Tadashi, I have to say you have grown so much as a guitarist! Thank you for always being willing to share your videos with us and communicate on this forum. You bring so much inspiration and joy!
Thank you, Sammi!
I'm so happy to hear that!
"Guitarist"! That's embarrassing.
Thank you for your great encouragement and support!
I just made this video response to Rich's question about my right hand palm muting on the 3rd string / Blue Monk melody.... 1st and 2nd melody phrase. You can see my left hand thumb position too. PS. I alos use my left 1st finger tip to mute one string above.
Please leave your feedback on this video. Thank you.
Tomo
Thank you for this deep dive on muting!
We need to use both hands.
Super-duper helpful!
Kurt
Thank you Tomo.
So you are palm muting!
I haven’t been doing that on the higher strings.
Something else to be mindful of!
You're very welcome Kurt! Yes! Both hands and do as much as needed.
Tomo
You're very welcome Rich!
Yes! Try it.
Tomo
Like the muting everywhere Tomo, not a stray string vibration around. I end up shifting from my finger pads to the finger tips depending. I sometimes use the pad of my fingers more than not, so my articulation in hammer ons, pull-offs, and string bending is not great. I like this muting advice. - johno
I wanted to post where I’m at 3 weeks into practicing Blue Monk. I’m playing my single coil G&L strat through my new Fender MusicMaster Bassman. The amp is at 6 my guitar is at 8. There’s quite a bit of hum from the amp. The metronome is super slow at 50bpm. Still some mistakes but I’m human!
Oh yes! Thanks for this great demonstration, Richard.
I love seeing Melody 2! I'm working on it.
You are really paying attention and incorporating the important details Tomo is teaching us.
Thank you for leading the way and setting a great example for us.
Kurt
That does feel slow at 50 bpm, patience and focus Rich, real practice. I might have to take it down a notch to try it out. Good to hear melody 2 play through. I was working to practice melody 1 then straight to melody 2 then to R37. I think I will slow it down for the extra space like your example. - johno
Thanks Johno.
I had a hard time playing THAT slowly for a while.
Took some practice.
I think I will bump it up to 60 bpm next time tho.
Wow, Rich, what a great performance! Clean tone, precise rhythm, and even the etudes! I love your playing. I'll try the etudes too. Keep going!
Thank you Kurt for encourgament! So great to hear that Melody 2! Great job Rich!
Tomo
Thank you Rich! I can hear everything so clearly! Don't worry a little mistakes. Good job! It sounds so good! Now you can hear which note is a little loud so you can work on. Now your finger picking is pretty loud so you can practice softer picking. This part is super hard! But your Musicmaster Bass Amp will help you. Solo Etude is also you can pick softer espeially those 3rd & 7th ... you can pick them very soft. This is so good! Thanks so much for your efforts! I love it! For that amp hum... you can move your amp position or move your guitar direction so that you will get less jum.
Tomo
Thank you for your quick response!!
I will keep working and post in another 3 weeks.
You're very welcome! One of my Berklee students didn't show up so I could write. Thanks so much for posting your performance video! Keep working! Picking dynamics is so deep!
Tomo
This is the truth.
I have not watched it.
Am I even worthy to watch this; I feel like I’m right there with you, before you posted. This is post profoundly inspirational to me. If you can do it, I can do it too my friend! Thank you for your fearless example!
I am learning so much from this place Tomo has built! Very lucky, very cool.
Amazing, amazing, good job, Serena! I can really see how hard you've worked.
It's so cool to see you playing the guitar standing up!
Sometimes I slow down Tomo's demo performances to 0.5x or 0.75x speed and play along with him. It's fun and I learn a lot.
Let's work hard together!
Awe thank you Sunil. Took some guts to post but that's because I'm butchering the song and cutting off measures in places. I'm not supposed to compare but everyone's takes have been nothing less than amazing. You all are a guitar family. Thanks again.
Thank you Sunil, Tadashi and Clay for encouragement and apprecaition!
This is so beautiful! What a great inspiration! Serena is so brave for sharing this.
Love all Guitar Wisdom family! We are working together! Be patient and looking forwrad to our guitar journey!
Tomo
Just in case..... here we go!
I made this video for you. This way I practice Blue Monk Melody or any melody.... just keep repeating as many as you can with sharp focus! I also showed my back of the neck (my left hand thumb position) Very important part. Thank you for watching.
Please review this vide and leave your feedback.
Tomo
Thank you!
Lots of great stuff here. It's fun to really focus.
This time I finally have figured out how long to hold the last note before starting another round.
We're getting somewhere with your help!
Kurt
You're very welcome Kurt! When I practice one thing... I repeat many many times! So I can learn something. Great to hear that... this way you hear many times and you will notice something that you didnot notice before.
Glad to be helpful!
Tomo
I also noticed that when we softly play that F note on the 5th string, we use our 2nd finger in the beginning and the pinky toward the end. Softly.
Kurt
Dynamics and feeling and beyond!
I noticed that too! Tomo switches to the pinky on the 5th string F when that note gets gets held, I think so he can mute the 6th string with other fingers.
For me, it feels more natural to use the 3rd finger, and I can still mute the 6th string with fingers 1 & 2. Is there a disadvantage to doing it that way?
Thank you for taking the time Tomo to direct us to the right path. I have noticed my thumb having a brain of its own at times. I will make sure to be more conscientious of the placement during all parts. I think this will help make sure I hit the correct notes. The positive thing is I am noticing something to improve on each time. We all know nothing before we know something. Amazing work Tomo.
