I just read all.... everyone can teach each others so well! This means, all of you really worked hard and you already got Week1,2,3 so well! So beautiful! Week 4 is really review of G C D triads! I am so happy!
Thank you so much guys!
I am so lucky to have you all here at Guitar Wisdom.
Tomo
W4D1
One amazing thing: I am 100% accurate with my "no look" exercises when I don't have a guitar!
Rewatched Tomo's W4 video twice with eyes closed - this was actually a great visualization exercise for me. Did all of the singing and naming with Tomo and also when he wasn't doing it.
Downloaded a free keyboard app just to support singing exercises. My relative pitch is good and improving, but I cannot accurately sing the root without help. So I only use the app to get me started for D/C/G. Tomorrow I will try to only use for G, then see if I can sing the W4 exercise from there (C and D with no help).
Oh yeah - Musicmaster bass amp is on its way. Had to wait to order to make sure I'm home when it arrives. Tomo - I saw that you are using a voltage regulator for your tube amps. Can you please remind what brand that is? Or even make another recommendation? Thanks!
Great Day 1 with no guitar Clay
Amazing "no looking" accuracy. Even closed the eyes for the videos! Total concentration.
Clay is leading the way!
Kurt
Musicmaster Bass Amp trending
Well done Clay. Great visualizing. I definitely need something to sound the key when I start. Is that what you mean when you say you are not singing the root.
Yes Serena - exactly. Once I have the root, I can do the rest pretty well. But I cannot sing the root accurately without hearing it first. I think maybe when the challenge is over, I will spend some practice time just repeating middle C listening and singing since I know if I can do that without help, I can find the other notes by singing up or down to them. Then, maybe later, I can recognize them later by just hearing the interval from C. Not sure if this is a great approach, but makes sense to me.
Thank you Clay for Week 4 / Day 1.
Your visualazation technique is working so well!
Thanks so much for reeatching Week 4 video 2 times! Great job! Do naming, singing at any times. Thinking feeling recogazing all when you are practicing. No hurry at all. Keep your own pace. No need to play in time. Once you push tempo… then it is not good. Cannot improve because go beyond control range. That’s most guitar players are… so more times to repeat same song… it seems doing well…but normally that person need to work more foundation which is Chromatic 1234 & 1212. R 3 7 Swing groove everyfay so your fingers can reach anywhere on the fretboard and can use less pressure & no noise.
You can make your own Ear Training test. Play 1 4 5 1 in C then wait 3-4 seconds then play one note. Make that for 2-3 minutes.
Recorded and listen that. Then you can train your realtive perfect pitch. Key is a slightly longer pause between chords & single note.
Tomo
Staying in pitch with a piano app, maybe a guitar app is the ticket. Sweet find on an Amp Clay!!
Hi Johno,
I wrote how to make your own Ear Training recording with your guitar.
Tomo
Tomo, I like this idea very much on ear training. :)
Week 4 / Day 1 - slow triads based on G I, IV, V. Posture to get above 12fret more accurately. Lite to no pressure on the thumb, dropped shoulder, strap. G, C, D, triads in 3 places. Not looking at the fretboard board is feeling good! Fitting interval jumps based on second string note with each of the 3 triads - johno
Thank you Johno for Week 4 / Day 1.
Good job on Posture! Very important! Practicing triad inversions on G C D G super slowly. Sustain each for a few seconds. Mute all the strings by right hand palm. Move to next inversions no string noise. no finger noise, no sliding noise. Working on light tough. Soft picking. Less pressure & dancing moving thumbs. Strap on strap off. Not looking the fretboard. Great efforts!
Tomo
Thanks for sharing, Johno! Dropping the shoulder since the November Challenge :) good job staying consistent
Day 1, Week 4. Today I watched week 4 video and took notes. This is what I wrote..
Use 3 inversions all keys
G is key center
Ascend GCD
Think of fingers used, think notes being played, think of inversion 135, 351, 513
Go slow sing soft
Play triads slow and only accending but together
Then go slightly faster
Take notes and share
Everything you do pays off
Electric guitar fixed up and old chord thrown away.
