Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Nice Jacob. This is great. Looking forward to diving into your influences myself. Great goals too

Hi Tomo,

I have been enjoying your videos . YOU are a gifted teacher. I have taught bass for many years .

Influences:

1.) Jeff beck
2.) Skip James
3.) John Coltrane
4.) Jimi Hendrix
5.) Ornette Coleman

2.) 5 Favorite CD’s:

Jeff Beck “wired
Nick Drake “ pink Moon”
Beatles “Rubber soul”
Bach “B minor Mass”
John Coltrane “ Blue Trane “

3.) My strength as a player is my harmonic sense

4.) My weakness as a player is lack of fluidity soloing and comping

5.) My gear

Harley Benton SC-500 ( LP copy), Tokai telecaster , various acoustics I record into Logic and Ableton live . On gigs I use house amps . Usually a fender although I go through a line 6 Hx Stomp

6.) My goal as a player is to be able to solo well and comp well . I have been a pro bassist for many, many years .

Thank you Tom for your answer!

Which part of Jeff Beck are you really dig? I love Jeff Beck so much! I try to get his sense of feel. I use a lot of chromatic bend.

So you understand harmony & chord progression easily? Great harmonic sense so you can learn many songs. That's great!

Soloing... which way? Can you tell me a little more specific?
Comping... what type?

How about blues? Can you comp with 3rd & 7th (guidetone)
Soloing with triad inversions?

You understand chords so well being a pro bass player for many years!

Thank you.

Tomo

I loved Wired and Blow by Blow Jeff Beck . I was lucky enough to see the There and Back tour in 81 ? He phrases each note separately which is what distinguishes him from every other guitarist .

Soloing .. first attaining technical skills to reproduce Tony Iommi , jimmy page , Jeff beck .. Also be able solo as a conversation . connected .voice leading . not just riffs .

comping .. so much work here. I need more connected knowledge of fretboard to be able to compliment what others are playing .

I know guide tones. I think I can but I should test myself.

By the way , I was in Boston in 1987 on a gig . I had attended Berklee summer of 83 7 week program and the summer semester of 84 . I got to play with the afro latin ensemble with Bob Pilkington . Such agreat guy .

Here are my answers to the question. Hopefully you can guide me where to start. There are so many vids to watch and it's kind of overwhelming. I know how to play major and minor and some 7th chords. I know how to strum and do some simple solos.

1) List your influences (5 artists).
- Tomo Fujita :D
- John Mayer
- Bruno Mars
- Filipino rock music (December Avenue)
- Santana

2) 5 Favorite CDs, and list your favorite song from each artist.
-Kyoto - TF
-New Light - JM
-Skate - BM
-Smooth - Santana
-Saksi ang langit - DA

3) What is your strength as a player?
time/rhythm.
-Timing
-Ears? :D

4) What is your weakness as a player?
-I don't know anything about theory
-Fretboard
-Scales / Modes
-Improv

5) List your gears, guitars, amps, effects, strings, picks, cables.. etc.
guitars:
-JCraft S3 Modern pro Lisbon rose (S-style)
-Valeton GP5
-Headrush FR go
-Mvave chocolate plus
-Getaria Wireless system
-42-9 strings that came with the guitar (Haven't changed yet)
-2mm acrylic pick from Arc picks
-Fender guitar cable
-Fender Tuner
-Qable DIY cables
-Generic pedalboard 15x5.5 from FC music PH
-GHS fast fret
-G7th Performance 3 Capo

6) What is your goal? (any additional comments)
-To be a session guitarist
-Learn jazz / blues
-Be able to improvise and jam with other musicians

Love this, Tomo! You don't have to reply if you're busy — I'm late to this post, and it was valuable just to go through the process of answering your questions, especially the goals.

1. Influences

I started playing guitar 6 months ago. Before that, I played trombone for ~40 years. Here are some guitar influences that I picked up along the way and since I started playing:

- Nile Rodgers

- Bruce Conte (Tower of Power)

- Grant Green — I read somewhere that he plays like a horn player — maybe that’s why I’m drawn to him?

