Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Thank you Yuki for joining Guitar Wtsdom! Welcome! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

First, Don’t worry! Nothing is “never too late” You can make it happen with your patient and clear paths to follow.

Be careful on researching on internet, AI and YouTube … bvecause there are many wrong information there so “Search” could come from wrong information with very smooth explanation so you would buy it! Be careful!

I highly recommend these lessons to understand “HOW TO LEARN” rather than “WHAT TO LEARN”

1) FT01 Simple Chromatic Scale Exercise 1233 (Learn this with less pressure, soft picking etc)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/ft01-simple-chromatic-scale-exercise-1-2-3-4

2) ET01 C Major Scale (One String One Finger Approach/Name Of Notes/Intervals/Singing Do Re Mi)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/et01-c-major-scale

3) ET12 Major Triad (Learn inversions One String Approach first with intervals not shapes and no noises!)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/music-theory-i/videos/et12-major-triads

4) FB Blues Shuffle Bassline (Play it slowly without any noises)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/foundation-core-music-lessons/videos/fb-blues-shuffle-bassline

5) FT Root 3rd 7th Swing Groove Technique (Left hand muting technique and learn R 3 7 chords)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/foundation-core-music-lessons/videos/ft-root-3rd-7th-swing-groove-technique

Please enjoy your guitar journey.

Tomo

Hi Tomo-sensei,

Thank you very much for your kind and heartfelt reply! It's very encouraging. I also appreciate your recommendation of the lesson videos.

I'm a complete beginner on the guitar. So I also think that too much information from various sources on the internet might not be helpful (or could even be harmful for a beginner like me...), as I cannot judge what is right at this stage.

Following your advice, I practice chromatic exercises every day slowly and softly with my electric guitar (using a clean sound with an amp!). It's so fun when I can play the right note without any noise or buzzing. And it's so satisfying when I get a smooth connection between notes while moving my fingers. It's not easy. I make mistakes a lot, but I try to enjoy the process.

What I've also found out is that rhythm is extremely important, and I realize that I’m not very good at rhythm. So I bought a metronome. And I practice your picking exercise every day. I also feel great when I sometimes succeed in playing your R 8 b7 5 and R 5 b7 8 blues exercise in good rhythm.

For me, the fretboard looks magical! I hope your triad lessons will take me into a new world of harmony. I'm sure it will take me a long time, but I think learning guitar is like learning a new language.

Thank you again for your encouragement!

Best,
Yuki

So amazing to hear your story, Yuki! Thank you for sharing and diving into Guitar Wisdom. You are in the right place :)

You’re very welcome Yuki! So happy to hear that very much.

Internet is very useful when you know what exactly you know/want… yet… there are many wrong information as pretending like as if correct information so AI can gather all wrong information. So you need to decide what to take.

Simplicity is very important. Do not rush when you are making something very valuable like this. Good job! Sounds great!

Yes! Rhythm is more important than pitches! I was not good at rhythm at all! Listening music deeply as musician and you can work on tapping rhythm too.

Guitar is simply so amazing!

Tomo

Hi George!

Thank you very much for your helpful information. I really appreciate it, as I wasn't aware of the livestreams.

I’m looking forward to exploring the forums and learning from everyone here. I’ll keep practicing the fundamentals slowly, try to stay relaxed while I play, and above all enjoy the process.

Best,
Yuki

Welcome and nice to meet you Shaun! It's uber-duper tough to handle heavy work and family, yet you find time for guitar - which is fantastic!

I'm starting out new and probably won't be helpful. But I'd love to tag along with your journey here!

Perhaps enjoy this song by Tomo: Kyoto, as my welcoming gift (we were just talking about its key in another post.)

Hugo

Thank you ShaunR! Welcome to Guitar Wisdom! I have taught many students at Berklee since 1993! You can take your time and your pace at Guitar Wisdom. No need to push yourself too much. Be kind to yourself and Don’t worry! Good Dad for your family! Job and taking care of children… a lof of work! That’s so great to hear that! Just in case, please watch the first lesson at Essential Music Theory section. Foundation is super important! Yes, you can learn from GW video lessons and you can enjoy your playing with tastefully and melocically! Deep listening! Please enjoy your guitar journey!

Tomo

Thank you Hugo for your sweet welcome! Thanks for sharing my song KYOTO! That melody... I had to learn it and built it tastefully, melodically with bending technique and dynamics. A lot of triads, some tasty arpeggios that not too big. Keep it simple!

