Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi everyone!

I’ve been thinking about all the journeys happening here this year, and I’d love to hear about yours.

Watching your practice videos and reading your posts has shown how much effort goes into this journey. I don’t play guitar myself, but I see it in the videos you share, livestreams, and conversations here. I’ve noticed how the community has shifted; more people feel comfortable sharing their practice, being honest about their playing, and supporting each other along the way. That takes courage, and it’s an important piece of this place.

I’d love to hear a story from this year. It might be a moment that surprised you, a challenge you worked through, or a change you noticed in how you practice or think about music. Maybe it’s a video you posted, a question you asked, or a small insight that stuck with you.

Sharing your journey not only celebrates your effort but also reminds us that guitar playing is about curiosity, exploration, and personal experiences. These stories make progress visible — for you and for everyone.

I’m excited to read your stories and keep the conversation going. Even if you don’t usually post, your experience matters, and every perspective adds value.

Sammi

I've been playing guitar for over 2 years now, but I started making real progress when I joined Guitar Wisdom a few months ago. Many of the other forums that I am a part of did not deem it necessary to teach fundamental techniques, nor do they assist in the guitar journey as our community does.

I am so grateful for all of your patience, kindness, feedback, and instruction. Without it, I would be hopelessly confused. I have learned that it is not only okay, but it is best to go as slowly as I need to to learn guitar. I am learning to trust Tomo, George, and Sammi's guidance and follow it humbly.

I have grown to be not afraid to share my progress via videos. I so value your encouragement, support, and belief in me. Thank you all so much. Merry Christmas to you all.

Cool idea, Sammi. I’m new to GW just a couple of weeks, so hi to anyone seeing this!

This year has been jam-packed with revelation, building on the last 3 years where—after 30 years—I decided to get serious about guitar beyond cowboy chords :). Since I lead our church singing, I really want to improve in insight, feel, and dynamics. I’ve written several songs we sing at church, and I believe studying is helping a lot.

This year, I worked on stuff Guthrie Trapp teaches and took live lessons from Johnny Hiland, who convinced me to learn the neck. The best thing I’ve ever done is memorize the fretboard :).

I found Tomo about 6 months ago on YouTube, and the teaching was so clear and structured; it became clear that in order to progress, I need this style of instruction. To my pleasant surprise, GW is so much more than another place to pay monthly for access. I’ve felt welcomed and, along with the excellent approach to learning, the folks of GW are helping each other forward, it seems to me. Oh and I bought a Gibson Mandolin and learned a few songs to expand my horizons :).

I look forward to this part of my journey. Who knows, I “might” even try a jazz song! LOL. Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas guys. Thought this Christmas was not going to be the best one. Turning out great. My sister had a baby. My brother's wife had a baby. A year pf great beginnings. I started my freshman year at South Dakota State University. GO JACKS! I am studying the clarinet as they do not have a guitar program so I am supplementing it with GW. I have been playing guitar since 12, but taking it seriously the last 2-3 years.

I have always loved the guitar. Tomo was definitely one of the inspirations for this professionally creative endeavor. I am going to graduate and become Music Educator. That is my major, Music Education.

His saying,
"Don't Worry'
"Don't Compare"
"Don't Expect too Fast"
"Be Kind to Yourself'
Great saying and I remind myself of it everyday.

Thank you guys

-LaVoy

Also there should be a guitar text emoji at the bottom of this post. Can y'all let me know if it's there.

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Also I agree. I use to be so afraid to share my opinions or feelings or anything, guitar playing.

I think it is so important to just start saying something, anything. It helps be less afraid even if it feels so frightening.
That is why I think "Don't Worry" is number 1.

This is a great thread, Sammi!
The biggest thing that happened to me this year was joining Guitar Wisdom in January. Since then, I've been watching the lesson videos, reading the forum, and practicing every day.
Thanks to that, I've improved so much... my English skills! And of course, my guitar world has changed so much too.

I'm so grateful to the amazing team of Tomo, Sammi, and George, and to all the wonderful friends around the world. Let's continue our guitar journey together.
Thank you!

Great idea Sammi! Where to start. There have been a million little moments that I'm thinking about, some of which has already been mentioned, such as learning the ENTIRE fretboard, not just the E, A and D strings! Triads were another big moment for me. Not so much learning them as really understanding them as far as R/3/5 and how they flow both vertically and horizontally along the fretboard. Learning and understanding that has really helped me to visualize the neck, and work on breaking out of the pentatonic box shapes. Still not there 100%, but it's a work in progress. Single string/one finger scales is another one that helps with knowing the neck, Solfege helped with ear training and its becoming easier to learn songs/melodies by ear. The list could go on and on. But one thing on next years list is to revisit the July triad challenge to try to lock them in even better. I had a lot of work trips last summer and never really committed to the challenge as deeply as I should have.