- Takashi Kato (huge Ska Para fan)

- Freddie Green — I always love playing Count Basie arrangements but only if the guitarist can do that Freddie Green thing really well

2. Favorite CDs

- Tower of Power (self-titled)

- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra “World Famous”

- Grant Green “Solid” (I’ve been transcribing his solo from the title track and trying to learn it)

- Michael Jackson “Off the Wall”

- Chucklehead "Big Wet Kiss" (a Boston funk band in the 90s that my friend played trumpet in — funky and funny)

3. Strengths as a player

I’ve only been playing for 6 months, so it’s hard to say, but here are some:

- I *love* practicing every day. I actually look forward to practicing, which was rarely true of my trombone practicing

- I seem to have good relative pitch to repeat phrases and learn licks

- New, developing strength: major triads (I practice them every day)

- Decent theory foundation




- Good taste about what sounds good

- Starting to get basic funk strumming (16th-note patterns) down

4. Weaknesses 



- Not much dexterity yet on the fretboard

- Can’t play very fast



- Not great at muting (left or right), though starting to improve (practicing R37 triad strumming with muting on upstroke has helped tremendously)

- Pressing too hard (chromatic scale exercise is helping)

- Can’t easily slide up and down on multiple strings simultaneously

- Can’t bend strings very well (Tomo lesson is helping)

- Can’t improvise very well (even on trombone) — mostly just play on the blues scale and hope for the best 




5. Gear 


- Fender Player II Telecaster (2025, chambered ash) 


- Spark 2 amp

6. Goals

- Learn to play jazz standards (melody and chords together) and improvise on them
- Learn funk chords, riffs and strumming
- Learn to play blues (including blue solos) on guitar
- Get comfortable playing melodic lines, not just chords
- Get better at muting
- Get better at hearing what I want to play and playing it (I loved the recent July challenge for that reason — I got pretty good at singing the triads before playing them)
- Be able to play classic solo guitar songs like Blackbird, Here Comes the Sun

Awesome Andy! I like to play a telecaster too

Everyone's responses are so great. I wish I could remember what I wrote for these answers back in the day. When I watched the video of yours here Tomo, I didn't feel like you were asking us all to answer the questions. Did you want everyone's feedback on the video alone or everyone to respond to the questionnaire? Watching the video it stood out to me that people are too casual with their responses. It sounded to me that they would contradict themselves. Please correct me if I am wrong. "You have to trust yourself," are words that stood out to me. Being honest where you are is so important. At one point in time I thought I was very disciplined and I am sure on a spectrum I could be considered that. When I dug deep within myself and gained knowledge deeper I realized I was only ignorant. While my discipline is greater now, I still have so much room to grow. It is a constant journey of life we are on.

Thank you, Eunjae Lee, for sharing! I am copying your post at the end of this thread so people can find it more easily :)

Eunjae Lee shared:
Hello Tomo,

Thank you so much for your invaluable content and all that you share through Guitar Wisdom.


About 13 years ago, I applied to an arts high school as a guitar major. For my audition piece, I chose your song, "Just Funky." Unfortunately, I didn't pass, but that was the moment I discovered your YouTube channel, and I've been watching ever since. After that experience, I was afraid to seriously pursue music again.

But I could never give up playing the guitar. All this time, I've kept playing, and every time I do, I feel happy. There’s no special reason; it just brings me joy.
Interestingly, my journey with the guitar led me to learn foreign languages like English and Spanish. Now, I'm currently working in Mexico. In many ways, the guitar has completely changed my life.


That's why I'm excited to learn more from you through Guitar Wisdom. I know from your YouTube channel that your seemingly simple concepts provide incredible inspiration and have a huge impact on my playing.

As part of the course, I'm sharing my self-assessment answers below.

1. List your influences 5

- Paul Gilbert

- Tomo Fujita

- Stevie Ray Vaughan

- Eric Johnson

- John Mayer

2. Favorite CD’s, and list your favorite song from each artists

- Fuzz Universe

- Put On Your Funk Face

- Texas Flood

- Via Musicom

- Where the Light Is

3. What is your strength as a player?

- Playing with attention to detail and dynamics.

