my acoustic on Day 23. I will use my electric on Day 24 with the control settings recommended by Tomo.
Master: 10
Gain: 2-3
Treble: 10
Bass: 0
Mid: 3-4

Michael Kimber