Serena
Love this.
I need to go back to the beginning. :)
True Wisdom!
Never a bad idea to go back. Or slow down.
The new book is helping me see the bigger picture.
Kurt
Yes! Snuil! My karate teacher told me... Do 1 ... to 10 Record yourself! You will disappoint your playing... so go back to 1! I love that!
Tomo
Thank you Kurt! I always want to go back to 1!
Great idea for me! Thanks so much for reading my new book Guitar Wisdom!
Tomo
I think it’s your idea Maestro!!
Haha!
Thank you for showing us the way…now I will start hahaha can’t stop starting again…ah this was by the point…I see now :)
Dear Guitar Wisdom community,
I wanted to share my contribution to the "Blue Monk Challenge" and express my gratitude to everyone involved in making this thread such a valuable resource.
A huge thanks to Eiji for initiating this wonderful challenge, and to Richard, Tadashi, John, and Serena for your videos! An especially big thank you goes out to Tomo and Sammi for taking the time to share encouragement, comments, and those extremely valuable additional video which contain so many great advice. This has truly become a super rich thread!
Here is my attempt at the challenge:
Here are my key takeaways and challenges from practicing this piece:
- Rhythm and Counting: It was challenging to execute the melody twice in a row cleanly (easier with the chords). My biggest hurdle was the last bar of the theme, where the melody re-enters on the second beat. Getting that initial count locked in took a considerable amount of focused practice. I was so focused that I even forgot to say my name in the video before starting to play... :-)
- Dynamics: In the video, I tried to incorporate a baseline level of dynamics. My next practice step will be focusing on the exercise Tomo demonstrated: playing the theme three times in a row, getting noticeably quieter each time to really push my control, same for the chord.
- Avoiding Ornamentation (The Mindfulness Exercise): I naturally gravitate towards adding slides and vibrato. I still did this in the video, I think. However, to truly master the melody, I want to keep the performance as clean as possible first. Avoiding these habits is much more difficult than I expected—a real mindfulness exercise!
Thanks again to all!
Yay Thomas. Funky. I loved your interpretation. I noticed the extras you effortlessly added. Well done. I appreciate your participation with us. It keeps the journey interesting. Keep going.
So good Thomas!
You sound fantastic. Love seeing that PRS!
Very subtle how you hid that pick like a magician before some very tasty comping!
Thanks for sharing.
Kurt
Awesome Thomas! Thanks for sharing - sounded really good. Thanks for sharing your takeaways and challenges too. I'm also trying to eliminate embellishments, but if it's longer than a quarter note, I can't help adding vibrato! Still working it...
Real nice Thomas.
Very consistent and you were definitely feeling the groove.
Great job!
Thank you Thomas for posting your video! Wonderful playing! You can play that form really well. Thanks so much for sharing your takeaway from this Blue Monk Challenge. So happy to hear that!
A few things you can work on. (Others too!)
1) Melody part. Yout thumb position could use more efforts. Thumb position placement. You can watch my demo video for that.
2) Melody 4th bar… sustain those notes a little more.
3) No vibrato on any notes for this melody.
4) You can pick a little softer & you can practice slower tempo too.
5) Comping… You went a little early! Please check it.
6) Comping … those notes are too short. Relax more!
7) Comping .... more triplet swing feeling (You want to play it with slower tempo)
Overall! Great job! Keep working!
Tomo
Let me share my problem. I often make a mistake when I go to the melody2 I.sometimes count a bit short. Does anybody has same problem?
Eiji Tatsumi
Thank you Eiji for sharing your video. For practice purpose, maybe you can play a little tighter on that Bb note (Pickup phrase) before a melody 2 (End of 4) Oveall sounds good! Great job! Melody 2... you can use softer fills with 3rd&7th.
Tomo
Thank you very much Eiji! It's a great day when you play for us.
I always think you really demonstrate the many, many details beautifully when you play.
I like to hear what Tomo notices that I am totally oblivious to.
Pure golden guidance from Tomo. Being here is like winning the lottery.
So important to record ourselves.
Keep shining!
Kurt
Love this performance, Eiji — thank you so much for sharing it! And yes, even though I have played Blue Monk a million times (including many decades playing it on trombone) I found that I was miscounting the very end. In my case, I would be one beat late coming into the next chorus, which might be different from you. I am finding it helps me to remember that the second to last note (the Db) is on the 1.
BTW, I noticed you played it mostly without looking at the fretboard. That is my goal, but I am so far away!
Wow, Eiji, it's amazing that you can play without even looking at the fretboard! It's such an inspiration. Thank you! Keep going!
Thank you Andy for sharng your side with Eiji!
Blue Monk is simple yet a little complicated song! Great song to learn it deeply!
Thank you for encouragement! Please keep going! More fun!
Tomo
Sounds great Eiji! I'm still trying to nail the solo etude, so I haven't started learning melody 2/3 yet. But one thing that has helped me with timing is to switch to 2/4 backbeat on the metronome. For some reason, I get a better "feel" that way - things just swing better. So if you are doing 70bpm, maybe try 35bpm with 2/4 backbeat. I hope that is helpful.
Thank you Clay for suggestions. This way (with a metoronome on each beat.... very difficult to do!) Definitely easier on 2&4 for feeling. You can move your body and feel triplet feel more deeper.... will help. Practice slower is great too. Metronome at 50-60
Tomo
Thank you Thomas for your kind word and challenge.