Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Thank you guys! I thought I want to share this idea. It's simple! Major Scale form and you can practice like this. Please try it and let me know your reaction with these exercises.

Tomo

Great! Thanks Kurt for watching this video. In 3rds (Do Mi Re Fa) are very useful for soloing.

Good job! I am gonna practice soon! You're very welcome!

Very special Monday!

Tomo

Actually I thought today is Monday! I worked a lot of things!

Tomo

Just in case.... you missed to see this video (Last page was very long!!!)

Finally I made Four Four Alternate Picking Challenge (basic version) here. Before that... I pointed out a few things to pay attention too and please review those details on techniques. Thank you so much for your patient!

After you practice Four Four for a few weeks....then you can try this challenge.
1) Counf off, play notation B then continue to play notation B as one unit.
2) Tempo setting. 40, 60, 80 and 100 (2&4)
3) As you go faster, your picking should be softer. (very difficult)

If you can not keep up with any parts (Tempo, fingerings or picking), do not continue... stop playing it and go back to beginning (slower tempo)

Tomo

Hey Tomo!

Thanks for posting these videos. I have the book this exercise comes from, do you recommend after spending ample time working on the 7 attacks per measure to continue to 6, 5, 4... and so on?

Thank you

Thank you Serena! Tone is 5-7 is good. So great to hear your Musicmaster Bass Amp!

2nd, 3rd bars... You need to sustain a 1/4 note. So please read each bar and check which note is longer to sustain. Rhythm was good! (Top Part) You need to read all top part all the way down. Your rhythm is a little swinging so please play straight.

Two things. Please watch my example video a few more times and after you made any challenge video, go back to see my example video so that you can understand "Form" and specific "Feel" and each duration of notes. Your alternate picking was great!

I think you did read first 4 bars. Top part then bottom part.

Tomo

Awesome Serena. Great work. Music master bass amp club, let’s go! Looking to get a brown box myself following your earlier post.
Have a good one.
Jeff

I have a question - took a screenshot of the four four alternate picking exercise, but was working on mostly the Method for Guitar book so I didn’t really get going on it. When I did, I just read the notes and started practicing them all in the first position. Then I watched the video again and noticed that the fingering/position was different than the way I was playing it…. How do you know from just looking at the notes on the page to play it position further up the neck like the video?

Thank you John. This case you can play C Major Scale from 5th string root or 6th string root. So technichally any position is okay.

But think about effectiveness on string thickness and picking technique. I did choose 5th string root. This way you need to pick from 5th string to 3rd string so you can work on 3 different thickness of strings.

By the way, this page is from "Melodic Rhythm Guitar" Rhythmic sight-reading. Please don't buy a book! Only this page is super important!

Okay?

Tomo

Yes - that's the page I have from the screen shot. Thank you for clarifying this. There is definitely an added dimension playing these 3 wound strings - it requires more stretched hand position, thumb position and palm muting practice (similar to the chromatic scales) to kill the string noise on top of counting and reading the notes and rests!

I have been spending a lot of time the last several weeks with the Modern Method for Guitar book - the alternate picking exercises and reviewing all the previous pages. Then I put the four-four page on the stand. A typical session right now includes - Chromatic scales (all down pick, alternate picking, vertical with metronome 40 BPM); one finger one string singing C scale, F scale and sequences; then the Method Book (Sea to Sea, Imitation Duet, Sharps and Flats, Eighth note exercises - work on one and review (with metronome - the fastest probably 60 BPM I think - I'd have to look at my notes). Then a jot down some notes about the session.

I also enjoy doing some of the exercises in the morning (chromatics, four - four) so in the evening I can focus on other things. Basically, a short session in the morning (probably 20 min.) and 45 min. to 1:00 in the evening working on ear training, and the Leavitt book. I learned all the C triads some time ago over many months - horizontal and vertical, but I decided to take a step back to the one finger one string because I felt I was missing something - maybe falling into shapes. Basically, I reassessed when I bought your book and I have held off on moving forward fully to the triad section. I'm generally shaping my program based on the sequence of chapters in your book.

That said, I have attempted to play CAGED shapes and I find a lot of them very difficult to finger - basically all of them accept the E shape. I would say the A shape too, but I found that I can't play that without muting the high E string. My ring finger does not bend back at the knuckle like yours does. I tried to use 2 and 3 fingers like an A chord, but it's so awkward. C is not too bad, G and D are really tough. It's hard for me to imagine fingering those chords anywhere on the neck in any sort of rhythmic manner... I know - "Don't Expect too Fast!"

Thank you.

Best,

John

Wow. I somehow missed this the first time around, so thank you John_D for bringing this back to the top of the forums.

One question though for Tomo, I'm going to incorporate this into my daily practice along with chromatics/open G string/R37/etc. Would you suggest that this be practiced each day for 2-3 minutes like was mentioned a week or so ago on the live stream?

Hi everyone. I love this thread. I tried 50 per beat. This metronome is
frantz which got recently. And sounds great.
Eiji

Nice! - that is awesome. I hope to get there!
John_D

How is your alternate picking today?

Tomo