Blues Guitar Improvisation - Tomo Fujita

[@Gr8FriknApe]

Hi Tomo San! I am one of your elderly followers. I purchased a Takamine 20GD CE NS guitar yesterday after a lot of research. I wanted to continue my learning process with a better, quality guitar. It will be here on Friday. It will go well with my Les Paul. At 6 months, I'm already playing some easy songs and rifts on my electric and my acoustic Recording King 000. I don't have enough time left on this earth to be as good as you, but, I will get better (smiling). You continue to inspire me and I am hooked! Now I've got to free up some practice time for my keyboard (chuckles). I L O V E music!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much! I have many old folks at my Guitar Wisdom. Please join my Guitar Wisdom. Awesome! Please enjoy your guitar playing!

[@christianketelaer6079]

1 tip for anyone interested in Blues improvisation is: don’t always start your first solo note on the first beat of the bar, start on 2,3 or 4. This small change will make your soloing a lot more interesting. No offence Tomosan this is positive feedback! Might even be worth a lesson….

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing! More space! Good! Thank you so much!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

I normally start at 2nd bar!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Please watch this live show. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaqreHR4mJiqf6c

[@Kasmost2223]

Please don’t recommend experience teachers 😊😊😊

[@Nozmo_King_NJ]

Even after a lifetime of playing over changes like this, you gave me a few tasty new ideas to incorporate. Thanks Tomo!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Great to hear that! Glad to be helpful! Thank you so much!

[@MD-mh6iu]

Thank you, Tomo. This reminds me of your video on triads I watched 2 years ago that totally transformed my approach to improvising (you taught it with the same I-IV-V progression). I got into guitar 30 years ago wanting to improvise. This is yet another video of yours that’s helped me along my journey. Thank you for all you do by sharing your incredible talent and passion with others.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! So happy to hear that! Glad to be helpful! Good job! Thank you so much! You're very welcome!

[@magneticintrusion]

Mr Tomo...You make me feel like you are my best friend. Thank you for sharing your ways to play better. Your friendly style has taught me many things I did not understand from other teachers. I am curious Sir...Have you ever met and played with Shinji Wajima? His band has been my favorite for a long time and I also admire his style of guitar work. Thank you very much!!!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

My pleasure! Thank you so much! So happy to hear that! No. Thank you for sharing!

[@user-no1cares]

At my level I think scale shapes, triads & double stops. I try to match the scale shapes to the chord progression & I’m slowly breaking out of scaling & playing too many notes. Trying to be more musical in improvisation by mixing single notes with chords, triads & double stops. This is the perfect lesson for me. Thank you Tomo.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing! Those are correct information but you cannot just use shapes to connect things. Learn from blues records for basic phrasing, You should not make your own before you learn a few phrases from BB King & a few blues melodies. So happy to hear that! Thank you so much!

[@skipjackdoesstuff7110]

your notes about not spending too much time on an idea was interesting. but you’re right. you either commit or do a quick phrase. i also learned there’s no shame in a simple pentatonic melody. it’s easy to want to be too complicated with your playing! thanks again tomo

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing! Minor pentatonic is beautiful! All depends how you express it. You're very welcome! Thank you so much!

[@jamesroachh07]

Just starting to play at 23… can’t thank you enough for your informative videos! All good things come with time 😌

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Awesome! Congratulations! I am so happy for you! Thank you!

Such a nice guitar - beautiful color!

[@mmiller6873]

Loved the lesson. Thanks again for being so positive and sharing your insight and knowledge. Well done and cheers 🙂

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! So happy to hear that! Thank you so much!

[@sockenfrank]

Yes, it seems like you are a friend…….please more of this wonderful blues improvisation lessons.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much! I love guitar, blues & people!

[@汤姆约克-d2m]

Tomo sensei you are my hero

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much!

[@rollant]

excellent video ,there is so much to learn from it , i love this style of jazzy blues, many many thanks Tomo

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much!

[@timharris6835]

I like the way he plays, I learn a lot from listening to his advice, thank you for posting this.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

So happy to hear that! Thank you so much! You're very welcome!

[@LifeTogether000]

Awesome so beautiful video good sharing have a blessed day

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@charlesvachon5838]

Ok ...you demystified the jam in explaining that you are on auto pilot when you do.However practice re orients the points ...thanks ... and just that little BB king exercise in the waiting before the vibrato ...thats so cool ...double stop practice is another orientation ...thanks Tomo for showing the subtleties.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing! You're very welcome! Thank you!