Tomo

Hi, Shaun! I'm in a similar boat: raising twins in Massachusetts, working, trying to squeeze in playing among all my other responsibilities. I'm coming back to guitar after decades away, and it sounds like you have a better base in theory than I do; I'm focusing on getting consistent practice time and working my way through the basics. I find I know the headlines ("This is a C chord") but I'm filling in a lot of gaps with the details (alternate picking, the difference between a 9th and a sus2, etc.) and it feels good to be learning and not just guessing.
(Also, how fun is it that "practice" means we get to hug this thing that buzzes in ways that tickle our brains?)

Thank you Sara for subscribing Guitar Wisdom! Welcome! Now you can learn guitar playing again. We do a lot of detials with very slow pace so you can do with your own pace.

You’re very welcome and thanks so much for watching my YouTube channel! That’s like my fun hobby! So happy to hear that you thought I explained things very well. Thank you! I wish that subtitles here… but we don’t have that here.

Definitely you can start with your foundation and techniques. Maybe you can pick a few lessons and stay focus on those for a while. I can list up a few ideas for you. Thanks so much for sharing and asking!

I highly recommend these lessons to understand “HOW TO LEARN” rather than “WHAT TO LEARN”

1) FT01 Simple Chromatic Scale Exercise 1233 (Learn this with less pressure, soft picking etc)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/ft01-simple-chromatic-scale-exercise-1-2-3-4

2) ET01 C Major Scale (One String One Finger Approach/Name Of Notes/Intervals/Singing Do Re Mi)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/et01-c-major-scale

3) ET12 Major Triad (Learn inversions One String Approach first with intervals not shapes and no noises!)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/music-theory-i/videos/et12-major-triads

Please enjoy your guitar journey.

Tomo

Welcome, Sara!

Further to Tomo's suggestions above, remember to do the one string one finger approach across all strings. I/We have some threads on ET01 (first 1-2 pages of the forum) and Tomo has additional insights for us, since a couple of us joined recently. Be sure to check them out - they will make the practice well-rounded and likely tackle similar questions.

The more we understand and are familiarized with the C Major, the easier we can deduce what's going on for other modes, keys and chords. For example, I now have no trouble understanding (or close to constructing) simple minor triads and 7th chords (because you will realize basic music theory's like simple math formula). I don't exactly know what they are for - but they are sure popular or common in all modern songs and genres, so we have to piggybag all of them "sticks/ yummy carrots" for later use. Just 1 - 1.5 month (on and off) since I joined, who would've guessed!

Practise slow, and we actually improve faster!

Hugo

Hi Steven! I'm so glad you found us :)
Thank you for sharing your background. I love how you connected this to skiing - the fundamentals are where it's at.

To your question about integrating everything, I’d suggest keeping it simple:
Use the book as a guide and let it help you focus. Then use the lessons here to go deeper into that same topic, rather than jumping around. For example, if you're just beginning Chapter 5 on Triads, I'd suggest going back a step to studying C Major Scale (there is a lot to absorb in Tomo's lesson here: https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/et01-c-major-scale).

Tomo recently called these materials a triad - the Guitar Wisdom lessons, book, and community forum. They work together. The community piece is just what you’re already doing! Sharing, asking questions, and eventually posting videos when you’re ready - that will keep you going.

If more questions come up, feel free to start a new thread. More people tend to check the first page of threads in the forum than this pinned one.

Sammi

Nice to meet you Steven. I'm a beginner who joined recently too. I've been working on triads and other beginner topics. As Sammi suggested, C Major Scale (one string one finger approach) is highly relevant (or you can say, "bundled") because it connects us with the intervals of Do Mi Sol (Root, 3rd, 5th), the starting note of the triads and their inversions (and bunch of other reasons).

It will be painstakingly slow but I'm sure it's rewarding. All great musicians learn/know lots about triads (recent example is Mateus Asato).

Having platforms are great, but keeping things simple might be a good idea. I practised long hours but it's at most 2 - 3 Tomo's topics daily. Repeated but short runs may be helpful. It is hard for me to strike a good balance if I spend equal time on other materials/platforms.

Hugo

Hi Steven! Welcome to Guitar Wisdom! So happy to hear that you have read my book Guitar Wisdom!

Thank you so much! Good job on Chapter 5 Triads. I wrote this book in 2010 in Japanese. Sammi and I updated so you can read same topic if you are interested. Just like our Guitar Wisdom. You don’t need to fo lesson 1 to lesson 10. You can follow by any topic and you can read book too. You should read Essential Theory ET01 Major Scale and you should practice Chromatic scale and please look at ET12 Major Triad. Check these links.