- Being mindful of the overall balance within a band.


4. What is your strength as a player?

- Limited stylistic versatility.

- Stuck in the same pentatonic boxes
- Difficulty playing over the chord changes


5. List my Gear

- Fender Road Worn 50’s
- HX Stomp
- TS mini, Vermuram Jan Ray, Shanks, SC Gladio


6.My Goal
- To play a wider variety of styles with more depth
- To master the fundamentals.
- To start busking.


Thank you,

Awesome Eunjae Lee! Happy for you this is exciting to read this. Great influences and favorite cds. What type of road warn guitar is it I am now curious? I haven’t played one before sounds comfortable.
Your goals are so great

Challenging to pick just five influences and albums and songs but here goes:

1. List your influences (5 artists)

Carol Kaye
Tomo Fujita
John McGeoch
Jack White
Victor Wooten

2. 5 favorite CDs and list your favorite song from each artist

Pixies; Doolittle; Number 13 Baby
Siouxsie and the Banshees; Juju; Spellbound
Magazine; The Correct Use of Soap; Philadelphia
Christian Death; Only Theater of Pain; Burnt Offerings
Amy Winehouse; Back to Black; Back to Black

3. What is your strength as a player

Persistence and patience.

4. What is your weakness as a player

Spreading myself too thin. Skipping around to dabble in things that interest or excite me instead of completing what i'm currently working on

Shopping for gear instead of practicing!

5. List your gears, guitars, amps, effects, strings, picks, cables... etc

PRS Silver Sky SE
Orangewood Ava Mohagany
BJF-S66 and OC-EM112C for BJF-S66
Pickboy 1.00 mm
Mogami and Providence cables
Electric and clip on tuners

6. What is you goal (and additional comments)

To play complete songs solo without accompaniment on guitar for my own enjoyment and to entertain friends; to know the the fretboard and understand theory at a deep and musical level; to learn to read music; to be able to figure out how to play a riff or a lick or song that I like when the mood strikes me (within the limits of my ability and sanity); to not fill my apartment with gear that I don't use.

Your name: It's... Ralph!

Thank you for reading!

Hello Tomo-san, thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to reflect and share. I’m happy to introduce myself here.

1) Influences (5 artists):

Char
Nile Rodgers
Eric Clapton
Larry Carlton
Kenji Omura

2) 5 Favorite CDs and your favorite song from each:

Char – Psyche II → All Around Me
Nile Rodgers / David Bowie – Let’s Dance → Modern Love
Eric Clapton – Pilgrim → Circus
Larry Carlton / The Crusaders – Crusaders 1 → Put It Where You Want It
Kenji Omura – Haru ga Ippai → Intensive Love Course

3) What is your strength as a player?

My sense of rhythm and groove, developed from playing drums for many years.
As a special memory, I once had the opportunity to play drums behind Char at a live event, performing Smoky together. That experience gave me even more appreciation for rhythm and groove.

4) What is your weakness as a player?

I just started playing guitar, so I cannot play solos or fast runs yet.

5) List your gear (guitars, amps, effects, strings, picks, cables, etc.):

Guitars: Fender Telecaster, Ibanez S Series, Martin 000-28
Amp: Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb
Effects: Overdrive, delay, compressor, chorus, reverb, tuner
Strings: D’Addario and Martin strings
Picks: Pickboy 1.0 mm, Ultex Jazz III XL, Fender Extra Heavy
Cables: Neutrik, History Pro series

6) What is your goal? (any additional comments):

My goal is to perform at a commemorative live event for my 60th birthday and showcase my guitar playing.
Starting guitar at this age has opened up a completely new world for me. It has made my life much richer, and I feel truly happy. Even though my daily work is very hard and full of pressure, playing guitar has had a positive effect on my work as well.
In the long run, I want to make guitar my lifelong friend — a new challenge for the rest of my life.