[@dweezl01]

All yuor lessons are very helpfull.👍

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

So happy to hear that! Thank you so much!

[@JTB--]

Nice One Tomo. Really useful lesson 🍻

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much! So happy to hear that!

[@fernandinojapa2737]

i have a big struggle on applying the theory in the practice, i know the scales, the intervals and some harmonic fields but i can't apply this knowledge on guitar and i don't know what to do (i'm studying by myself for like 6 years and you're one of the best channels i've found to try to fill this gap i have, thx for everything)

[@patocontrerasc]

Dont worry about theory, music is always first so you want to hear a lot, start simple Theory is important and helpful but more important is simple melody

[@13thAMG]

Play along with lots of backing tracks and try to go to lots of jams to play with others. Make lots of mistakes and learn from them. 😉

[@fede22081]

I agree with the previous advice, especially the one about going to jam sessions like ​@@13thAMGsaid. Playing with other people is incredibly useful and it can be very liberating if you are somewhat of the shy type. It'll build your confidence and it's allows you to *really* play, instead of just practicing. Find you a group of people who are welcoming of intermediate players. You'll be surprised at how much you can already do. Also remember, if you play a "mistake" play it three times :)

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

It's not easy at all! Very difficult to understand this by self-taught. Please join my Guitar Wisdom. I teach more details. You can do it!

[@DannyHood-j]

Thank you Tomo! You said ‘Conversation’. I can play correct notes in key, but unless I play like having (Conversation) melody, add ‘double stops’.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! Good job! First you need to learn some blues phrasing from old records then you can learn some foundation so that you understand what was played, you can analyze with chords.

[@ceixyceiz8826]

So nice master Tomo !

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you!

[@Ryan-g7h]

tomo, i always wondered this! thank you for this great insight

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for sharing! Thank you so much!

[@michaelnc4450]

Good Stuff Tomo! Thanks for the post! 😎👍

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you! You're very welcome!

[@ricklanders]

Thank you so much, Tomo! Great lesson. It would be great to have a lesson devoted just to that harmonic minor? or diminished? or whatever those cool notes were! I love how that sounds! I first heard that triad thing in Debbie Davies "Down at the Honky Shack" - so cool! (Why do people not know she's better than SRV??!) A play on Jimmy Smith's "Back at the Chicken Shack," really great tune. Guitar solo by Kenny Burrell in the version with Stanley Turrentine is a perfect example of how you teach to keep it simple. Arigato gozaimasu!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! So happy to hear that! Yes! I already made Harmonic minor lesson... I have so many lessons so please search! Thank you so much! Yes! Chicken Shack!

[@nerad1994]

Love that part at 14:30

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much! After BB King Phrase?

[@BeauOnDrums]

Thank you for this lesson. I love your answers to this question, what are you thinking when practicing or improvising. Shopping list analogy is very helpful. I’m using your advice on all the instruments I that I study. I have only acoustic guitars. Please show more on acoustic.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! So happy to hear that! This exactly I teach all my private lesson students. I will do! Thank you so much!

[@klacustoms]

Thank you for the excellent content! BB King is amazing! He does something that I can't do. I mean, I can do it, but it still doesn't sound like him. It sounds like me. It was in his hands. His own vibrato style was part of his signature voice in my opinion. If someone was to blindfold me and all I hear is just a blast of one note with vibrato, I know it is him. It's a shame I never got to see him play live in concert. Jerry Lee Lewis as well. Jerry Lee Lewis, while a bad ass piano player and showman, inspired me a lot too. Sometimes I like to play 16th or 32nd notes behind the bridge instead of the front to make my guitar sound like it's striking high keys of a piano, while I'm using my left hand for hammer ons and pull offs. Such a shame of all these legends from yesteryear are gone.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! My pleasure! BB King is the BLUES! A little Jazzy blues! Yes! One note! Signature sound! Amazing! Thank you so much!

[@aryansengupta6674]

Arigatou Gozaimasu Sensei. This is exactly what I was looking for! Can you tell me how I can come up with newer phrases? Thank you so much for all your advice and videos.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! First you need to learn a few traditional phrasing in blues vocabulary so you never make your own phrase before you learn a few phrases from BB King and a few melodies.

[@1233farhan]

Thank you for this information, so so helpful. Hope you're always in a good health. any recommendation from BB's record to learn ?