1) FT01 Simple Chromatic Scale Exercise 1233 (Learn this with less pressure, soft picking etc)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/ft01-simple-chromatic-scale-exercise-1-2-3-4

2) ET01 C Major Scale (One String One Finger Approach/Name Of Notes/Intervals/Singing Do Re Mi)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/et01-c-major-scale

3) ET12 Major Triad (Learn inversions One String Approach first with intervals not shapes and no noises!)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/music-theory-i/videos/et12-major-triads

Then you can go jump around at Guitar Wisdom lessons. Plesae use “Search” function too.

Good job! You know things very well! Thanks for sharing your guitar learning experiences. It is very useful.
Thank you so much! You’re a Ski instructor! You understand about good solid foundation. Record yourself is the best tool for improving yourself. I do this everyday.

You’re very welcome! Please enjoy your guitar journey!

Tomo

Thanks, Tomo.
I recorded myself playing triads today, and boy was it illuminating!
I could see my eyes going back and forth between the neck and the bridge.
I am fine playing one string, one finger, staring at a spot in the wall, but it’s a lot harder doing that while playing triads!
Also, I am starting the Bill Leavitt sight reading book, and it really does dovetail nicely with triads.

My pleasure Steven. Good job! Recording yourself is best way to learn and improve!

Triads are so good! Please keep going!

Tomo

Thank you Ben! Welcome back to Guitar Wisdom. Great timing! Now we have Guitar Wisdom E-Book and GW Essential Theory section lessons are all new! Thank you for sharing your guitar learning experience.

So sorry to hear your loss. Even simple rhythm guitar part with “power chord” you can make it funky! You can add more twist and spices on top of what you already have. Hope you find another joy in learning guitar.

Jazz, bebop and fusion. There are a lot of fun choices and ideas on chords, phrasing. Maybe you should learn R 3 7 / R 7 3 chords and learn, practice Blues, Jazz Blues and a few standards like Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves, All Of Me, There will never be another you… etc.

You’re very welcome! We love to make people happy, smile with guitar.

Tomo

We are so happy to have you back, Ben! One other installment, I guess you could call it, is a monthly livestream for the Guitar Wisdom community. Here is a link to the schedule with instructions on how to watch: https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/forums/general/77862-livestream-schedule-march-may-2026
Thanks for being here and sharing your journey :)

Cool beans! It's great to see them scheduled in a way that works for my time zone! I'll make sure to stop by on May 9. Thanks! :-)

Hi Jeffrey, thanks for the recommendation! Right now, I am really drawn to Scofield's "Still Warm." I love love love "Virtuoso" by Joe Pass, but also Wes Montgomery's work on "Smoking at the Half Note" really tickles my brain in a certain way. Another favorite of mine is "Visions of the Emerald Beyond" by Mahavishnu Orchestra, John McLaughlin was one of my gateways to jazz fusion.

Thank you Adrian for your introduction. Thank you so much for your kind words!

I love BB King too! You should challenge “Bb Blues Soloing Etude” for phrasing, time feel, space and chord tone (triads and 7th chord arpeggios. You can prepare your blues soloing. Thrill is gone ’s intro solo! That’s a great exmaple too.

Thank you for sharing your playing experience. That’s normal. I didn’t have a great time feel at all when I started playing guitar. But I practiced my basic rhythm guitar with a metronome. That was when I discoverd how terrible my time feel was! So noticoing own weakness with positive way is good.

Thank you for sharing your playing video. Can you play this song’s chord progression?
A few tips. You can start from “pickup phrase” There is a great pickup phrase like BB King … CH M3 5 M6 R… if you hear this you can recoganize. Or You can wait a few bars then play. For IV chord …you can play more minor pentatonic (in that key) or chord tone / triad notes. You can analize yourself on your own playing so you can prepare something for next time,

Please listen this…
Bb Blues Soloing Etude
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/fb-bb-blues-soloing-etude
FB Bb Blues Soloing Etude
I highly recommend these lessons to understand “HOW TO LEARN” rather than “WHAT TO LEARN”

1) FT01 Simple Chromatic Scale Exercise 1233 (Learn this with less pressure, soft picking etc)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/ft01-simple-chromatic-scale-exercise-1-2-3-4

2) ET01 C Major Scale (One String One Finger Approach/Name Of Notes/Intervals/Singing Do Re Mi)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/et01-c-major-scale

3) ET12 Major Triad (Learn inversions One String Approach first with intervals not shapes and no noises!)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/music-theory-i/videos/et12-major-triads

4) FB Blues Shuffle Bassline (Play it slowly without any noises)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/foundation-core-music-lessons/videos/fb-blues-shuffle-bassline

5) FT Root 3rd 7th Swing Groove Technique (Left hand muting technique and learn R 3 7 chords)
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/foundation-core-music-lessons/videos/ft-root-3rd-7th-swing-groove-technique

Please enjoy your guitar journey.

Tomo