My first year here at GW has been so enlightening. The warmth and encouragement not only from you, Tomo and George, but everyone here, it's just amazing. There really aren't too many sites online with so much positivity and a complete absence of negativity. For that alone, the GW Triad (just thought of that, and it kind of fits, doesn't it?) should be very proud. You've built a very good thing here.

Even though it didn't have anything to do directly with playing guitar, I'd say one of the bigger highlights was the zoom call that the GW Triad (I'm going to keep using that!) had with me and a few other members. Being able to speak to you and the other members real time was a great experience for me, and I hope you've continued doing that with other members.

Hi Sammi, Tomo, George and GW crew!

Unfortunately, this latter half of the year has been tumultuous for me personally and I haven't had as much time to play for many reasons like surgery and family. The progress has been modest but still trucking on.

The highlights of the year might be:

-I understand enough about scales and triads (GW you are the best) and have begun improving over songs and tracks (still need to work on phrasing much more but it's starting to sound like music and not just running through scales). I don't even stay within the scales at times and throw in chromatic lines or add in notes not traditionally in a scale because of Tomo, I work on understanding the music that I am playing and if I don't I learn it. :)

-I began to learn and play jazz standards like Blue Monk, Autumn Leaves and Alone Together. That makes my spouse very happy! Thanks Tomo and thanks to the user who created the Blue Monk challenge page. GW you are amazing!

-I'm learning 9th chords now. They sound so rich and complex. Love it!

-A few months ago I started to learn how to use a pick. I am pretty rough at it now but getting better each day!

-I've started to learn how to comp and make a few chord substitutions of my own choosing that work with the song :) Thanks Tommy Emmanuel courses!

-I'll be starting some one-on-one coaching with Adam Levy. They will be very infrequent due to cost but I hope that having someone to show my work to at times will give me that extra step forward. One area I'd like to work on more is technique.

So all in all some modest improvements over the year and I look forward to the next steps in 2026 and beyond!

Hey Sami -
I had a meltdown this year.
I think you guys might remember it.
It was when I got up at my local jazz jam and really blew it.
I posted about it in the forum and everyone in the GW community was there to pick me up which I desperately needed.
Since that day I have really streamlined my practice.
I am in no rush to play out again but am really committed to listening carefully to music / standards that I want to play.
I got some good ideas from the last livestream about how to go in to a future jam more prepared.
And I am trying to take it easy on myself while I am attempting to build a strong foundation so that I don’t crash and burn again.
Well - that’s one of the big parts of my journey this year.
Looking forward to continuing to grow with everyone in this wonderful environment next year!

When I first signed up to GW recently I didn't think I would bother too much with the forum section as I don't post online - no forums or social media or anything. However I have found it to be a really helpful place and I stop by most days to see what people are doing and I always find that I am inspired in some way or other (I have been fumbling through Silent Night to supplement my triad practice, and also working on Rose Room - thank you Tadashi and Richard!).
Also - lots of people have commented on the positivity here and Richard's post above just goes to show how valuable that is. I can't imagine getting up at a jam session as I am incredibly self conscious about my guitar playing (hats off to anyone who tries, even if it doesn't go to plan), but I did recently play something for my dad (he's in his 80s), and I don't think I would have done so if some of the positive vibe from GW hadn't rubbed off on me.
So for me the main thing this year has been signing up to GW for the truly excellent lessons, but with the surprise bonus of a hugely helpful and supportive community. Thankyou to everyone and long may it last.

Jonathan

I’m late to GW, finding this website and entire thing probably around August or so. But I will say it has renewed my interest and attempt to be great at this instrument.

I always could play church chords, casual stuff. But now it feels awesome to make the guitar more of a canvas. I won’t say I’m really there yet - but I’m starting to feel it more and more.

By trade I’m a night nurse. I usually have no energy after work to practice… so… I have tried something different to try to make guitar progress! On my break (of which I’m lucky to be at a hospital where we get decent breaks) I have about an hour to practice stuff. I take my guitar, hop in my car, and plug it in my car speakers. Before anyone judges… I’m sure car speakers and a car chair isn’t the best “practice setup” lol. But for me, it works.

Also it has really given me a chance to disconnect from whatever craziness I might be experiencing on shift. Just to focus on the music and the goals I’m trying to meet. Of course on my off days I practice in a more ideal setting. But just finding guitar and a new way to disconnect in the middle of my shift from whatever has been going on… is great!

I hope next year to progress even more. I hope by next year the fretboard really starts to feel like a canvas I can play around with and put together more of the theory part of it all. I’m excited to go on this journey with y’all!

