Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

This is tough without watching you or using my guitar. I like these type of ear training quizzes professor!
Kurt

I could only tell I, IV, V. Then I cheated and looked, but was still mostly stumped.

Thank you Kurt! You can use your guitar but these chord changes are pretty popular one so you can hear each chord function.

A A D A
A A B E
A A7 D D#dim
A F# B E ... short turn aroud...

So you can hear as
1 1 4 4
1 1 2 5
1 1 4 #4
16 2 5 1...

Tomo

Thank you Clay! I played a little too much but... you can hear the directions of each chord...

2 sound is very unique!
Then 4 #4dim.... 1625

Tomo

Thanks!
Yes, the 2 is very cool.
The 1 and 4 and 4 and #4dim and the 1625 are parts of the Jazz Blues I learned here.
Hearing intervals other than 1 4 and 5 is a big weakness of mine even after all the Do RE Mi stuff I do.
It feels like my brain is "out of shape" trying to figure it out without my guitar. Like I get tired of thinking.
Guess I need a lot of Ear and Brain workouts and training.
Kurt

Definitely Tomo. I will learn some more jazz standards for sure.

Great Serena!

Tomo

Thank you for these examples Tomo!
Very helpful!
Have a super-duper special Monday :-)
Kurt

My pleasure Kurt! I just made 3 videso for you guys.

1) Simple chords
2) 7th chords
3) Bassline

This way you hear what I hear!
Super Duper Special Monday!
Feeling so good!

Tomo

Yes! Thanks so much for making it an even more fun day!
We appreciate these amazing bonus lessons so much!
Kurt

My pleasure! Making these videos are much easier than typing words!

Please enjoy them! This forum is so special to me!

Tomo

Thank you Tomo for these.

Thanks for showing how we can add variation by playing Major chords with both 6th and 5th string root forms.
Kurt

You're very welcome Kurt! These are very important foundation before 7th chords and beyond!

Tomo

Fun to add 7th chords!
I played at Catholic Mass for years as a kid and we never had music.
I just learned new songs during the week from Sister Celeste.
She played guitar when she taught me, then she played piano at church.
Kurt

I heard Otis Redding's "Cigarettes and Coffee" when you did the augmented @ 2:38.

Thank you Kurt! So great to hear that!

Good job!

Tomo

Good job Clay! Many R&B songs use Augmented sound and Diminshed sound.

Tomo

Another great lesson. Love the sound of that progression. I need more time! lol :).

Wow! That sounds so nice coming from my subwoofer!
You sound darn good for someone who says he doesn't play bass :-)
Thanks for the deep dive into understanding chord progressions. Very helpful!
Kurt

Same amp! Same setting! Musicmaster Bass Amp! I love bass so much! I just love feeling that bass note. I only play bass! I never practice! Just feel and play! You're very welcome! I love to be helpful and make people happy!

Tomo

Good to know! I was worried about playing bass on the music master bass amp.. ‘Don’t worry’

Don't worry Jeff! The Musicmaster Bass Amp is very strong!

Tomo

Thank you Eiji for finding this thread! Sco loves Ray Charles and some Gospel.

This one is one of very standard chord progression.

Tomo

I really love Marcus King very much! Good job Rich!

Just some idea....
I III7(V7/VI) IV bVI
I vi-7 ii-7 V7 I IV I V7... etc So bVI is non-diatonic and this is very popular chord choice for soul music.
Listen Ann Peables classic

How about this one?

Tomo

Thanks John and Rich for pulling this back to the top of the threads. This is such a good one, but fell off my practice radar. And thanks for the new practice pieces Tomo!

So great to hear that Clay! You're very welcome!

I think One String One Finger approach and learn some sequesncings... will help your ear!
This video is super important! Especially playing super slow!

Tomo

https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/videos/et01-c-major-scale

Hi John,

Beginner here. I strictly adhere to the practice method mentioned in the ET01 video (Tomo linked above), and have adjusted my practice based on Tomo's recent suggestions. I list as points:

1. Perhaps 15 minutes per session/daily is enough for this topic (the context was that I ran sessions for 25 minutes (Pomodoro) usually - so now I cut it short)
2. Together with all you said above (or pick one to do with this), try ascending and descending one-way octave, from root, single note in C Major scale, for each string.
3. Together with all you said above (or pick one to do with this), try ascending and descending with 3rds (e.g. Do Re Me; Re Me Fa; Me Fa So; and so on.
4. Remember to play really slow, so slow that we can do without a metronome at the start. Once we are comfortable, we can play with quarter notes on a 4-4 time signature. It's simple and simple is good (Tomo's advice).
5. I believe it's best to at least stick to the routine for 2 weeks (which is also generally our time to get a new round of feedback with a new video).

Hope it helps!

Reference:- my thread (https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/forums/general/77780-et01-c-major-scale-practice-log)

Hugo

Great job John! One string one finger approach is so good and super important! This way you can hear any scales before you tough the strings! Name of notes/intervals/DoReMi will make everything very clear.

This case is just focusing on one scale at a time. Like C Major scale then you can go minor scale (b3 b6 b7) or maybe Dorian scale (b3 b7) or Mixolydian scale (b7).

For keys. Slowly you can introduce a few keys. Maybe you can add key of F. F Major scale on 1st string. Or G Major scale on 3rd string. Keep it simple and less things to focus. One topic for a few weeks then you can add something new.

You can watch more lessons on this section if you are interested in….
https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/music-theory-i

Tomo

Hi John.... I noticed your question about the one (I) chord didn't get a direct answer, so I'll give it a shot.

Yes, the key you are playing in is the I.