Practice done with amp and electric
1234, 1212 chromatic scale 3 and 4 string accending and descending
I did accending triads slow arpeggiate the notes while light singing. I thought of fingers used, note names and inversion, I sped up just a bit.
Tomorrow I will rewatch and make sure I did not miss anything in my notes.
Lovely evening to you.
Thank you Serena for Week 4 / Day 1.
Thanks so much for rewatching week 4 video and took notes.
Good job. All 3 inversions on 123 set strings. G C D G in key of G. Use imagination & visualization on the fretboard. Thinking name of notes. Intervals. Singing. Ear Training. Feeling each fret TONE. Even same D… 2nd string / 3rd fret or 3rd string / 7th fret… tone is totally different. Fingerings are so important too. Slow and soft. Great efforts!
Electric guitar was fixed! Great to hear. I have so many cables! Good job! Chromatic 1234 & 1212. You can start normal/soft picking to super soft picking… go softer and softer. Triad apreggios are great too. Keep it slow.
Tomo
No-nonsense Day 1! You are putting in the work Serena. The consistency is going to pay off. Just keep doing it!
So happy your guitar and cord are sorted out and you are back in business.
My kitty Coltrane has really been eyeing the yellow Fender guitar cord I got out the other day. The other cord was black, and he never really noticed it. I wonder how they see colors?
Kurt
So good, Serena! Great idea to watch the video again tomorrow and pick up more details. There is always something more to learn, and with Tomo, there is some bit of wisdom to uncover.
Kurt - I would love to see the world through cat eyes! I think they can see blues and yellows well...your guitar cord is proof!
Will do Tomo. Thank you for taking time for us. :)
Thank you Kurt for encouragement!
Consistency is the key!
Lately I play with Dexter & Max at our backyard garden.
They love that very much!
Tomo
I like the list Serena. One item that got me thinking was your comment on 1,3,5 - 3,5,1 and then the 5,1,3. In terms of the musical language, I had to do the transform to solfeg. I must be working in do-mi-so, mi-so- do, and then so-do-mi. Things are sinking in.
Yay John, I love when this happens. You are doing it all now. Yes I sing the do mi so 1,3,5 and think fingering and frets and notes. So much, but so delicious.
tasty triads!
Thank you Johno!
You are doing so great!
Many things are coming along so nice!
Keep going!
Tomo
Week 4 Day 1
• Singing truly helps anticipate the upcoming note (have to compensate down an octave for the high notes and up an octave for the low notes. Geez. Mariah Carey’s job is safe).
• Used blues pattern (1 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 5 4 1 1) for the triads. (no-look! It’s getting better).
• One finger one string for the all three scales while reciting note name and degree. All no-look.
Great start to week 4. We are rolling now.
I've been doing blues patterns with the Triads too, Linda.
Thank you for the update and inspiration.
We appreciate you!
Kurt
Thank you, Mr. Schubert
Mister! No one called me that before I cut my hair off :-)
Thank you, Madam.
Or
In my best Texan:
Thank ya' kindly, Ma'am :-)
Getting polished on those vocal chords Linda!, lol, job security at glass breaking pitch. Nice job working the 3 scales each string not looking, all Major progress :)
Wow, Kurt and Linda and everyone else you are doing amazing. I got a routine yesterday and am sticking to it for a day or two. I feel like I want to get one thing right and then add more. At times I put too much on my plate am learning a less is more at times.
Day 2, week 4: Warmup; improvement in both chromatic scale and Bb swing groove. Thank you so much, everyone, especially Clay and Tomo, for your suggestions and all those super videos posted in this thread. They are all so helpful and encouraging!
After watching all those great videos, including re-watching the Week 4 introductory video:
Practice: I saw improvement here, as well as in the warmup. I worked on all three inversions of all three (G, C, D ) (as per the week 4 introductory video), triads only on the top three strings, focusing on no-look, hearing in my head, and singing the next inversion before I play it and enjoying (instead of being mad) when I miss it by trying to hear whether I was higher in pitch or lower than the target. I noticed I am getting a bit better at it.