[@pat7255]

hey tomo i’ve really enjoyed your videos where you focus heavily on rhythm and groove. thank you so much for reminding me to never forget about rhythm and making me passionate about metronome. i’m trying hard to go back to the basics and strengthen my foundation, do you think you could do a video about the rhythm subdivision pyramid and how to practice it with the metronome with some examples of blues, rock, jazz and or funk rhythm grooves to branch off and also melodic grooves to branch off.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

So happy to hear that! Thank you so much! Yes! I love rhythm guitar & time feel! Good hard work is good! I did a little on my strumming guitar video. Please check.

[@Lukasblue22]

Pretty good video for blues fresh man as me!Learned a lot from it!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much!

[@caprise-music6722]

Great video! Thank you for the lesson

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

My pleasure! Glad you like it! Thank you so much!

[@GTR-Ovat]

Great video Tomo, such an inspiration 👍🏼 Only just started improvising and I often get confused whether I should use more of a major pentatonic sound over the IV chord as I'm still finding it hard mixing maj and minor.

[@aryansengupta6674]

One thing that helps me is playing minor pentatonic licks, but when you play b3 interval, you can bend it, or use it as a passing note, to go into the major 3rd interval.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much! So happy to hear that! Good job! Tru to use more triads!

[@GTR-Ovat]

Thanks guys, bending to the Maj 3rd and triads 👍🏼 very helpful 😊

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

@@GTR-Ovat Chord tone! So happy to hear that! Thank you so much!

[@smoothbuddha7212]

Tomo would you be able to do a video where you show simple common licks , embellishments on the different triad shapes??? Ive been learning my triads all over fretboard vertical, horizontal and same and inversions but im not really doing a lot with them, im not sounding overly musical. Id love to see any insights on this🙏

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

I don't know any licks. I know phrases that I have heard from artists. Yes! I could do that application on triads & phrases! I teach all the details at Guitar Wisdom which is not available anywhere else! Good place to learn more proper applications. Thank you so much!

[@chronicbuttonpushers8928]

Nice Job

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you!

[@meteatasoy8227]

Thank you for sharing man!! You are such a great guitarist and more so such a great man! Very humble and chill.I love your music too specially "song for samantha "and "just funky". I want to ask your opinion about Cassiopea and Masayoshi Takanaka. How to get their sounds or they style analysis. Anyway keep up to good work man!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

My pleasure! Thank you so much! Thank you for sharing! I can analyze very easy!

[@brianblak8408]

I Robot was a pretty big part of my listening in the day. I did not know of Alan Parsons connection to Abby road or any recording session background until a few years ago. Thanks for posting this! ps My brother took a pic in a French airport recently and asked if I recognized it. I did but could not quite place it - the concrete elevated walkways on the cover of I Robot.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thanks for listening and sharing!

[@brianblak8408]

@@TomoFujitaMusic ahem, thank you. I have inadvertently got this in the wrong place (after first enjoying your post)!! Enjoying your site.

[@TheseDazeAudio]

Great video!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you!

[@rccarsandmusic2641]

Know your tool boxs with blues improve, i use full Blues scale, Gypsy Blues scale, M7b5+4 Blues scale and the 3 variations of the Jump Blues scale, Major, Minor, and Full. All are derived from the Major scale with a flat 5 in the relative position. Questions are welcome

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing.

[@ayushmanbhalla8737]

Hey Tomo, We all get the basics of music theory-scales, triads, arpeggios, modes, and so on. But despite knowing all this, it seems that not everyone can truly communicate through their playing. This brings me to the concept of "audiation." While methods like listening, Solfège, singing, or humming can help, it’s still rare for everyone to master this skill, especially without perfect pitch or the talent of someone like Stevie Wonder or Charlie Puth. I’m curious how to develop this ability on the guitar. I've seen John Mayer often vocalize something and then effortlessly play it on the guitar, like when he's doing a bluesy solo. Any tips on how to achieve this ?

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thanks for sharing. Those are just correct information! You need good musical examples from live performances & learn how to analyze these performances & know how to apply these concepts to music. So two separate things... but most people mix them too fast pace! So no matter how many hours put into... not going anywhere! Because too much memorization on shapes! No need to have a perfect pitch. You can train (anyone) relative perfect pitch. (You can hear the intervals so clearly but you don't know exact pitch or key) I have many detail lessons at my Guitar Wisdom.

[@peterdetolla]

I love you Tomo I’m serious

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much!

[@PawpawJamz]

Some tasty stuff, Senor. 👏👏👏👏

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much!