When I look back on 2025 I realize what a huge year it was. Certainly, I’m thankful for starting the year off by receiving an Ibanez AZES31 from Guitar Wisdom. I am still humbled and filled with gratitude for the generosity and support that I have received from the GW Team and my Forum Family. It’s the friendships that I’ve formed with y’all that remains one of the biggest highlights from this past year. These days, when I make a new musical discovery, one of my first thoughts always seems to be…”Can’t wait to share this with the group”. We are stronger together.
I’m also thankful for my notes throughout the year. What a great reminder of all the progress that has been made and all the stuff we’ve done together:

• Livestreams.
• July Challenge with Triads (congrats again, Jeff!)
• Lots of new and interesting Forum threads: Jazz listeners, Blues listeners, What are you listening to just for pleasure.
• Great new lessons in the Essential Music Theory and Foundation: Technique (Diminished scale, Aeolian and Locrian modes, so much more!)
• Incorporated deep listening.
• Tackled Rose Room, Same Old Blues, Twinkle Twinkle Jazz. Still committed to the Kyoto Challenge.
• Great tips and tricks from the Forum for learning relative pitch (yet another gem from Tomo), and tool for presenting random notes as prompt for triads (thanks, Andy).

And I do miss some of the folks that were part of GW but I haven’t heard from lately (Jiayang, Ken, Bryon, more). Wherever they are, here’s hoping for the best for all in 2026. I hope our paths cross again somewhere down the road.

Tomo, Sammi, and George, thank you for all that you guys brought to 2025. You are truly inspirational.

Thanks for reading.

2025 Guitar Wisdom has been a fruitful journey. Two years now at Guitar Wisdom has been more growth and foundation than any other 2 yr time period with the instrument. 2025 highlights were the July challenge, listening and working chord changes with R37, all parts of the new ET series. I now have a solid warm up practice routine that is focused to time limited sections in order to touch on several GW concepts during each practice opportunity, about 25 min warmup. Still not great at incorporating computers/phones into my practice routine, getting there eventually without technical difficulties. Looking ahead to 2026, thinking more on the fretboard, more on triad challenge, more time with intervals major or minor steps, etudes, more rhythm exercises. Fix up my old guitar with some new pick ups. Get my looper looping freely for comping. Get this pedal board built and organized. Overall, dodge any mishaps, make good decisions, nourish a healthly body and mind + More guitar, cheers to the journey, - johno

Thank you all so much for everything you’ve shared so far! Reading your reflections has been really moving. What stands out to me is the care and intention you’re bringing to your playing - and how many of these paths overlap.

From finding new inspiration…
to getting more comfortable with the fretboard…
to playing for other people…
to practicing in the middle of busy life…
to staying close to music through challenges…
it’s all part of the journey 💛

And if you’re just reading along, this space is for you too. You’re always welcome to share in whatever way feels comfortable! It's never too late :)

Keep going, everyone!

Thanks so much Sammi for getting us together again and on this topic, to review of this year ! You bring so much positivity and clarity here for all of us. Thanks so much.
A lot of of great moments this year.
1) is everyone really is dialed in right now which makes for a great experience. Really feel we have a great community and supportive crew here. 2) is going back to Tomos idea of not worrying about being perfect or best but above middle thinking is good (only one) like Tomo karate teacher says.. this mindset has helped with guitar too for example finishing performances not stopping at first mistake. Mistakes are normal we are human and it’s part of it. 3) Using our ears and not our eyes to guide our playing. Not staring at fretboard entire time or thinking about shapes like going back to our July challenge. How we studied triads and one string approach and interval training. 4) Listening also more deeply and knowing really well the music we are trying to play. Understanding where it came from. Listened to great music this year! ( many can be found in our blues jazz and funk listeners threads- thank you to Tomo and everyone here for the recommendations - thanks to members Kurt Linda and Clay you taught me a lot! 5) Listening also and narrowing down influences and to our own performances to know strengths and weaknesses towards completing the questionnaire , who we want to learn from and study their guitar playing. 6) Listening with reviewing own performances and sharing these experiences in order to get feedback and grow. Sharing these performances has been a great help , thank you Tomo for taking the time to watch and give idea or biggest thing to go back and work on to improve. Also with sharing these videos have experienced that perfect performance am trying not to make the main objective, it’s about trying to play best you can and making a sample of our playing to learn something from Tomo and others feedback to get better. This is a mindset hope to continue to build on for 2026!
Last thing is something George said in the livestream which was something like ‘it’s a long road to just funky but R37 will lead you there eventually’. I do believe this is true and is such with all of th material here in guitar wisdom that it really will lead you there with the right efforts. Even though it’s a long road -Knowing we’re on a great road is a great feeling to have!

Thank you Sammi George and Tomo for all you do! It means a lot!

Long way to go but we’re on the journey and am here for it!

Have a safe and happy new year everyone

Jeff