From here on out, I think, for me, it is practice, practice, and more practice! However, I think I will try some of those four, five, and six-string, one and two octave triad arpeggios from the FTR 15, 16, 17 series.
Right on Richard, that is A lot.
Thank you Richard for Week 4 / Day 2.
So happy to hear that your Chromatic scale & R 3 7 Swing practice routine is going well.
Actually your post really encouraged me in these area so I am adding a little bit more time on these.
I used to practice Chromatic 1212 & R 3 7 Swing for 10 minutes each. But now I am practicing each item for 15 minutes now!
So I can feel my fingers today! For R 3 7 swing groove. I used to practice Bb Blues, F Blues a lot. Now I am practicing jazz standards like There will never be another you or Stella by starlight. I practice without a metronome. I repeat 7-8 times each.
You’re very welcome! Your posts & your words are gold for us! So much inspiration from you!
Thanks so much for re-watching Week 4 video and all those videso. Great job! Revewing is most effective work than practicing many hours.
Good job. Not looking (this topic is just process… when you perform song.. you can look here and there. This will make you away from staring at the fretboard all the times) 3 inversions on G CD . Top 123 set strings. Singing & thinking in your head before you play. I can show you how to prepare Ear Training recording today.
How to get to Carnegie Hall?
Maybe that’s one of my bucket lists!
Tomo
Hello Richard & Clay, I made this video for you guys and everyone!
I made this idea with my video but acually you make this as a recording. Simply use iphone audio recording.
Please leave your comment on this video.
Thank you.
Tomo
It's busy work, Richard! It's really great to hear your gradual progress in both practice and mindset!
More helpful ear training!
So helpful!
Really important information.
Thank you, Tomo!
Kurt
W4D2:
Started with singing C/D/G scales / triads / notes and solfege. Used keyboard app to help start, but will follow Johno / Tomo advice and make my own guitar ear training before next travel (probably Sept).
Liked how listening to W4 intro with eyes closed felt, so did FTR02 with eyes closed. That lesson is very close to our challenge, but I also practiced (mentally) the I V vi- IV with Emin at the end of the lesson.
Right on Clay, Rocking and a Rollin.
Thank you Clay for Week 4 / Day 2.
Good job! Singing Major Scales in G C D. Triad inversions. Note names. Intervals. I will make that example videso. Much better! Very easy to make it. You can make a new one every 2 weeks. Preparation is very important for learning process. I am so old school. I don’t use any backing tracks (no real band) and any apps.
Good job! Not looking. Playing 3 inversions on 123 set strings. G C D G. Week 4 material. FTR02. Great work!
Tomo
Great work, Clay! Sticking with the listening approach for day 2. Hope your travel has been smooth!
Who got a musicmaster bass? Trending for sure. To who did I felt guilty when I ordered mine a year or so ago. But it has turned out to be great and has already been well worth it to me to experience and is mostly what I use when plugging in.
李jiayang and Clay ordered! Ralph has one. Richard is shopping. I'm trying to resist.:-)
Also, Ken Stewart said Hi to you! Cool performance and a message on this page.
He's doing great!
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/forums/general/70921-older-due-ken-undergoing-right-hand-surgery?page=2
Kurt
Omg where is Ken. I say hi back.
Kurt get on board will ya musicmaster bass amp club. The water is warm
He's in Napa, California! Did you see that video of his backyard and that statue with hummingbirds? He is so cool.
I imagine him playing someday at the Catalina Wine Mixer like the one in the Stepbrothers movie.
Kurt
His backyard looks like Rivendell
I may have to try that Fender Bass Amp. Very cool.
July Challenge Week 4
Day 2
Great day. I adjusted the height of my pickups today! Thanks to Tomo and his helpful video on pickup height.
Staying on course. Today I wanted to go Slow, Not Looking.
Not playing unless I can really know the details and can sing it. Everything! Then play and enjoy!
"Slowing down to have control"
I had a big realization at one point:
When I looked at triad inversions on the other string sets, I realized I don't know them after all these years. Not REALLY know them.
Not like the way I am really absorbing and feeling and learning all triad inversions and notes for D MAJ, CMAJ and GMAJ on the top three strings.