[@philam1307]

Hi Tomo! I have a question. Do you think I should learn others solo's with Tabs? I am told to do this to internalize their techniques, or should I just learn how to improvise using the scales and arpeggios?

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Sure! No tabs! Just be patient a little so that you will not need any tabs to learn guitar. Scales and arpeggios are tools and they are not real music! You need to do a few things. 1) Learn good guitar techniques 2) Learn music theory so that you understand scales & triads by intervals (not shapes) 3) Listen a few good old blues. BB King "Live at the Regal" "Blues is king" In between, you can learn a few famous blues licks & shuffle baseline (styles) and some rhythm guitars. This way, you have some structures in your guitar playing and you can apply these ideas into your playing (performance) So practicing and performing is different!

[@sockenfrank]

Which exercise is good to keep track of the solo?

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Shuffle bassline R 3 7 Swing groove These! So good! Don't use KZbin backing tracks!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Record yourself with a metronome

[@mirllewist3086]

How would you compare that Ibanez to the AZES31? Is it worth $1,000 more for the pro machine? Asking because I own an azes31 and I am covering the one you play in this video 🙂 Thanks!!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Even $299.99 the AZES31, this guitar is so good! This guitar is so good!

[@josephlane355]

I'm stuck in the first position of the minor pentatonic scale box i don't know how to explore out of the minor pentatonic scale shape ,i want to learn how to play more soulful melodic lines-phrasing.How do i get out of a rut

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thanks for sharing. Minor Pentatonic is very simple sound so you can learn one finger, one string approach. You can learn intervals. Learn triads & some 7th chords. You can join my Guitar Wisdom

[@Tismuggle]

Good video as always! By the way, it sounds like you’re getting a cold? Take care, man.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

When I made this video (in late April) I got a bad allergy! Thank you!

[@chronicbuttonpushers8928]

So how do you just play all over the guitar, you make it look so simple!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you! I think everything simple!

[@SP-kc7bv]

TomoさんはストラトのリアPUにトーンを効かせる改造とかはしないんですか？🎸(Ibanezのストラトタイプはその仕様かもしれませんがFenderのトラッドなモデルはリアにトーン効かない仕様なので気になりました)

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

そのようにしてるギターもあり、そうでないギターもあります。簡単に改造できます！

[@snuffelsuf]

Did you like t-bone Walker.. he's my fave

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Yes! Of course!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

We all do....once copy exactly... do my own!

[@ItsJustRyan89]

Hi Tomo, I’m currently learning some pieces for my grade 8 exams. I’ve always struggled with fast licks/solos. I have some learning difficulties so struggle with coordination. Can you impart some wisdom? Thank you

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing! Once you feel any difficulty then you need foundation so you can improve to yourself. Slow down & practice slow!

[@ItsJustRyan89]

@@TomoFujitaMusic thank you. Slow and properly is key

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

@@ItsJustRyan89 Learn more intervals

[@ItsJustRyan89]

@@TomoFujitaMusic do you think that will help my hands work together more effectively?

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

@@ItsJustRyan89 Yes! Are you subscribing my Guitar Wisdom? Chromatic exercises, many exercises! You should do triad inversions on lower string set more! Great for finger dexterity!

[@ayushmanbhalla8737]

10:58 - Tomo, it's Robert Lockwood Jr. ! 😊

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Yes yes! Classic blues guitar 101! Thank you for noticing! I did not create those!

[@katsunori.bb.kawai.6633]

Thank you Mr.Fujita, Good blues playing advice!. (Don’t talk too much 😂, feel better and great old phrasing!.) 👍🙏😎

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

You're very welcome! Thank you so much!

[@Jack.Waters]

Okay. In B minor key . 60bpm. LÂG 30 loop 12 bar. And ………go

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much!

[@ADEker]

👍

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you!

[@austinchiagozie6621]

Please Tomo can I get one of these your guitars🤲

Thank you for sharing your time Tomo. Everything u Said and showed, helps me. Thank you🫶🙏

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Glad it was helpful! You're very welcome! Thank you so much!

[@Syncrosound8000]

actually, I am really concerned and want to know more about those chords you're playing in between exactly what they are… They sound like nine chord etc.

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing! I can show you more chords! Thank you!

[@TomiLoveless]

!!??

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

??!!

[@13thAMG]

Tomo Sensei! Domo Tomo. 🤣 You are the guitar 10th Dan Master. 😉

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you so much! Wow! You're very kind!