The Guitar Practice Revolution: How Tomo Fujita Transforms Students at Berklee

The First Test That Reveals Everything

When a new student walks into Tomo Fujita's studio at Berklee College of Music, they're expecting to dive into advanced techniques and impressive solos. Instead, they get something completely different: "Play a major scale with one finger, one string, without looking at the neck."

This simple request reveals everything Fujita needs to know about how a student learned guitar. Most struggle with this basic task, exposing years of visual memorization rather than true musical understanding. It's the first step in what Fujita calls his "guitar practice revolution" – a complete reimagining of how guitarists should approach their instrument.

The Questionnaire That Changes Everything

After the initial playing assessment, Fujita assigns homework that has nothing to do with practicing guitar. Students must complete a detailed questionnaire covering:

• Five guitar players or artists that influence them
• Five albums and songs they love
• Their perceived strengths and weaknesses
• Their gear setup
• What they want to learn that semester

This questionnaire serves as a crucial filter. As Fujita explains, "If somebody said I want to be touring or I want to be amazing, that's will not happen because you're not really deciding anything – you're dreaming. The dream we have to turn into reality."

Amp Settings That Force Growth

One of Fujita's most controversial teachings involves amp setup. He insists on no reverb – not reduced reverb, but imagining reverb doesn't exist in the world. His standard setup on a Hot Rod Deluxe: volume at 2, treble all the way up, and guitar volume never at 10.

"You have to make it difficult to play. You don't want to make it easy to play. If you learn trumpet or trombone or piano drums, it's very difficult to make a good sound. But guitar – you plug into a computer and everything takes over. The music industry is ruining your technique."

This harsh setup forces students to develop proper picking dynamics and clean technique. Without reverb to mask mistakes, every note must be intentional and well-executed.

Guitar Setup: The Hidden Foundation

Before addressing technique, Fujita fixes guitars. He checks pickup height, string action, and intonation – aspects most students have never considered. When pickups are too high, magnets pull the strings, killing sustain. When action is too low, buzzing occurs. These setup issues actively work against developing clean technique.

"An expensive guitar with poor setup is already not educating you," Fujita notes. His studio drawer is filled with guitar tools, and he spends weeks fixing instruments before focusing on playing technique.

The "One Thing Really Good" Philosophy

While most guitar education rushes through topics, Fujita takes the opposite approach. He teaches Blue Monk for four to five weeks, focusing solely on shell voicings with proper dynamics and fingerpicking technique at 60 BPM.

"I just want to do one thing really good. That's my teaching," he explains. "If you don't get a few things, then 10 other things become very mediocre."

This patience-based approach fights against the instant gratification culture affecting young musicians. Fujita uses humor and stories to help 19-year-olds understand why deep practice trumps surface-level learning.

Rhythm: The Hard-Earned Skill

Contrary to what students might expect, Fujita's rhythmic mastery wasn't natural. At 14, a drummer told him bluntly: "You don't have really good rhythm. You have to get a metronome and practice."

This criticism led to a methodical approach to rhythm development:

• Metronome practice on downbeats, then on beats 2 and 4
• Playing basslines while singing different melodies
• Tapping accent exercises
• Moving the body while listening to music
• No foot tapping during practice (unless you're Eric Clapton, as he jokes)

The Inside-Outside Principle

When students ask about playing "outside" or using chromatic approaches, Fujita's response is direct: "Can you play everything inside?" Usually, the answer is no.

He refuses to teach outside playing without solid chord tone knowledge. His approach involves:

1. Master triads in all inversions
2. Learn chromatic approaches (half-step above or below chord tones)
3. Transcribe players who use chromaticism effectively
4. Understand that "outside" means temporarily leaving harmony to create tension before resolving "inside"

"How can I teach outside if you don't know inside? You cannot create anything about chromaticism without learning from transcribing."

Practice vs. Performance: Two Different Skills

Fujita makes a crucial distinction between practice mindset and performance mindset. During practice, students analyze and think technically. During performance, they must trust their preparation and play intuitively.

"When you study, you think. But when you play, you don't think," he explains. This separation prevents the robotic playing that results from over-analyzing during performance.

Teaching John Mayer: Foundations First

Even established players like John Mayer came to Fujita for fundamentals. Mayer's Tuesday 9 AM lessons focused on:

• Chromatic scale practice for cleaner picking
• Alternate picking correction
• Classical duets to improve technique
• Shuffle rhythm work
• Dynamics and muting exercises
• Amp settings with no reverb

Rather than teaching flashy techniques, Fujita provided the foundation that allowed Mayer to continue growing as an artist.

Modern Education Challenges

Fujita sees technology as both helpful and problematic in modern music education. While tools like loop pedals and backing tracks can assist learning, they can also create dependencies that prevent students from developing internal time and listening skills.

"Common sense curriculum moves too fast for many people because technology helps them too much," he observes. "Sometimes we have to slow down and work on detail."

The Philosophy Behind "Play by Feeling"

Fujita's book "Play by Feeling" (translated from Japanese with his daughter's help) encapsulates his teaching philosophy. Rather than focusing on technical exercises, it covers:

• How to set up your practice environment
• Learning scales by intervals, not visual patterns
• Understanding triads beyond the CAGED system
• Developing listening skills
• Creating proper practice habits

The book emphasizes the foundational aspects that other guitar methods often skip.

Key Takeaways for Your Practice

Fujita's approach offers several practical applications for guitarists at any level:

• Slow down: Master one concept thoroughly before moving to the next
• Remove crutches: Practice with minimal effects and harsh amp settings
• Focus on fundamentals: Ensure your instrument is properly set up
• Develop internal time: Use metronomes strategically, but also practice without them
• Record yourself: Video practice sessions to identify problems objectively
• Transcribe, don't just copy: Learn phrases from records, not YouTube tutorials
• Separate practice from performance: Think during practice, feel during performance

Fujita's revolutionary approach proves that in our age of information overload, the path to musical mastery still requires patience, proper fundamentals, and deep practice. As he puts it: "I make a living helping people, and people are happy. Can you imagine?"