I am going to keep working on these MAJ triads on other string sets just like this. Then minor, diminished and augmented. In all keys.
Not expecting too fast.
Just believing.
Kurt
Outstanding enthusiasm Kurt, going into the beyond of diminshed and augmented! Only at Guitar Wisdom. Triads, triads, triads. - johno
Right on Kurt on not expecting just believing. I second that.
100% agree with your realization, Kurt. I wasn't a member for the November challenge, so this is my first. But one of the best things to come from it so far is "learning how to learn." I need to go back to some things after this challenge - will follow your plan.
Thank you Kurt for Week 4 / Day 2.
So happy to hear that you had a great day! I did too! I just started recording reference videos for my new book. Originally it was a CD comes with this book. Now 2025 so why not to make all videos and post them as unlisted videos at my YouTube channel. I made 13 videos yesaterday. 41 more videos to go before end of this month. This book will help you my GW much deeper! More philosophy book than guitar instrictional book. That’s why Hal Leonard didnot take when Rittor Music offter this book in English. I am so glad that it didnot happen!
Good job! Changed the height of pickups. You’re very welcome! So happy to hear that Kurt. Go slow. Not looking! I just posted Slow Blues with my Fender SRV sig Stratocaster with the Grinning Dog Funkmaster Pickups set. Fender Blues Jr. that I bought is a few years ago! Finally opened it! (4-5 years ago).
Great realization! Thanks for sharing. This is exactly why I don’t use tabs & backing tracks. I don’t entertain you! This is so good! First you need limit like July Challenge: only top 3 strings set. Then go for other string sets later.
So great to hear this Kurt! Now you are mastering the fretboard by yourself!
When people are seeking for a map of the fretboard… already thinking wrong way!
People tends to use their own common sense to apply on guitar playing.
Now you know why I love triads so much!
And One String approach!
Yes.
Don’t expect too fast!
Be patient!
Don’t ask questions too fast!
Trusting yourself!
Tomo
Thank you Johno!
No need to go learing minor, Dim, Aug triads yet.
Major triads will help many others later.
Do not rush!
Slowly!
Tomo
Tonight practiced 10 minutes chromatic scale. Switching from 1234 and 1212… I hit the 10 minute mark and stopped.
Then I went back to descending on g triads. I don’t know why but I like to descend right now. Third string was a focus. Also name of notes.
Feeling better about string 1 and 2 note names as of late. Really circling the wagons on string three. Once Tomo said B is Gtriad first inversion on string three have never forgot since. I don’t know why it did but that one stuck. Very grateful. No rush. No expecting anything.
Well done Jeffery.
Nice work Jeffrey!
I've been spending time on string three too.
Working toward knowing the note names/interval degree of all three notes in each triad without hesitating.
Not there yet.
We keep going!
Kurt
"I hit the 10-minute mark and stopped." Way to put limitation in action! You got it Jeffrey, no rush, not expecting...then suddenly something clicks and it feels like a happy accident.
Thanks Sammi!
Thank you Jeffrey!
Good job! Chromatic scale 1234 & 1212 for 10 minutes. Now I practice this for 15 minutes! That’s what I exactly do with my job. This replying thing from 9:00am to 11:00am. Thanks for waiting! I would love to write back but I only do in my time frame. This way no rush. No frustration.
Good job! G triad inversions. Name of notes. Interval. Singing soft. Do Mi So… Ear Training. Slow. Slower. Soft. Softer. Less pressure.
Do more Major scale. 3 patterns. Each string: 1st string. 2nd string and 3rd string. Great Ear Training if you don’t look at the fretbaord at all. Not looking! Look/stare at the object.
Yes! Great! No rush. More review!
Tomo
Week 4 / Day 2 - Single string intervals. Starting at Do for 1st string, 1st inversion (G), 2nd string 2nd inversion Do (C), 3rd string 2nd inversion So (A) with intervals up the triad [M3, m3, P4] Do, Do & starting from So [P4, M3, m3] intervals. Not looking 8)-johno
To be honest, Johno, I had to ask Tomo what this meant while he was working on a tomato plant. You're doing great with the intervals on each string!