In pop / blues / jazz / rock the first chord in the sequence/song is usually the I chord, but not always. Sometimes a song might start in the middle of its form, or a songwriter might start on another degree of the key for a different flavor. Just to make it extra fun, sometimes people argue about what key a song is in! For example, the chords in "Sweet Home Alabama" are D - C - G. Most people (including me) think it's in G. But you'll find people online who think it's in D. Again, though, most of the time, especially for the kinds of exercises we're doing here, the first chord will establish the key and will be the I.

Thank you Andy for answering I chord part.

Not everysong's first chord is not always I chord. Especially Japanese City Pop songs. Many of songs start from IV chord. So more songs you learn, you will experience this part by songs.

Tomo

I think your last statement is correct. The generally more reliable notion is that the I chord is the song key, or to be more accurate is the "part of" a section or song because a song can change keys.

Ultimately, the key concept is a bit elusive or abstract. It's best to use easy terms to describe it as/that the "song" resolves in a particular key (or some will say where it finds "home"). Theoretically it's quite true but in real life or execution, situations like Andy and Tomo mentioned above will arise.

We can only descriptively say something like, "it's more common to find songs ending with the I chord", but again there are tons of examples out there that are not. Because humans are creative. Isn't it beautiful?

Hugo

Just to add, to simplify things, I tend to view that I should have a general understanding about what "key" is (as said above) and then there's a roman numeric system of diatonic chords (i. E. In my words, where most listeners will feel right if I play them).

Then, I accept and recognize that there are tons of popular chord progressions and the I chord is usually being resolved in the end but sometimes not. The most important thing for me to do is to learn more and recognize the patterns.

It's easier said than done though. I cannot even distinguish chords without some form of reference or hint! :D

Hugo

My pleasure John_D! There are many thoughtful people members lile Andy here. Amazing! I am so grateful to read all threads. Learn more popular songs or any songs that you enjoy! Learn chord progression and figure them out (chord function) A lot of fun! Yes. I chord is based on that Key. So … C D G D Em …. C D G G then IV V I V vi-….IV V I I …. this song is key in G. G is I chord.

Tomo

Thank you Hugo for helping John_D here! Thanks for sharing! Very happy to see encouragement!

Tomo

G#?

I think it's E Major.

The beginning chords seem to be close to G#m then F#m - in strumming G#m G#m G#m G#m F#m G#m which should be III and II to E Major as I. But if I'm not mistaken, there should be some other notes which added color to the chords, then it's way out of my league currently (something like E into Eb note change in the chord strumming right after the beginning chords).

At 1:10 - 1:12, per the vocal, it should match with a guitar strumming pattern (if any) of VI VI VI III V VI (which are Cm Cm Cm G#m B G#m), which fits unto the E Major chord progression.

I just noodle around the fretboard to find the key and trying to reverse engineering with my limited knowledge on triads. Not sure if it's correct.

Hugo

[Post-edit: the early chord now sounds something like an A chord, but the high e string is played with either the 4th fret or 2nd fret.]

I’ve been trying a c#m7 chord it seems to sound ok for first couple bars. Then I think is where that g# note we’re hearing maybe is coming in. I’ll try more later

Thank you guys! Good job!
First chord is AMaj7... there are more ...but keep it simple is better!

F#/A#
Am6
E/G#
Am6

EMaj7
A#-7(b5)
F#-7
A/B

I have this song lesson on my YouTube Channel if you are interested in.

This is typical Japanese Pop song. Start with IV chord. So key is E.

Tomo

Thanks ! I’ll try this later tonight. I’ve never heard of this song before real nice sound

I guess it's Eb Major - guessed from the beginning "main" melody of "La Ti Do Re Me; Re So Fa Me Re Do ~ Re Me Do Re Me"

I heard at 0:11 - 0:13 which sounds like (in order) 9th, b7, b6, 4, 2, sth. It's so mesmerizing. I guess it's the "blues" I lack - I know it's common in a particular genre (which I like the feel) but I never knew what it is. It's as if preparing the listener to the next phrase, shrouded with a bit of mystery.

Some parts of the song gave me a strong vibe of Tamaki Koji's songs, many of whose songs were adapted in my place and got legendary status. Can't place where exactly it is. But it feels great. As a side note, I love the "bling bling" guitar chords, which show so much style and nuances. Can't wait to learn in due time!

Thank you Tomo - for painting what Kyoto was/is in your heart to us!

Hugo

[POST-EDIT: I think I haven't got the full picture here, as it seems I don't have a way to find/know how the song resolves in - to give a definite answer of what key the song/piece is. I also remember Tomo mentioning great composers like Matteus Asato may use relative minor as key or part of the song. Based on this and as the major and relative minor shares the same notes, I am not sure over here. It will be great if Tomo or any members can share their ways of locating/confirming the key once we got the notes down. Thanks.]

You guys are so far ahead of me it’s ridiculous - but it’s awesome to be exposed to your thoughts on this.

Hey John,

NO, not at all! I just started learning electric guitar (1 / 2 months, if counting the hiatus in between). I was just trying to explain my thought process so that someone may correct me or that we can have good discussions.

I bet all beginners like us started with 1.) Chromatic scale, 2.) C major Scale, 3.) Triads and inversions as suggested by Tomo and other prominent members. These three starting courses (and some of Tomo's recent public Youtube videos) contain the toolsets or hints to work out the key of a song I believe (plus a little bit of Googling).

Definitely don't feel discouraged. Don't compare and be kind to yourself! I can vouch that there are so many gaps, uncertainties and blind spots in my knowledge and "analysis", but we just have to keep learning together!

Would be happy to hear your thoughts on these music too (what key do you think it is and why?)!

Hugo

Great album!!

Thank you Jeff!!

Tomo

KYOTO is in C minor

Tomo