Name: Kazufumi　

Hi tomo! Here is my answers:

1. Influences (Only top 5)
- tomo fujita
- mikio fujioka
- yuki kajiura
- marty friedman
- revo

2. cd and song (Only 5)
- Just Funky ---- Tomo Fujita (fast triplet is so cool!)
- akatsuki ---- Babymetal
- hikari to yami no douwa ---- Sound Horizon(Revo)
- dream scape --- yuki kajiura
- illumination --- marty friedman

3. Your strengths as a player
- can remember melody fast
- enjoy many different styles and have a wide range of interests
- enjoy practicing and learning

4. Your weaknesses as a player
- can't master fingerboard
- can't ad-liv well
- always make mistakes when playing

5. Gear list
- Fender Stratocaster Custom Shop 62
- Ampero II Stomp
- Blackstar HT20rh
- Elixir OPTIWEB 1046
- Master 8 Infinix 1.00m

6. Your goal(s)
- Master fingerboard ,play guitar like singing.
- learn to ad-lib
- learn funk guitar

I started watching Tomo’s lessons on the Guitar Magazine channel [ギターは一日して鳴らず] on YouTube. Every episode has been very helpful to me. Thank you, Tomo. And I really like the slogan:Don't worry!Don't compare!Don't expect too fast!Be kind to yourself!

Thank you Han for sharing this.

Thanks so much for including me!

Great! Use your strength to fill your weakness.
1) You can learn melody fast! Then translate that into One String One Finger Approach.
2) You love many styles! Then learn R 3 7 Swing Groove
3) You enjoy practicing & Learning! Then learn triad inversions.

Do all above. 3 topics for everyday.
Maybe 5 to 10 minutes on these 3 items for 90 days.
So you need to have 15 to 30 minutes everyday.

Do these for 90 days. Then you can learn any styles include Funk guitar.
Thank you so much for watching my Guitar Magazine / YouTube videos.

Tomo

Thank you, Mr. Fujita, for sharing these questions. I greatly admire your humility and wisdom. I am learning very much from you. Thank you again.

1. List your influences (5 artists)
a. Neal Schon - Journey Guitarist
b. Ryan Adams
c. Dave Matthews Band
d. Elton John
e. Rush

2. 5 Favorite CDs, and list your favorite song from each artist
a. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John Song: Good Bye Yellow Brick Road
b. Kid A - Radiohead Song: How to Disappear Completely
c. Nazareth - Hair of the Dog, Song: Changing Times
d. Infinity - Journey, Song: Winds of March
e. Look into the Future - Journey, Song: Look into the Future

3. What is your strength as a player?
a. Persistence
b. Love a wide variety of musical styles

4. What is your weakness as a player?
a. impatience
b. going too fast
c. slow performances

5. List your gears, guitars, amps, effects, strings, picks, cables, etc.
a. Guitars
1. PRS Custom 24 SE Left Handed
2. Fender Stratocaster Left Handed
3. CNZ Modified Telecaster Left Handed
b. Amp
1. Fender Deluxe Reverb
c. Effects
1. Peterson Stomp HD
2. TC Bonafide Buffer (2)
3. JHS 424 Gain Stage
4. Greer Black Mountain Crunch Drive
5. Wonderful Audio Techologies Ranges Drive
6. Walrus Audio EB-10 Equalizer
7. EQD Special Cranker
8. EQD Aurelius
9. Old Blood Noise Endeavors Flat Light Phaser
10. Boss DD-8 Digital Delay
11. Strymon Cloudburst
12. Death By Audio Rooms Stereo Reverberator
13. JHS Colorbox
d. strings
1. Stringjoy 9/42
e. picks
1. Ernie Ball Everlast Guitar Picks 0.88

6. What is your goal? (Any additional comments)
1. My goal is to break free from the numbness I feel inside by using the guitar to express my emotions and help me open up my heart after a long period of heartache. Therapy. I don't want to play in front of a crowd, I don't want to be a rock star. I want to be my true self. I think guitar can help me do that.