Thank you Johno for Week 4 / Day 2.
Good work! One String / One Finger approach. Intervals. Ear Training.
So happy to hear that. Great thinking on G C D triad inversons on 1st string, 2nd string and 3rd string. Then all 123 set strings. You can review more on Majot scale. Thinking name of notes. Intervals. Singing softly. Ear Training on any single string.
So one take away from July Challege is that you can study your One String / One Finger approch with Not Looking! on all strings super slowly and do as much as you needed! Do a lot this after July Challenge.
Then if you make your own 1451 then play one note / Ear Training recording. Much better than apps! Because you need to prepare and think a lot.
Tomo
Thank you Sammiu for your honesty!
As a guitar teacher, I need to transrate my student's words deeply.
Not just reading these actual words but also I picture what's going on so I transrate more deeply! That's why I need to read all the words but I don't just believe only words. I need to seek behind those words!
I think I did a good job on Tomato plants that Beth's request!
Tomo
We have our pepper plants that go seed to table hot sauce. Everything is water by hand. We take turns, I feed and trim the plants. And there there are Courtney's flowers, holy smokes!! I don't dead head. Lots of outdoor time in the summer. Triads get some mental practice too this summer, tranquility!! - johno
Thank you Johno for sharing your summer time planting work!
Our tomatos are doing so well! I need to take care of them a little in this afternoon.
Triads are so good!
Tomo
Week 4, Day 2. I eagerly pulled out my electric. I have my treble turned up all the way. I seem to have no fret buzz going up and down chromatic scales 1234, 1212. I will say that when I was playing my acoustic last month I did not even know what fret buzz I was listening for. Tomo had to point it out to me. I may need a second set up ears to assure I am doing this correct. Tomorrow I will use dynamics as Tomo suggested. very soft to soft softness. I did set my timer for 10 mins for this and stopped chromatics right away when timer went off. I watched FTR 15 and FTR 16. Tomorrow I will watch level 3/17. I took notes on both videos. I wrote down note names, fingering and intervals. I am very excited to practice these arpeggios tomorrow. I liked when Tomo said we must understand the mechanical part to these before we put them in creative action.
I practiced a long time this evening. I did some ear training Do Re Mi, Re Mi Fa, Mi Fa So in keys C and G. I did my similar routine to last night. This is playing slow triads arpeggiate and sing soft the notes. I sped up the triads just a hair.
I am curious Tomo if you do time blocking throughout your whole day and if so how well it works for you? I usually do not set a timer for the rest of my practice time. Just wondering what you recommend for someone who does get easily distracted, unfocused at times. (not necessarily with my practice). Thank you much.
Hi Serena! Great job developing a routine to limit distractions!
A timer works for me too. So smart to watch the videos and take notes.
I'm still trying to really limit myself for this one month. It's nice to not be spinning around chasing all the things I want to learn.
Looking forward to getting back to the other things I need to work on in August.
So nice to be getting somewhere and still smiling!
Kurt
I follow you with the working on better structure and time management Serena. All good advice across the board. I get to write in My notebook during the day and practice at nite! Arppegios have so much going on in those lessons. I really learned a lot there and still am. Degree and usage are heavy practice for only a limited time ~10min is the biggest bite I can chew on with arpegios. Great practice day Serena!!
Hey Serena! If you need a second set of ears, you can always record yourself and share with the group :)
Regarding the timer and time management, I find that using a timer can be really helpful. It gently encourages me to stay focused on what I'm doing, and if I start to drift, it nudges me back on track. Another great thing is "limitation" - Trusting that 10 minutes is enough and that I can pick up again tomorrow helps me relax and build a steady, consistent habit.
For anyone who tends to get distracted easily or feels unfocused at times, like Johno, using a notebook to jot down notes can be so beneficial. Having notes to refer to help to regain focus and stay organized. You've said the notebook in front of you has helped, so keep that up!
Thank you Kurt for supports.
Johno, thank you, unfortunately, I put 2 or more hours a night here and still feel I can't keep up. So many videos, techniques, responses. I want to keep up though.